54 AMERICAN VARIETIES OF GARDEN BEANS. 



monly divided into green-podded bush, wax-podded bush, green- 

 podded pole, and wax-podded pole varieties. 



BUSH GREEN-PODDED. 



This is the most important class of the Kidney beans and the only 

 one which is grown to any extent as a field crop. Being so largely cul- 

 tivated for its dry seed, the class naturally contains more tough-podded 

 varieties than the wax-podded class, though many of the varieties are 

 fully as good in quality and, taken as a whole, the varieties are even 

 more extensively used as snaps than are the wax-podded kinds. 



BEST OF ALL BUSH. 



Listed by 43 seedsmen. Seeds tested: Burpee, 1897; Ferry, ]900; Keeney, 1904- 

 1906; Rice, 1905, 190(5; Steckler, 1904, 1905; Thorburn, 1901, 1902. 



Description of late or tnie type. — Plant large, spreading extensively over ground, with 

 heavy, thick-stemmed, drooping branches, without real runners, wholly green, very 

 late, long in bearing, heavily to moderately productive. Leaf very large, dark green, 

 wide across leaflets, and of very rough surface. Flowers light pink. ' Snap pods some- 

 what variable in size, very long, straight, oval-round through cross section, often 

 twisted or bent, medium green, brittle, stringy, of small fiber, of good quality, fairly 

 free from anthracnose. Point of pod short and either slightly curved or straight. 

 Green shell pods borne mostly below foliage, sometimes sparingly splashed with light 

 red, fairly full on outside between seeds, rarely with undeveloped seeds, generally 

 regular in shape, about 7^ inches long, and usually containing 6 to 8 seeds crowded in 

 pod. Dry pods easy to thrash. Dry seeds medium in size and length, roundish oval 

 through cross section, rounded or truncate at ends, nearly straight at eye, of pale buff 

 color, freely splashed with purplish red. 



Description of early or flat-podded type.— Flant large, slightly spreading, with occa- 

 sional outstretched branches but without real runners, thick stemmed, wholly green, 

 intermediate in season, of moderate bearing period, heavily to moderately productive. 

 Leaf large, dark green, wide across leaflets, and of rough surface. Flowers light pink. 

 Snap pods varying greatly in size, long-medium, slightly curved, flat, medium green, 

 tough, very stringy, of much fiber, poor in quality, free from anthracnose. Point of 

 pod small and either straight or slightly curved. Green shell pods borne both above 

 and below foliage, moderately splashed with light red, much depressed between seeds, 

 often containing undeveloped seeds, frequently imperfect in shape, about 5§ inches 

 long, and usually containing 3 to 6 seeds somewhat separated in pod. Dry pods easy 

 to thrash. Dry seeds medium in size and length, oval through cross section, rounded 

 at ends, straight at eye, pale buff freely splashed with purplish red. 



Comparison of late and early types. — Well known. Init not one of the twenty most 

 largely grown bush sorts. Formerly a gi-eat favorite in New Orleans and other southern 

 markets. Most stocks of present day are badly mixed, the true fleshy-podded type 

 having degenerated into a smaller, flatter podded bean, somewhat resembling a short 

 imperfect Mohawk, but so tough as to be of little value for snaps and so unattractive as 

 to be quite unsalable for green shell beans. The original fleshy-podded type is one of 

 the longest and most showy of the bush varieties and excellent as snaps and green shell 

 beans for either home or market, Init not as reliable or as generally useful as Byer's 

 Bush or Refugee. Very similar to Giant Forcer, differing in no important respect 

 except in color of seed, while it differs from Longfellow principally in thicker, longer, 

 more curved, shorter pod point, and in having seeds of different color and shape. 



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