BEA 
BEA 
one of the most productive we possess. 
French beans, unlike the previous sec¬ 
tion, require always the best land and a 
sunny open position ; it should be pre¬ 
pared in the usual way by turning in a 
good dressing of manure in March, and 
leaving the ground in ridges, that it may 
be well pulverised before the seed is in¬ 
trusted to it, and care should be taken 
that it is clear of rank growing weeds, 
such as couchgrass, bindweed, &c. The 
first sowing may be made about the be¬ 
ginning of April or later, according to 
the situation ; they usually require from 
a fortnight to three weeks to vegetate, 
and then should danger from frost be 
apprehended, the young plants must be 
protected either with a covering of litter 
or by drawing the earth completely over 
them. The distance between the rows 
in this and all future sowings should not 
be less than two feet, and as the majority 
of the sorts do not continue in a bearing 
state for a great length of time, it is pre¬ 
ferable to sow rather small quantities 
each time, and repeat the successions at 
short intervals; as then the supply will 
be more regularly composed of young 
beans, which are always preferred. 
Thus, if sufficient for a fortnight’s de¬ 
mand is sown each time, and the crops 
repeated every other week, there never 
can be a difficulty in meeting it, even 
though some sorts shoidd be longer in 
arriving at perfection than was antici¬ 
pated. As the generality of the kinds 
require from five to seven weeks from 
the period of sowing till fruit can be 
gathered, it will not be advisable to sow 
the last crop later than the beginning of 
August, or the autumnal frosts will in 
all probability destroy them. 
French beans also form a considerable 
item among forced vegetables; they may 
be had the entire year through by vary¬ 
ing the sowings and amount of protec¬ 
tion. By the end of summer a quantity 
of earth, composed of rich friable loam, 
leaf-mould, and rotten hotbed dung, 
should be thrown together, and fre¬ 
quently turned so as to be thoroughly 
incorporated, and before the heavy rains 
of autumn fall it should be carried to 
a shed that it may be ready when¬ 
ever required. Supposing beans to 
be wished throughout the year, the first 
sowing for pot culture to succeed the 
last crop in the garden should be made 
about the middle of September; twelve- 
inch pots are most suitable, and the re¬ 
quisite number should be half filled with 
the soil before mentioned, and about five 
or six seeds inserted at equal distances 
round the sides. The pots may then be 
placed in any warm part of the garden, 
where they will speedily vegetate, and 
will only require the ordinary attention 
to watering, &c. knownto every gardener. 
Should the weather remain favorable, it 
will be much better for the plants to re¬ 
main out of doors till they have bloomed, 
as -they are thus induced to form a more 
sturdy character and will afterwards bear 
confinement better; but should cold or 
the probability of frost intervene they 
should at once be removed to a cold pit, 
giving all the air possible by day, and 
carefully covering them up at night. 
The exact position of the plants after 
the arrival of cold weather must, how¬ 
ever, be determined by its intensity, for 
as it increases it* may become necessary 
to take them to the stove; in short, the 
great object with the cultivator must be 
to keep them gently growing, and if this 
is effected there will be plenty of fruit 
through October and November. 
To succeed these a quantity should be 
sown in the same manner in the early 
part of October, and from this time it 
will >be necessary to grow them in the 
stove altogether. Only three plants in 
each pot will now be required, because 
the plants are likely to be placed close 
together, and the heat of the house 
would cause them to draw up weakly 
were they left thicker in the pots ; still 
it is necessary to sow more than re¬ 
quired, lest some of the seeds should 
fail. The object in leaving the pots 
only half-full when the seed is put in is, 
that as they advance in growth fresh 
earth may be applied to the stems into 
which they protrude roots, and thus 
considerable assistance is given to the 
plants. It is also necessary through the 
period of their progress towards bloom¬ 
ing to pinch off the terminal leaf-bud of 
