112 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



mists so cock-sure that these are species, why not sub-species 

 ( r forms? If we consider them forms they will serve just as 

 well as an attachment for the name of a botanist and that is 

 all any such fine distinctions are g-ood for. When species of 

 A iolets are split so fine that a violetologist cannot name his 

 (■■■wn species without looking at the labels it is nearly time to 

 5 top. 



Knowing Beans. — The man who "doesn't know beans" 

 is considered of not much account, but there is a great deal 

 about this common vegetable that is not familiar to the aver- 

 age individual. We usually speak of beans as if there were 

 but one edible species; in reality there are more than half a 

 dozen commonly cultivated. The kidney bean {Phascolus 

 vulgaris) is the one with which we are most familiar, the 

 common bush bean being of this type. The lima l^ean (Phasc- 

 olus lunatus) is also well known, especially in Southern gar- 

 dens. The scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus luulfiflorus) is 

 seldom used as a garden crop with us, but its bright red flow- 

 ers and gaily colored pods make it sought to some extent for 

 decorative planting. In Great Britain it is commonly culti- 

 vated and is there called runner bean. The root is perennial 

 and may be kept over winter in the cellar. Another British 

 favorite is the broad bean ( Vicia faba) often called the horse 

 bean and without doubt the species fed to his horse by the im- 

 mortal Captain Jinks. The seed is not very bean-like and 

 the plant itself looks more like a pea than a bean. It, too, is 

 perennial and loves a cool summer. For this reason, many 

 more are grown in Canada than in the United Staes. The soy 

 or soja bean {Glycine hispida) is the bean of the Japanese. 

 It is becoming common in cultivation in our own country', but 

 as yet only as a food for cattle aiid hogs. The hyacinth bean 

 (Dolichos lablah) is another bean used for decorative pur- 

 poses that is edible. It produces very long pods and is in 

 consequence called asparagus or yard-long beans. The velvet 



