LEGUMINOUS PLANTS.-— THE KIDNEY BEAN. 



73 



Forcing. — This esteemed legumen can be 

 had in great perfection throughout the 

 whole year. To afford a supply during 

 winter, seeds of the most approved sorts, 

 such as early six-weeks, Fulmer's early 

 dwarf, Wilmot's forcing, &c. should be sown 

 about the latter end of September or 1st 

 of October, presuming two distinct crops 

 are already progressing in pits capable of 

 being so heated as to not only repel frost, 

 of which this plant is impatient, but also 

 to afford a minimum temperature of 60°. 

 Sow in small 60-sized pots, one bean in 

 each, in rather light, dry, rich soil. Place 

 them in a glazed pit or frame, in a tempera- 

 ture maintained at not less than 60° or 65°, 

 keeping the pots near to the glass. When 

 they have attained the height of 3 or 4 

 inches, transplant them into 7-inch pots, 

 placing 3 plants in each, having their 

 roots and ball entire, so that they may 

 sustain no check in their growth. At 

 potting, place in the bottom of each pot, 

 over the drainage, 2 inches of very rich 

 but much decayed manure, and use a 

 rich, light, rather turfy fresh soil for the 

 roots to work in. Some, at potting, set 

 the plants deep in the pots, with a view 

 to add fresh soil around the stems after- 

 wards. This is an absurd practice, as the 

 roots of leguminous plants very rarely are 

 emitted from the stem, and the conse- 

 quence of this deep potting is to limit 

 greatly the space for the roots to seek 

 food in. As the natural temperature of 

 the season declines, raise that in the pit 

 or frame in which they are placed to 65° 

 as a night temperature, and 75° as that of 

 the day, allowing a rise of a few degrees 

 in bright sunny days. In a pit heated 

 by hot water, they will succeed better than 

 elsewhere ; and, in default of such accom- 

 modation, set them on suspended shelves 

 over the footpaths of the pine-stoves, but 

 as close to the glass as will admit of their 

 attaining the height of 10 or 12 inches. 

 To lessen the labour of watering, place 

 pans or feeders under the pots, and 

 syringe the plants frequently, to keep 

 down the thrip and red-spider, which are 

 their greatest enemies. As the plants 

 advance in growth, support them with 

 small twigs to prevent their being bro- 

 ken by the force of syringing. Place a 

 little liquid manure in the feeding-pans, 

 to give additional food to their roots as 

 soon as they appear to wish to escape 



through the holes in the bottom of the 

 pots. For this purpose we use cow or 

 horse urine, or liquid guano, as affording 

 ammoniacal fumes, at least to such an 

 extent as experience has led us to believe 

 is very effective in keeping down both 

 thrip and red-spider. Ventilate upon all 

 fitting occasions, but avoid allowing cold 

 draughts of air to blow on the plants at 

 all times ; and, as a security against this, 

 cause the air admitted to pass through a 

 thin canvass screen, which will break its 

 force, and so sift it into minute divisions 

 that little injury need be apprehended. 

 To maintain a regular succession, sow 

 every ten days throughout the winter. So 

 valuable a vegetable deserves a heated pit 

 for its special accommodation ; and by 

 having one heated by hot water of 60 feet 

 in length, divided into three compart- 

 ments, a good supply may be kept up. 

 For spring use, should they not be re- 

 quired throughout the winter, the 1st of 

 January may be considered a very proper 

 season to sow. Should the pit into which 

 they are set have been occupied with 

 melons, cucumbers, tomatos, or such 

 plants as are subject to thrip and red- 

 spider, as a wise precaution, previous to 

 arranging it for French beans, let it be 

 cleared of all its internal contents, well 

 brushed out with a birch broom, the 

 lights put in, and every crevice and hole 

 carefully stopped up, and burn within it 

 half a pound of brimstone, keeping the 

 fumes in from night till morning : re- 

 move the lights, and whitewash the walls 

 with hot lime-water, and wash the whole 

 of the wood-work with hot water, if paint- 

 ing be at the time considered unnecessary. 

 This is a very necessary precaution to be 

 taken against the insidious attacks of 

 two of the greatest, although minutest, 

 enemies the cultivator has to contend 

 with. 



French beans cannot be grown during 

 winter in a temperature of less than 60° — 

 if ranging from that to 65° and 70°, and 

 80° during the day, so much the better ; 

 and where a bottom temperature a few 

 degrees higher can be afforded, so much 

 the more certain will be the success of the 

 crop. They also, in common with all 

 thin-leaved plants of tropical origin, re- 

 quire the fullest amount of light our 

 gloomy atmosphere is capable of affording 

 them ; and hence they succeed best in 



