Complete Text (Part 5)

an ounce of the poison. When the beetles come in numbers, catch in butterfly- nets or drive before the wind into a windrow of straw or rubbish, and burn. Or beat into pans containing kero- sene or coal-oil. Act promptly. BEANS For Bean lady -bird, Paris Green with lime as above, or kerosene emulsion, as an underspray. For all caterpillars, arsenites, hand picking. For boll-worm, arsenites, late plowing. If arsenites are used with string beans, wash the pods carefully before cooking. Varieties of Beans are innumerable. For cultural purposes they divide into the classes which follow. Fin. IS. Seedling or Broad Bean. Two-thirds natural si». Except the broad Bean, they are all tender to frost. The only perennial is the Scarlet Runner. The pods of the best snap Beans are waxy in texture, green or yellow in color. Shell Beans are frequently mottled. (1) The Broad Bean ( Viria Faba), a shell Bean, of which the best known type is the Windsor Bean, is the 84 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES Bean of the ancients, still grown in Europe, but little adapted to our dry, hot summers, since it needs a long, cool season. It is a very hardy plant, and in mild climates the seed may be left in the ground over winter. The Broad Beans are not offered by all American seeds- men, and only the more progressive dealers offer any variety, of which the chief classes are tall and dwarf. While this Bean may be grown in some parts of the country, in general it cannot compare with the Lima. Soil. — Any good soil, preferably a moist deep loam, not over-rich in nitrogen. Distances. — Drills apart two to three feet, according to variety. Seed in the row three to four inches. Hills of tall varieties, four by four feet; six to eight seeds in the hill. Depth should be two inches in the early season, three inches later. Thin hills to three or four plants. Sowing. — Soak the seed for earlier sprouting. For an especially early crop, Broad Beans were formerly sown in the fall. It is better to sow under glass in Feb- ruary and plant out when well hardened as soon as the ground is fit. Sow outdoors in early spring, and earth up slightly against late frosts. Culture. — Preserve the moisture of a shallow soil, and water in a drought. Tall varieties should be given support. When well in flower, pinch off the ends of the plants if they are growing fast. BEANS 85 Pick when the Beans are full-sized, but before the pods dry. Fertilize as above. Succession. — Start the first crop under glass, as above; sow the second when the ground is fit. Of this second sowing, cut back a part just before flowering and they will yield later. Cut back other plants after cropping, and they will give a second sparser crop in the fall. (2) Kidney Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) include most of our field, bush and pole Beans, of which some are edible -podded and some are not. All are tender to frost, but the bush Beans are both earlier and later than the pole Beans. Culture under glass is unusual with us, but it is coming more into use, especially for starting the early crop. Varieties are very many, and may be used to give a succession. For cultural purposes, 36 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES kidney Beans are here divided into dwarf and pole Beans. (a) Dwarf, ob Bush Beans. — Hardier and earlier, of short season and requiring no training. Fig. 15. Whole plant of Dwarf Kidney Bean. Soil should be light and in good tilth, not recently manured. Rows should be two feet apart. Depth, in summer, three inches; in spring, about two inches. Sow wider glass about the middle of April; prick out into pots, and set in the open when frosts are over. Or sow in pots, three to a pot, and thin to one. Sow outdoors about the second week in May, and be ready to protect against late frosts. Seeds one inch apart. There is no advantage in sowing eye down. BEANS 37 Thin to about four inches, or else to clumps of three or four plants one foot or more apart. Culture. — Do not touch the plants when wet. A straddle-row cultivator, brushing the tops of a young Fig. in. Another type of Dwarf Kidney Bean. row after a rain or while the dew is on, will practically ruin the crop. Fertilize as in opening section. Picking begins according to the kind of Bean, from forty-five days on, the string Beans being earliest. Pick string Beans when they are large enough for use, shell Beans before they dry and harden, but at full size. THE BOOK OF VEGETABI^ES Succession. — Bush Beans, especially the string Beans, are long yielders, bearing from six weeks to two months under the best conditions. Successional sowings need not, therefore, be much oftencr than three weeks, to come into bearing about the time the older plants begin to yieJd less. Shell Beans oftener, about every two weeks. The last sowing -should be about the first of August; later ones must run the risk of frost. Protection. — Dwarf beans can be carried through the early light frosts with coverings of cloths. (&) Polk, or Running Beans. — ■ These are later than the bush Beans, and are both more tender to frost and, on account of their method of train- ing, harder to protect. Pole Beans are seldom planted for more than one crop, as their yield is later, and, properly fed and picked clean, they will usually last till frost. Soil should be warmer than for bush Beans, but not recently manured. A shovelful of good compost in each hill will give the necessary humus. Distances. — Hills should be four Fig. 17. * , Pods of Snap or feet or more each way. good modern Depth, about two inches. ■triogl hBVe "° ^° w un ^ er £&** for an