72 



CULINARY OR KITCHEN GARDEN. 



are to be regarded as annuals in this 

 country, and consequently originated from 

 seed. 



Sowing. — The kidney bean, being a 

 native of India, is consequently a ten- 

 der plant in Britain; therefore sowing 

 in the open air, even under the most 

 favourable circumstances, cannot be safely 

 recommended before the beginning of 

 April for England, and even then in dry 

 light soils and warm places. The latter 

 end of that month is sufficiently early for 

 Scotland. After the first sowing, to keep 

 up a proper succession during summer 

 and autumn, other sowings should be 

 made in May, June, and July. In cold 

 situations, and in strong cold soils, it will 

 be advisable to sow the seed in a prepared 

 bed, in boxes or in pots, in light rich 

 soil, and when the plants are about 4 

 inches high, to transplant them into their 

 final spot. They bear transplanting well ; 

 and the process recommended in the case 

 of pease is applicable to them also. To 

 keep up a supply during winter, the pro- 

 cess of sowing should commence about 

 the middle of October, and be followed up 

 every fortnight till the middle of March. 



For early crops in the open air, a 

 well-sheltered border with a southern 

 exposure should be chosen, the ground 

 thoroughly pulverised, and if not in 

 high manurial condition, it should be 

 made so by additions of semi-decom- 

 posed stable-yard manure dug in previous 

 to sowing. (For special manures, vide 

 Garden Bean, those recommended for it 

 being applicable here also). The drills 

 should be drawn across the border 2 feet 

 apart, and about 1^ inch in depth ; the 

 seed should be set by the hand singly 

 from 2 to 3 inches apart, according to 

 the size of the variety, which distances 

 apply to all the dwarf sorts, or kidney 

 beans proper. The seed is sold by the 

 pint, half a pint being sufficient to plant 

 a drill 80 feet in length. It is very im- 

 portant that the drill be dry at the time 

 of planting thus early, for, what with cold 

 and excess of damp, the beans are very 

 liable to rot as soon as they are buried in 

 the ground. In sowing for transplanting, 

 the seeds may be set as close to each 

 other as nearly to touch ; and, indeed, it 

 is a good plan to sow one seed in a small 

 60-sized pot, and when 3 inches high, if 

 the weather be favourable, to plant them 



out with the ball entire. Even for secon- 

 dary crops a warm spot is required ; the 

 distance as given above will be quite 

 sufficient. We have, in general, found 

 transplanting the first and second crops 

 the most certain way of securing them 

 early ; and, indeed, for the former, have 

 found much advantage by setting the 

 lines from east to west, and placing along 

 the northern side of each line a boarding 

 18 inches in height, which places the crop 

 almost in the same condition as if it were 

 planted at the bottom of a south wall, 

 which seldom can be done with safety to 

 the roots of the fruit-trees growing against 

 it. The wire protecting- cages, alluded to 

 in article Garden Bean, will be valuable 

 in the case of the first and second crops 

 of kidney beans ; and indeed the triangular 

 case with glass on one or both sides, de- 

 scribed in article Pea, might be used with 

 the greatest advantage in this case also. 



Subsequent culture. — Top-dressing, should 

 the plants appear weakly, with any of the 

 special manures noticed in article Garden 

 Bean, in either a dry or dissolved state — 

 the latter being much more instantaneous 

 in its effects— keeping the ground clear of 

 weeds, and frequently and deeply stirring 

 the soil between the rows, constitute the 

 essentials of good cultivation. Some of 

 the taller-growing sorts, if the soil be 

 rich, and the season mild and humid, will 

 require topping— that is, merely cutting 

 off those straggling top-shoots that, under 

 such circumstances, often spindle up and 

 rob the crop of much of its food, as well 

 as causing an undue shade upon it. 



Soil and manure. — A much lighter and 

 more thoroughly pulverised soil is re- 

 quired for the kidney bean than for the 

 garden bean, and where it is naturally 

 strong the crop will be much improved, 

 if sown or planted in light vegetable 

 mould, placed in drills drawn 6 inches 

 deep for its reception : this will give the 

 crop a fair start ; and deep hoeing through 

 the summer, leaving the surface rough, 

 will admit the heat of the sun, of which 

 this crop, being of tropical origin, stands 

 in need in our climate. The manures 

 recommended, and the method of apply- 

 ing them, are similar to those described 

 in article Garden Bean ; but as the manu- 

 rial effects should take place as soon after 

 they are applied as possible, it is better 

 that these should be in a liquid state. 



