THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 9U 
green as the beans, and with the true flavour of the parsley pre- 
served to the utmost. 
The beau requires a good soil, and it is an extremely exhausting 
crop, and therefore should be prepared for, or at least followed by, 
liberal manuring, for it takes out of the soil tremendous quantities of 
potash, phosphorus, lime, and sulphur. The seed is sown from 
November to the end of June, and consequently soil and situation 
must be selected to suit the several sowings. Those sown to stand 
the winter should be on a somewhat light and dry soil, and in a 
sheltered situation. Those sown in February and March will do 
better on a deep heavy soil, as they will be in bearing in the hottest 
part of the summer. In any case, the ground must be well dug, 
and sufficiently manured, and although shelter will assist the autumn 
and winter-sown crops, beans will never thrive under trees, or in 
any half-stifling spot, where air and light are, deficient. 
It is a waste of seed, of ground, and of quality of produce, to 
sow the seed too thickly. It is usual to sow in double rows, thus — 
d * * * * * 
^ * * * # 
The small-growing sorts, such as the Fan, may be in double rows 
two feet apart, and the drills may be two-and-a-half inches wide 
from a to b, and quite two inches deep. The large-growing sorts, 
such as Windsor and Longpod, may also be in double rows, but the 
breadth from a to h must be four inches, the distance from double 
row to double row must be three feet, and the seed must be set full 
three inches deep. Of late years we have practised sowing in single 
rows, as we grow for summer use only the largest varieties of 
Windsor bean, and we are satisfied that the extra space afibrded 
the plants is amply repaid in the increased abundance and fine 
quality of the produce. As to distance apart, we never could get 
our men to sow thin enough, and so in our early morning walks in 
spring we go through the rows and pull half or two-thirds of the 
plants out, and leave them on the ground to perish. The amateur 
who manages things in his own way entirely, will find that the 
largest sorts of beans will pay well in single rows, three feet apart, 
and the plants eighteen inches asunder in the rows. If they come 
up too thick it will always pay to transplant them ; but they must 
be carefully lifted with a trowel when they have made three or four 
rough leaves, and the Avork should be done in dull or showery 
weather. 
The production and quality of beans are greatly enhanced by a 
proper course of culture, and the sowing of the seed is to be re- 
garded as only one step towards success. When the plants are two 
inches higli, the ground between them should be sown with gypsum 
and then hoed over, care being taken to avoid injuring the young 
plants. About a bushel per rood of gypsum will suffice, and its 
effects will be almost magical, more especially on ground that was 
previously well prepared by deep digging .and manuring. It is not 
a good practice to give water to the growing plants, but in the case 
of long-continued drought it might be wise to open narrow V 
April. 
