:220 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



WHAT TYPE OF YELLOW-EYED BEANS SHALL WE 



GROW. 



A. P. Howes, Palmyra. 



As I view the yellow-eyed bean situation so far as it con- 

 cerns this Association it seems to be somewhat complex 

 and perhaps is no nearer a solution than one year ago. There 

 are almost as many different types of old fashioned yellow-eyes 

 as there are growers and correspondingly as many stores and 

 seed houses in Maine where these dift'erent types are bought 

 and sold. If I am informed correctly there are four members 

 of this Association who are interested in the production of a 

 pure strain of old fashioned yellow-eyes. Among these four 

 members are three distinct types and each one of these is 

 bought and sold as old fashioned yellow-eyes at the leading 

 -seed houses in Maine. Personally, I am growing two different 

 varieties, one the same as those grown by Mr. Austin of Dan- 

 ville, the seed of which T procured from President Hunton 

 in Readfield ; the other is identically the same as those grown 

 by Mr. Files of this city. I find by experience that the Read- 

 field or Austin bean shows a marked tendency toward degener- 

 acy ; that is, after the seed planted in the spring has been 

 carefully selected so as to secure a uniform type, there appears 

 two other types, one the little pea bean, the other similar to 

 the Morse bean which is the predominating one. So it is evi- 

 dent to me that this bean has been bred up from intermingling 

 of these two varieties of beans and is not yet strong enough to 

 maintain its present outlines. Our people in my section of the 

 State call this the Landers or Sanborn bean. On the other hand 

 the Files bean has only a tendency toward the white or pea 

 bean, and the latter may be practically eliminated by seed selec- 

 tion. T believe this variety is much to be preferred for its rich 

 eating qualities to the first kind mentioned. Yet, I am prone to 