early crop BEANS S9 about the same time as bush Beans, and set out three in a hill when frosts are past. Sow in flats and prick out into pots, or three in a pot and thin to one. Fig. is Types of Shell Bean Sow outdoors a week or more later than bush Beans. Plant six or more in a hill, two inches deep, setting the seed eye down. limning. — Thin to three in a hill. Cviture. — Do not brush against the plants or pick when they are wet. Fertilizer. — A little nitrate of soda or liquid manure THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES in each hill will help the plant to a quick start. The quantity should be small and not repeated. Apply as soon as the seedlings appear, but not upon them. Poles or Trellises should be set before the seed is sown. Single poles should be stout and deeply set, trellises according to the ingenuity of the gardener. Fig. 19, Seedlings of Lima Bean. Two-thirds natural site. Pick as for bush Beans. With all kind of beans, clean-picking will lengthen the yield. Row culture for pole Beans is practicable but not usual. See under Scarlet Runner Bean, below. (3) Lima Beans. — Limas (Phaseolus lunaiun) divide into pole and bush varieties, for the management 01 which see above, with minor differences as here noted. While the dwarfs are, as usual, earlier than the stan- dards, Limas come slowest to maturity of all our beans, and at the same time are the most affected by our hot, dry summers. Early starting under glass (see above) BEANS 41 ought to assure a crop, even of the large Li mas, in our more northern states, in which, however, the small Li mas are most advisable. The small Limns are, in fact, almost in a class by themselves. Limas divide into types as follows: (1) The large true Limas, needing a long season and especially tender to frost. The dwarf of this is Burpee's Bush Lima. (2) The potato /_, Lima, not so late and more pi». to. The three type* or p?ie hardy. The dwarf is Dreer's natural stie. From the left Bush Lima. (3) The small Lima, Larje Lima, Potato Lima, or Sieva bean, earlier and hardier, more resistant to drought, as well as a heavier yielder than the other two. Of all Limas this is the best for our northern states. The dwarf is Henderson's Bush Lima, which is hardier to drought and frost than some of the kidney beans. Limas need special conditions, as follows : Soil should be especially sunny and early. Manuring, 42 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES if any, should have been done in the previous year. Apply nitrogen for a quick start, but not afterward, and in the hills of the tall varieties put compost, to retain the moisture. Give com- mercial fertilizers rich in potash hi id phosphoric acid. Plant pole Limas eye down, depth two inches. Distances, culture, poles, Miinning and picking as for kidney beans, above. Mulch the dwarfs, to keep the pods from the ground. Dried pods can he picked, and the beans kept for win- <4) The Dolichos Bean in its varieties (one a dwarf, the best-known the Asparagus ;iiid Yardlong beans) are lit- I le offered by our seedsmen. The chief interest in these beans is their very long, edi- ble pods; they are not in any iring beans, for kidney beans. Soja Bean (Glycine hiaptda), Fig. K. Henderson's Dwarf Lima Bean. The beat Lima tor north- ern culture. way superior to the Culture is the sai (5) The Soy Bean, grown chiefly as a forage plant, may be used as a shell bean, cultivated like the Dwarf Kidney Bean, which see. It is hardy, vigorous, and fiee of diseases and pests. The beans are cooked when tender, or may be dried and Fi*. ii. Dotiehos Saquipedalu, or Yardlong Bean. stored, in which case a long soaking is necessary before cooking. (6) The Scarlet Runner Bean {Pha&eolus muUiflortui) is offered by most of our seedsmen, and its popularity is increasing. A pole bean, it is eaten either with its pods or without; in the former case it is picked quite young, before the seeds have well formed. Its require- ments and cidture are the same as of j»le beans, above. A succession may be maintained by pinching in, topping a few plants to force an early fruiting, and taking the first blossoms from others for a late crop. In England the Scarlet Runner is a popular vegetable, and in its sea- son is preferred to the common string bean. From roots. — This bean being a perennial, its tuber- ous roots can be taken up in the fall and kept over winter in sand in a frost-proof cellar. Planted out after 44 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES the middle of May, they will give an extra-early crop. Or they may be left in the ground, well mulched, and will bear a mild winter. Plants raised from seed bear a heavier crop, but the roots yield earlier. Pole culture is like that of kidney beans. Row culture consists in setting the roots, or sowing the seed, in rows four feet apart. Thin to one foot apart in the row, and train on strong brush, wire, or trellises. Pinch back the ends of the vines. The roots of the Scarlet Runner are poisonous. BEET. Beets {Beta vulgaris) are biennials, grown as annuals for their tops (as "greens") and for their thickened roots. They are hardy to frost and of easy culture. They divide into classes according to color (red or yellow), but practically as to shape into the old long Beet and the turnip-shaped Beet. The long Beet requires the whole season for its growth; the turnip Beet matures in two months or less. For Chard, which is botanically a Beet, see under its name. Of foliage Beets, usually grown for ornament, some may be used as vegetables. Pests are few; scab is the most serious disease. Soil should be rich and moderately light for turnip Beets. For