316 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



DWARF FRENCH BEANS AT WISLEY, 1919. 



TWO HUNDRED and fifty- three stocks of beans were sown in the trial 

 of Dwarf French Beans at Wisley in 1919. Of these the following 

 were climbers or semi-climbers and are not further referred to, viz., 

 Nos. 154, 179, 214, 215 ; Nos. 232-238, 240 of Japanese origin; and 

 Nos. 246-248. The following were seedlings or unnamed selections, 

 and further reference to them is omitted, viz., Nos. 100, 219-231. 



The trial was carried out on land which had been cropped with 

 potatos in 1918, and which was dug during the winter but not manured. 

 The seeds were sown on May 16 in double rows a foot apart, two feet 

 six inches separating the pairs of rows. The plants were eventually 

 thinned out to one foot apart. 



The ground was very dry at sowing time, and germination was 

 therefore rather irregular, and this interfered to some extent with the 

 weight of crop produced as shown below ; the weights given indicate, 

 however, which varieties may be regarded as heavy and which as 

 light croppers. These weights show the quantity picked from half 

 a double row, viz., eighteen feet, the remaining half being left to ripen. 

 In a few cases germination was poor, and this is indicated in the 

 description, and the fact must be taken into consideration in comparing 

 the yields. 



The relative earliness of the different stocks is indicated by the 

 dates at which they are each said to be " ready." Another very im- 

 portant point is the length of season during w T hich the plants remain 

 in bearing. In private gardens, and especially in small gardens and 

 allotments, a long season is of great importance, and some of the 

 varieties in the trial had pods fit to pick from July 22-24 unt il they 

 were cut down by frost in mid-September — Nos. 41, 43, 44, 125 were 

 particularly noticeable in this respect ; while Nos. 103-107, and 243 

 were, though later in starting, of value over a long season. On the 

 other hand, some matured their whole crop at about the same time, so 

 that the pods might be picked and the plants immediately cleared away 

 to make room for another crop — No. 145, " Fifty Days," was most 

 marked in this respect, but some others showed this quality which will 

 appeal particularly to the market gardener. 



The Fruit and Vegetable Committee visited the trials on two 

 occasions, viz., August 7 and August 21. The dates on which the 

 award was given in each case will be a further indication of earliness 

 or lateness of maturing. 



The following were selected for Awards : 



Wax-pod Varieties. 



Award of Merit. 



186. Improved White Wax, sent by Messrs. Carter. [F.C.C. 1872 



(Osborne).] 



