practice to support
the plants with bushy twigs.

==Late Crops.==--To extend the outdoor supply sowings may be made early in
July. When the ground has become dry and hard, it is advisable to soak
the seed in water for five or six hours; the drills should also be
watered, and, if possible, the ground should be covered with rotten
dung, spent hops, or some other mulchy stuff to promote and sustain
vegetation.

==The gathering of the crop== should be a matter of discipline. Where it
is done carelessly, there will very soon be none to gather, for the
swelling of a few seeds in neglected pods will cause the plants to cease
bearing. Therefore all the Beans should be gathered when of a proper
size, whether they are wanted or not; this is the only way to insure a
long-continued supply of good quality both as to colour and tenderness.

==Autumn, Winter and Spring Supplies.==--By successional sowings under
glass a continuous supply of Beans may be obtained through autumn,
winter, and spring. The earliest sowings should be made at fortnightly
intervals, from mid-July to mid-September, in cold frames filled with
well-manured soil. Put in the seeds two inches deep and six inches
apart, in rows one foot apart. Water copiously during the hot months and
give protection when the nights become cold. After mid-September crops
of dwarf-growing varieties should be raised in heated pits, or in pots
placed in a warm temperature. In pits the beds should be one foot deep,
the drills one foot apart, and the plants six inches asunder in the
rows. When pots are used the ten-inch size will be found most
convenient. Only three-parts fill the pots with a good compost, and
insure perfect drainage. Place eight or nine beans one and a half inches
deep in each pot, eventually reducing the number of plants to five. As
the plants progress soil may be added to within an inch and a half of
the rims. Air-giving and watering will need careful management, for the
most robust growth possible is required, but there must be no chill, and
any excess of either moisture or dryness will be immediately injurious.
When a few pods are formed feed the plants with alternate applications
of soot water and liquid manure, commencing with highly diluted doses.
Thoroughly syringe the plants twice daily to combat Red Spider. At night
a temperature of from 55 deg. to 60 deg. must be maintained. In mid-February
sowings may be made in frames in which six inches of fertile soil h