FAB 
dement of the Portugueffe on the coaft of Africa, juft 
without the Streights of Gibraltar* the feeds of this 
fort are fmaller than thofe of the Horfe Bean j and 
as the Portnguefe are but flovenly gardeners, there 
is commonly a great number of bad feeds among 
them. If this fort is fown in October, under a warm 
hedge, pale, or wall, and carefully earthed up when 
the plants are advanced, they will be fit for the table 
by the middle of May. . The Items of this fort are 
very {lender, therefore* if they are fupported by firings 
dole to the hedge, or pale, it will preferve them from 
the morning frofts* which are fometimes fevere in the 
fpring, and retard their growth * fo by keeping them 
clofe to the fence it will caufe them to come forwarder 
than if this is negleCtfed * thefe Beans bear plentifully, 
but they ripen nearly together, fo that there are never 
more than two gatherings from the fame plants * if the 
feeds of this fort are faved two years in England, the 
Beans will become much larger, and not ripen fo foon, 
which is called a degeneracy. 
The next fort is the early Portugal Bean, which ap- 
pears to be the Mazagan fort faved in Portugal, for 
it is very like thofe which are the firft year faved in 
England * this is the moft common fort ufed by the 
gardeners for their firft crop, but they are not near fo 
well tailed as the Mazagan * therefore when the Ma- 
zagan. Bean can be procured, no perfon would plant 
the other. 
The next is the fmall Spanifh Bean * this will come 
in foon after the Portugal fort, and is rather a fweeter 
Bean, therefore fhould be preferred to it. 
Then comes the broad Spanifh, which is a little later 
than the other, but comes in before the common 
forts, and is a good bearer, therefore is frequently 
planted. 
The Sandwich Bean comes foon after the Spanifh, 
and is almoft as large as the Windfor Bean * but, be- 
ing hardier, is commonly fown a month fooner •, this is 
a plentiful bearer, but not very delicate for the table. 
The Toker Bean, as it is generally called, comes 
about the fame time with the Sandwich, and is a great 
bearer * therefore is now much planted, though it is 
a coarfe Bean. 
The white and black BlofTom Beans are alfo by fome 
perfons much efteemed * the Beans of the former are, 
when boiled, almoft as green as Peas * and being a 
tolerable fweet Bean, renders it more valuable * thefe 
forts are very apt to degenerate, if their feeds are not 
faved with great care. 
The Windfor Bean is allowed to be the beft of all the 
forts for the table * when thefe are planted on a good 
foil, and are allowed fufficient room, their feeds will 
be very large, and in great plenty * and when they are 
gathered young, are the fweeteft and beft tailed of all 
the forts ; but thefe fhould be carefully faved, by pull- 
ing out fuch of the plants as are not perfectly right, 
and afterward by forting out all the good from the 
bad Beans. 
This fort of Bean is feldom planted before Chriftmas, 
becaufe it will not bear the froft fo well as many of 
the other forts •, fo it is generally planted for the 
great crop, to come in June and July. 
All the early Beans are generally planted on warm 
borders under walls, pales, and hedges •, and thofe 
which are defigned to come firft, are ufually planted in 
a fingle row pretty clofe to the fence : and here I can- 
not help taking notice of a very bad cuftom, which 
too generally prevails in gentlemens kitchen-gardens, 
which is that of planting Beans clofe to the garden- 
walls, on the beft afpeCts, immediately before the 
fruit-trees, which is certainly a greater prejudice to 
the trees, than the value of the Beans, or any other 
early crop * therefore this practice fhould be every- 
where difcouraged •, for it is much better to run fome 
low Eeed hedges acrofs the quarters of the kitchen- 
garden, where early Beans and Peas may be planted, 
in which places they may with more conveniency be 
covered in fevere froft * and to thefe hedges they may 
both be clofely fattened, as they advance in their 
growth ; which, if praCtifed againft the walls where 
3 
FAB 
good fruit-trees are planted, will greatly prejudice 
the trees, by overfhadowing them, and the growth 
bf thefe legumes will draw off the nourifhment from 
the roots of the trees, whereby they will be greatly 
weakened. ' & 1 
But to return to the culture of the Beans. Thofe which 
are planted early in OCtober, will come up by the be- 
ginning of November * and as foon as they are an inch 
above ground, the earth fhould be carefully drawn up 
with a hoe to their Hems * and this muft be two or 
three times repeated, as the Beans advance in height ; 
which will protect their ftems from the froft, and en- 
courage their ftrength. If the winter fhould prove 
fevere, it will be very proper to cover the Beans with 
Peas-haulm, Fern, or fome other light coverino-, 
which will fecure them from the injury of froft * but 
this covering muft be eonftantly taken off in mild 
weather, otherwife they will draw up tall and weak, 
and come to little and if the furface of the border is 
covered with tanners bark, it will prevent the froft: 
penetrating the ground to the roots of both, and 
be of great fervice to prote<5I them from the injury 
which they might otherwife receive. 
In the fpring, when the Beans are advanced to be a 
foot high* they fhould be fattened up to the hedge 
with packthread or a fmall line, fo as to draw them 
as clofe as poffible * which will fecure them from be- 
ing injured by the morning frofts, which are often 
fo fevere in March and April, as to lay thofe Beans 
fiat on the ground, which are not thus guarded * at 
this time all fuckers which come out from the roots 
fhould be very carefully taken off * for thefe will 
retard the growth of the Beans, and prevent their 
coming early •, and when the bloffoms begin to open 
toward the bottom of the fialks, the top of the ftems 
fhould be pinched off, which will caufe thofe firft pods 
to ftand, and thereby bring them forward. If thefe 
rules are obferved, and the ground kept clean from 
weeds, or other plants, there will be little danger of 
their failing. 
But left: this firft crop fhould be deftroyed by froft, 
it will be abfolutely neceffary to plant more about three 
weeks after the firft, and fo to repeat planting more 
every three weeks, or a month, till February * but thole 
which are planted toward the end of November, or the 
beginning of December, may be planted on Hoping 
banks, ata fmall diftance from the hedges; forif thewea- 
ther is mild, thefe will not appear above ground before 
Chriftmas * therefore will not be in fo much danger 
as the firft and feeond planting, efpecially if the fur- 
face of the ground is covered with tan to keep the 
froft out of the ground as is before directed * for the 
firft planting will, by that time, be a confiderable 
height : the fame directions which are before given 
will be fufficient for the management of thefe ; but 
only it muft be obferved, that the larger Beans fhould 
be planted at a greater diftance than the fmall ones * 
as alfo, that thofe which are firft planted muft be 
put clofer together, to allow for fome mifcarrying * 
therefore, when a fingle row is planted, the Beans 
may be put two inches afunder, and thofe of the 
third and fourth planting may be allowed three 
inches * and when they are planted in rows acrofs a 
bank, the rows fhould be two feet and a half afun- 
der * but the Windfor Beans fhould have a foot more 
fpace between the rows, and the Beans in the rows 
fhould be planted five or fix inches afunder. This 
diftance may, by fome perfons, be thought too 
great * but from many years experience, I can affirm, 
that the fame fpace of ground will produce a greater 
quantity of Beans when planted at this diftance, than 
if double the quantity of feeds are put on it. In the 
management of thefe later crops of Beans, the princi- 
pal care fhould be to keep them clear from weeds, 
and any other plants which would draw away their 
nourifhment * to keep earthing them up, and, when 
they are in bloffom, to pinch off their tops * which, if 
fhffered to grow, will draw the nourilhment from the 
lower bloffoms, which will prevent the pods from fet- 
ting, and fo only the upper parts of the ftems will be 
fruitful * 
