240 
VEGETABLE GARDENING 
312. Cultivation. — If hard rains occur, causing the soil 
to bake before the seeds have germinated, the crust 
should be broken by the use of a weeder. This tool is 
also used to some extent after the plants are up. Some 
of the plants may be destroyed, but this is not objection- 
able if the stand is very good. The least damage to the 
plants will be done if the weeder is used in the middle 
of the day, when the stems and leaves are not so rigid. 
Thorough tillage is essential to large yields. The 
weeds must be controlled and the moisture conserved. 
As the bean is a shallow-rooted plant, deep tillage should 
be avoided, for it results in root pruning, which is alwaj^s 
detrimental to the bean plant. Implements with a large 
number of narrow teeth or shovels are best adapted to 
the cultivation of this crop. In the culture of field and 
garden types on a large scale, riding cultivators are com- 
monly employed. When the plants are small, shields 
should be used on the cultivators to prevent covering 
them. The culture should be level until the last cultiva- 
tion, when wings should be used to throw up a slight 
ridge for the support of the plants. 
There is an almost universal agreement among practi- 
cal growers and plant pathologists that this crop should 
never be cultivated when the plants are wet from dew 
or rain. The Cornell Station (Cornell Station Bulletin 
255) comments as follows in regard to this matter: “Cul- 
tivating or working beans when wet should be avoided 
as much as possible. On this point there can be no dis- 
pute. The character of the parasite causing the disease 
and the practical experience of the growers everywhere 
show that this recommendation is correct.” 
313. Harvesting. — Garden beans must be picked by 
hand. When grown on a large scale a great many pick- 
ers are required. Colored labor is used almost entirely 
for this work in the South. Figure 61 shows a large 
force harvesting a crop of wax beans at Norfolk, Vir- 
