The Pole Lima Beans. 361 



D. Varieties not tested. — 



Other varieties of true Lima beans which were catalogued last 

 year but which we did not grow, are the following: 



Ford's Mammoth podded — ''Selected by James Ford of Phila- 

 delphia from Large Lima, with reference to iive and six beans 

 in pod of large size ; the pod is also very and unnecessarily 

 large." 



Salem Mammoth — A greenish Lima, similar to the Ford, from 

 Salem Co., New Jersey. 



Stokes' Evergreen or Mammoth Green Jersey — "A very large 

 green seeded Lima. Valuable because it retains its green color 

 even after ripening." Our seeds of this variety failed to grow. 



Washington Market. — We know is only by name (catalogued by 

 Perry Seed Store, Syracuse). 



£^. The Horticultural Lima. — 



There are two other species of beans which are sometimes known 

 as Limas, which should be mentioned in this connection. The 

 Horticultural Lima (Fig. 114) is one of these. This is not a Lima 

 bean at all, but simply a form of the common garden pole bean 

 (Phaseolus vulgaris). It iis not a vigorous climber, reaching only 

 three or four feet high, ripening its slender pods very early. The 

 beans are dun-colored with pretty brown markings. A good and early 

 bean (maturing before any of the Limas), valuable either for a 

 "shelled" bean or for use when fully ripe. A Horticultural Lima 

 was raised some years ago by O. H. Alexander, Charlotte, Vermont, 

 and I suppose that the current stock passing under this name is the 

 same bean. Mr. Alexander describes the variety as follows: "This 

 is a cross from the Boston Horticultural bush bean on Dreer's Extra 

 Early Lima, and I find it, after testing it several years, to be the 

 best of all pole beans. In color and foliage it resembles the Horti- 

 cultural ; in form it resembles the Lima. The quality I find is superior 

 to either of its parents. It is very prolific, and throws out hand- 

 some green pods from five to six inches long." It is also known as 

 Child's Horticultural Lima. We grew the variety last year from 

 seeds obtained from Burpee and from Childs. The two stocks were 

 identical, and neither of them gave the least suggestion of a cross 

 with the Lima. I have never yet seen any evidence of hybridity 

 between Phaseolus lunatus and P. vulgaris. 



