24 AMERICAN VARIETIES OF GARDEN BEANS. 



Curvature at eye of dry seed (much incurved, incurved, almost 

 straight, straight, rounded or full, very well rounded or full).— Seeds 

 vary in shape at the eye from the very incurved condition of French 

 Flageolet to the very rounded or full condition of Wliite Marrow. 



Color of dry see^s.— Because different varieties of beans vary more 

 in the color of seeds than is the case with other vegetables, there is less 

 opportunity for substitution with bean varieties than there is with 

 varieties of other vegetables. In exceptional soils and seasons, the 

 amount of splashing and mottling may vary more or less from that 

 shown in the plates of this bulletin. Golden Wax, for example, may 

 in certain soil and seasons show very little white color, while under 

 other conditions four-fifths of the surface of the seeds may be white. 

 As no complete chart of colors is at present published in this country, 

 it has been necessary to adopt as the standard for the description of 

 colors the French publication edited by Henri Dauthenay and known 

 as Repertoire de Couleurs. 



VARIETY FORMS FOR POLE KIDNEY BEANS. 



Pole Kidney beans are described in nearly the same terms as bush 

 Kidney beans, the exceptions being as follows: 



Climhing JiaUt (good, fair, poor).— Pole beans, instead of being 

 described as erect in habit, are classified according to their ability to 

 take hold of and twine about poles or other supports. Some varie- 

 ties, such as Golden Champion and many of the Horticultural class, 

 at first appear to be spreading bush sorts and do not at once take 

 readily to climbing, but when once started nearly all American varie- 

 ties climb readily to poles or to any other suitable supports. 



Branching Jiahit (much branched, moderately branched, little 

 branched). — This character, which is not included in the description 

 of bush varieties, is of some use in defining pole sorts to express an 

 open slender growth, like Kentucky Wonder, or dense spreading 

 growth, like Virginia Cornfield. 



Season of snap pods for pole varieties (very early, or less than 57 

 days; early, or 57 to 60 days; early-intermediate, or 61 to 64 days; 

 intermediate, or 65 to 68 days; intermediate-late, or 69 to 72 days; 

 late, or 73 to 76 days; very late, or more than 76 days). — Sometimes 

 very early varieties, like White Creaseback and Golden Champion, 

 produce pods before the runners appear; and when plants are checked 

 in growth, especially those of the Horticultural class, they often 

 show the same tendency. ' Six to ten days are required for different 

 varieties of pole beans to develop from the snap into the green shell 

 stage. 



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