DWARF BEANS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 November 1938, Page 9

DWARF BEANS

HOW TO GROW THEM. Though the runner beans are the most productive, there are some people who prefer the dwarf French kinds, and certainly their pods have a more delicate flavour. Like the runners, they like a deeply cultivated and well-man-ured soil, and when preparing it for sowing a dressing of lime and superphosphate should be worked in at the rate of a quarter of a pound of each.to the square yard. They are not as a rule sown in double rows like the runners, but in drills drawn with the corner of the hoe about two inches deep; eighteen inches being allowed between the rows. . . The seeds are sown at three inches apart, and if they all germinate, which is seldom the case, they are thinned out to six inches apart by removing every second one. Slugs are very fond of French bean plants, and during wet weather they should be dusted with lime after every heavy shower. If the weather is reasonaly dry it is sufficient to bring the soil into ' a good state of cultivation, and to keep it loose and fine by frequent scuffle hoeing. When about nine inches in height the soil is drawn up on each side to steady the plants, and later on, when bearing, it is advisable to put in strong stakes at intervals along side of the rows, and to stretch stout string on these to support them. During dry weather they should get good soakings at. intervals, with applications of liquid* manure once a month, and in early summer a watering with liquid manure made by dissolving an ounce of sulphate of ammonia in a gallon of water, will stimulate growth especially should the weather be a bit cold. Like the runners, the pods should be

picked regularly before the seeds form Mn them, and before they become ■ tough, and if not required they can be cut and salted down. Varieties to sow are Superlative, Masterpiece, and selected Canadian Wonder. There are climbing French beans which have all the merits of the dwarf kinds, the pods being tender and of delicious flavour, but the climbing habit enables them to continue bearing until late in the season. Their treatment is similar to runners, and Tender and True, and Prince of Wales are suitable varieties. Wax Pod or Butter Beans are also a valuable crop, and though not heavy croppers, they provide an additional variety for the table. Golden Wax Pod is a suitable variety.