The Cultivation of Vegetables 89 
or trenched, but should not be too rich; otherwise the 
plants will grow luxuriantly, but there will be few pods, 
and those of inferior quality. 
On light soils they may be sown during November or 
December, in a fairly exposed position, so as to keep them 
quite hardy from the beginning. 
On other soils the first sowing may be made in Feb- 
ruary, in drills 2 \ to 3 in. deep. As they grow fairly tall, 
and shade each other if the rows are close together, the 
best way is to draw two drills about 10 in. apart, and plant 
out the beans about 6 in. apart in the rows, having the 
seeds in the second row alternating with those in the first, 
thus forming a double row. These double rows should be 
4 to 6 ft. apart, planting one or two rows of Cabbages or 
Cauliflowers in between. In this way it is easier to get 
among the tall plants, to keep the ground free of weeds, 
and to gather the crop. 
There are other methods of sowing Broad Beans, such 
as putting them in with the dibber. The latter, however, 
must be blunt-pointed, to ensure the seeds resting entirely 
on the soil ; otherwise they may be suspended in the hole, 
and not grow satisfactorily. Then again, by this method 
there is the danger of planting the seeds at varying depths, 
thus giving an irregular growth. Beans may also be sown 
in single rows 2 ft. apart and 3 in. between the seeds, but 
neither of these methods is commendable. 
When a good crop of pods is set, the tops of the plants 
may be pinched out to a depth of 3 in. This will check 
the top growth and send a larger supply of nourishment 
into the pods, and thus increase the quantity and quality of 
the crop. 
