LIMA BEANS. 



295 



he calls " good stuff " but we believe no ground can be 

 too rich. As we have been planting seed, and setting 

 out plants, off and on for the past two or three weeks, 

 the garden is "almost enough to drive any plowman 

 crazy," the captain declares. " Purty katty-cornered 

 walks 'twill hev to be " says old Levi. But our plow- 

 man is a good natured individual who surveys with an 

 indulgent smile the planted row here, the bed there, 

 this place covered with brush, in the vain hope of tem- 

 pering somewhat the ravages of the omnipresent hen ; 

 that place outlined by bean poles and boards laid down 

 to keep him and his horses at a safe distance. His plow 

 as usual is a " little out of kilter" and requires some 

 "tinkering," but at last he starts, and with the reins 

 around his neck, a clay pipe in his mouth, he drives his 

 far from jocund team afield. He is calm, serene ; all 

 our cries of — " Don' t let your horses bite those raspberry 

 bushes any more ! " " Can't you plow a little deeper ?" 

 " Oh, do be careful, don't let your horses step over those 

 bean-poles ! " effect no change in his weather-beaten 

 countenance, and no replies further than, ' ' No, marm ;" 

 " Can't do it, marm ; " " Yaas, marm," are elicited. 



We see plainly that he will plow that garden just as 

 he pleases, but is fairly careful, so at last we leave with 

 directions to old Levi to keep an eye on him, and not 

 let him do anything "too awful." The next day, or 

 that very afternoon, if the plowing has been done early 

 enough, we begin to plant in good earnest. More beets, 

 radishes, lettuce and parsley are sown. Beans, corn, 

 onions, salsify, squashes, etc., in fact almost all vegeta- 

 bles except lima beans and late turnips are planted as 

 soon as possible, of course allowing for several plantings 

 of corn. The loth is our favorite date for planting 

 melons and cucumbers. We have given up trying to 

 raise watermelons, but plant between thirty and forty 

 hills of muskmelons, which do well on our land. "Sur- 

 prise" always does well with us. The radishes in the 

 cold frames are ready for eating by the fifth of May, 

 and the small red olive-shaped ones we like best. Al- 

 though we try them every year in the open ground, they 

 are rarely eatable, being pierced through and through 



by worms, for which we have found no remedy. May 

 is a very busy month in the garden ; every day there is 

 planting to be done, plants to be set out, and the flower 

 garden should now be stocked and planted. 



Apple and pear trees we graft about the loth. The 

 strawberry beds are bright and green and we have 

 found blossoms as early as the 2nd. As soon as the 

 first green leaves appear, go over the currant and goose- 

 berry bushes with hellebore, dry, or in a solution as 

 you prefer; it is well to get beforehand with the cur- 

 rant worm. We generally have three or four separate 

 sets come on, but our eternal vigilance is well rewarded. 

 About the 20th the lima beans are planted. Thirty-three 

 poles we find none too many. Put in a good deal of seed, 

 for there is nothing a cut-worm likes better than a 

 young and tender lima bean. We count ourselves lucky 

 if three out of ten beans dropped escape this all-de- 

 vouring foe. Dust the squases, cucumbers and melon 

 vines, as soon as they get above ground, with fine plaster. 

 But here again you must "allow" for trouble; plant 

 twice as many seeds as you wish plants in a hill ; if — 

 rarely--more than you want survive, you can easily thin 

 them out. 



Look out for the rose bushes ; spray with whale oil 

 soap suds before you see any insects, and keep it up ; 

 you may be able to show later some roses with foliage 

 not looking as though burned by fire. "Just about this 

 time" look out for the low grass that comes in the apple 

 and pear orchards; have it hoed before it perfects its 

 quickly grown seed, and scatters it over the entire gar- 

 den. Fortunately there is little hoeing to be done this 

 month, but kill every weed you find; "so much in" 

 towards another month's work. May is essentially the 

 month for planting — making the garden, as it were. Al- 

 though we greatly enjoy the blossoming of the fruit 

 trees, the many beautiful spring flowers, notably the 

 lilies of the valley and forget-me-nots, and appreciate 

 the few early vegetables, it is to the next month we 

 must look for more substantial rewards for our constant 

 but very pleasing and interesting labors. 



Plyiiioutli Co., A/iiss. M. E. Vigneron. 



LIMA BEANS. 



yiHETHER planted for field cultiva- 

 tion or raised in the garden simply 

 for family use, lima beans are not 

 only a desirable, but also a profit- 

 able crop. This, of course, de- 

 pends upon the yield, and this, in 

 turn, depends upon the soil and the preparation. 



In order, then, to secure profitable results, the soil 

 should be at least moderately rich. If it is not so nat- 

 urally, manure should be used. If possible, it is of 

 course best to apply this by scattering broadcast over 

 the plot, and then thoroughly incorporating with the 

 soil. I tried manuring in the hill. The plan followed 



was to first plow the soil thoroughly, and then dig holes 

 three feet apart each way ; into these a good forkful of 

 manure was put, and worked well into the soil. A good 

 stout pole was set by the hole at the time of planting, 

 and three or four beans, with the eyes down, were planted 

 about one inch deep, and the soil pressed firmly down 

 upon the seed. Good cultivation was given ; that is, the 

 weeds were kept back and the soil stirred sufficiently to 

 keep it mellow. Four cultivations in all were given, 

 and although a fair crop was realized, it failed to be 

 what I expected. The vines were allowed to run. 



The next year I was a little short of manure, and run 

 out a good furrow ten or twelve inches deep. The 

 manure was thrown into the bottom of this, and loose 



