14G Agricultural Experiment Station, Ithaca, N. Y. 



according to De CandoUe, has been used " since the beginning of 

 the century," but I suppose that it comes from the city Lima in 

 Peru. The name has been commonly employed by writers in 

 America from 1804 to the present time, and it is probably of still 

 earlier origin. The two forms, the round-seeded or potato Lima, 

 and the large flat Lima, were early known and described in Europe, 

 the latter, and evidently the former, as early as Lobel, 1591. 



II. The Scarlet Runner and Dutch Runner type of beans 

 {Phaseolus inultljiorui) is probably native to Mexico, or perhaps 

 of regions to the southward. It is cultivated mostly as an orna. 

 mental plant in this country, and yet the young pods and the 

 ripe beans are excellent for the table. There are only two varie- 

 ties — mentioned above — in common cultivation in this country. 

 It appears to be in greater favor as "an esculent amongst the 

 Mexicans. In 1891 a single bean was sent me from Colorado as 

 " Mexican bean." The plant, as we grew it in our forcing houses, 

 was apparently identical with the White Dutch Runner, except 

 that its tuberous root was larger than any which I had seen else- 

 where, — for all these beans are perennials. TVe were unable to 

 induce the plant to fruit, although the flowers were hand pollinated. 

 A subsequent experience which I had with the western form of this 



Root of common bean. Annual. 



species was in the spring of 1894, when I grew the Melde Perennial 

 and Irvine Hybrid Perennial, which were distributed for trial by 

 the California Experiment Station in 1893 and 1894. It is supposed 

 that the latter is a hybrid between the Lima and Painted Lady 