the long Beets it should also be deep and not recently manured, and well pulverized. Distances. — Drills may be as close together as a foot; the seed should be scattered thinly. These seeds BEET 45 are really fruits, containing several true seeds, so that the Beets come up in little clumps. Depth. — An inch in spring, two inches in summer when the ground is drier. Sowing. — Time may be gained by soaking the seed over night. Sow turnip Beets as early as the ground can be worked, and for succession every two weeks up Fig. 24. Beet seedlings. Natural size. to the end of July. North of New York City, later plant- ings will yield greens, but no Beets, unless the fall is late. Further south, planting is possible through August. Sow the long Beets early in May. As they require about five months in which to mature, successional sowings are not advantageous. Thinning. — The best of Beets are to be got from two thinnings, the first (when about five inches high) to three inches, the second to six inches. The thinnings are to be eaten as greens ; with the second thinnings 46 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES there will be young Beets which, when cooked and served with the greens, are delicious. Transplanting.— -Some growers transplant the thin- nings, but generally it is not profitable. Fertilizer.— For turnip Beets, well -rotted manure can be worked into the ground. Commercial ferti- lizers should be added, rich in potash (20 per cent) and with 6.4 per cent nitrogen. Without manure, use the formula nitrogen 5.8 per cent, phosphoric acid 4.2 per cent, potash 10 per cent. Nitrate of soda, 400 to 700 pounds per acre, in four applications— one soon after planting, and the others a week apart — has given good results, mainly in earliness. Storage. — In pits, or in sand in the cellar. Beets under gloat. — Beets can be grown entirely under glass, but it is seldom done. For an especially early crop, Beets are sometimes started under glass and transplanted, but better results come from starting them in frames, whether hot or cold, and allowing them to mature there. Diseases. — For leaf dis- eases, spray with Bordeaux; pick and burn diseased leaves. Avoid scab by not planting Beets after pota- toes. Against rot of stored Beets, rotation; remove all spotted leaves. Pests. — For flea-beetle, white grubs, and cut- worms, see under cabbage. For most beetles, use arsen- itcs, with or without Bor- deaux. For tarnished plant-bug, leaf-hoppers, or plant-lice, use kerosene emuL For grasshoppers, set out poi underspray with Paris green and lime, mixed as for flea-beetle; fall plowing, which is also a remedy, and the only one, for the leaf-miner. For blister-beetles, see under bean. If arsenitex are ttsed, do not eat the leaves. diluted five to ten times. ;d baits. For web-worm, BEET ROOT. See Beet. 48 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES BEET, SUGAR. Sugar Beets are seldom used for the table. If they are, they should be picked when young. They are to be treated in every way like Beets, but given more space, the rows should be eighteen inches or more apart; thin to nine to twelve inches in the rows. BEET. — For Silver, Leaf, Kale, Sea-Kale, Spinach or Asparagus Beet, see Chard. BENE (Sesamum orientate) is a very tender annual plant, seldom grown in the North. Commercially, it yields oil of sesame, used for the skin, or in the East for cooking. In domestic medicine, the leaves are steeped, giving a mucilaginous infusion used foi diar- rhoea or dysentery, especially of children. Soil light and quick. Distances. — Eighteen inches in the row, plants twelve inches apart. Sow under glass in March or April; prick out, and set in the open when frosts are past. Culture should be good ; water in a drought. Pick the whole plant in the fall, or the leaves as wanted. BONESET. See Thoroughwort. BORAGE (Borago officinalis), a very pretty annual, is grown for its young leaves, used in salads and for making claret cup, and occasionally as a pot-herb. BORAGE— BROCCOLI 49 Worth growing for its flowers alone, as a vegetable or herb it has not come into general American use, and is offered by few seedsmen. It has no varieties, and is not troubled by pests or diseases. Soil should preferably be light, but the plant will thrive in most soils. Distances. — Rows one foot apart. Depth. — One-half to one inch. Sow when frosts are past, usually late in May, where the plants are to stand. Sow earlier in protected seed-bed. Thin or transplant to nine inches in the rows. Pick the young leaves only. Succession. — Sow every three weeks. BORECOLE. See Kale. BROCCOLI. A biennial plant (Brasska oleracea, var. botrytis) closely resembling the cauliflower, but smaller, tenderer to heat, hardier to frost, and not of such fine quality. The American culture of Broccoli is entirely different from the European, where the plants are usually sown in midsummer and wintered over. They will not come well through our severe and changeable northern winters, if indeed they survive at all; but in the milder parts of the country the French or English methods might be practiced. Varieties offered in America are few. 50 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES Soil. — Should best be rich, moist, and moderately deep. In a dry soil, work compost or old manure around -the plants, or mulch with fresh manure, to re- tain moisture and give food. Distances. — Plants should stand two feet apart each way. Depth. — One inch. Sow under glass in March, prick out once, and set out when well hardened, at the end of April, giving protection against severe frosts. Sow outdoors about May 1, either in hills