S00. In February and March, full crops of the late and large beans, such as the Windsor, Sandwich, and Long podded, are planted, in a free and open exposure. The middling sized kinds are allowed two feet between the rows ; but the large growing kinds, two and a half or even three feet. The plants in the rows, however, are only five or six inches separate. Sometimes the beans are planted with a blunt setting-stick, observing to close the earth down upon the seed ; but drills drawn two inches deep, or a little snore, with the hoe, arc in general preferred. One of the principal things to be attended to is the earthing up: in performing this operation, it is necessary to take care that the earth do not fall on the centre of the plant so as to bury it ; for this occasions it to rot or fail. Nicol says, that topping is not necessary for any but the early crops, and is practised only to make them more early. Most other hor ticulturists are of opinion that topping improves the crop, both as to quantity and quality ; and it is very commonly per formed on the late crops as well as the early. The crops of beans, when in flower, it may be remarked, are very ornamental to the kitchen-garden, and render it a plea sant walk, the flowers having a powerful fragrance, not unlike that of orange-flowers. The latest crops in May and June are sown in strong or moist land, as on an arid soil scarcely any return could at this season be expected. For these late crops, the long pods, broad Spanish, and Toker, are preferred. In a dry season, it is found useful to soak the seed beans fur several hours in soft river water, before planting.
An expedient sometimes resorted to,in order to prolong the bean season, may here be mentioned : A bed or gnat ter of beans is fixed on ; and when the flowers appear, the plants are entirely cut over, a few inches from the surface of the ground. New stems spring from the stools, and these produce a very late crop of beans.
In gathering beans for table use, such pods as are too old should as much be avoided as such as are too young, the seeds decreasing in delicacy after they attain about half the size which they should possess at maturity. When beans are to be saved for seed, none of the pods should be gathered for the kitchen, the first pods being the most vigorous, and affording the best seed. The whole plant should be pulled up ; and the seeds should be allow ed to dry in the pods, these last still remaining on the stem S.
Kidney-bean.
301. The Kidney-bean (Phaseolus vulgaris, Lin. Coin mon kidney-bean ; and P. multiflorus, Willd. Scarlet run ner) belongs to the same artificial and natural classes as the pea and the bean. In this country it is often called French bean ; and it is the well known and favourite haricot of France. It is an annual, originally from India ; its stem is more or less twining, but in the dwarfish kinds it scarce ly chews this propensity; the leaves are ternate, on long foot-stalks ; the flowers on axillary vaccines ; the corolla generally white, sometimes yellow or purple ; the pods are oblong, swelling slightly over the seeds ; these last are generally kidney-shaped, smooth and shining when ripe, varying exceedingly in colour, white, black, blue, red, and spotted. The date of the introduction of the kidney
bean into this country is not known : it was in familiar use in the days of Gerarde. The unripe pods chiefly are used in Britain ; but in France, the ripe seeds or beans are also very much employed in cookery, being (hied in the autumn, and kept for winter use.
302. There are many varieties, both of what are called (funny's, and of runners. By Dwarfs are meant kinds that do not much exceed a foot in height, and do not need sup by Runners, such as have long climbing stems, and which require stakes. Of the former, the Early white dwarf, Early black or Negro, the Speckled dwarf, Early yellow, and the Battersea and Canterbury white, may be mentioned as principally esteemed. Of the latter, the Scarlet runner is preferred, the pods being tender, espe cially if gathered young, and being produced in succession for a long time. This was formerly considered as merely a variety of the common kidney-bean ; but Willdenow has described it as a distinct species, under the name of Phaseolus multfflorits ; it is distinguished by its racemes equalling the leaves in length, and by its bractem or floral leaves lying close to the stalk ; while in the com mon kidney-bean, the former are shorter than the leaves, and the latter project from the stalk. The scarlet run ner is frequently cultivated as an ornamental flower, par ticularly in forming fancy hedges : when trained near a wall, and led up with lines of pack-thread or spun-yarn, it unites both characters, or is at once showy and use ful. The white runner seems to differ from the scarlet merely in the colour of the blossoms and of the seeds. The Dutch white runner produces long smooth pods, but does not afford so many successive gatherings as the other two.
303. The kidney-bean is too tender for sowing earlier than the middle or end of April. From that time succes sive crops are sown every fortnight or three weeks, till July : and in this way the young and tender pods are to be had all the summer and autumn. The dwarfish sorts are sown in drills from two to three feet asunder, per haps three inches separate in the lines, and covered with something less than two inches of soil. As they advance, they are hoed and cleared of weeds, a little earth being at the same time drawn to the stems. As the young pods come to be fit for use, the more regularly and completely they are gathered,'the greater is the successive produce. The runners, being rather more ter.der, are net sown till about the middle of May. As tall slight stakes must be placed for them to climb upon, the distance allowed be tween the rows of these is commonly four feet. If the runners be sown in July, they continue to produce pods till stopped by the frost. In dry seasons, frequent watering greatly conduces to the abundance of the crops. For the latest summer crop, the seed is commonly soaked for some hours in milk and water. Mr Mat shall recommends laying it in damp mould till it begin to chit or germi nate, and then sowing it in watered drills. The white Canterbury is the sort generally sown to produce small pods for pickling.