56 AMERICAN VARIETIES OP GARDEN BEANS. 



generally borne well above foliage, never colored or splashed, full on outside between 

 seeds, about 6 inches long and usually containing_6 seeds crowded in pod. Dry pods 

 easy to thrash. Dry seed small-medium, proportionally long, roundish oval through 

 cross section, rounded or truncate at ends, straight at eye, solid black in color. 



Comparison. — Extensively grown by market gardeners in parts of the South but not 

 one of the twelve most largely grown varieties of the United States. Being unsur- 

 passed in hardiness, excellent for shipping, and one of the mo.st uniformly productive, 

 reliable, and handsome podded varieties, it is often the most profitable bean for market 

 gardeners but because of being exceedingly tough and stringy it never gives satis- 

 faction to the consumer; and here in America, where snaps are gathered so much later 

 than is customary in Europe, the use of varieties such as these for snaps should be dis- 

 couraged by seedsmen. Because of small black seed and narrow pods, it is also unde- 

 sirable for green shell beans. Most like Longfellow, differing principally in color of 

 seed and tougher, flatter, more perfectly formed pods. Similar to Red, Valentine 

 only in earliness and shape of leaves. 



Synonym . — King of Earlies. 



Confusing riames. — Brown-Speckled Valentine, Cream Valentine, Giant Valentine, 

 Red Valentine, White Valentine, all of which are very different from Black Valentine. 



History. — Present type is claimed to have come from Europe and to have been first 

 introduced in 1897 by Peter Henderson & Co., although it has not yet been proved 

 that it is different from the Black Valentine listed about 1850 and afterwards dropped 

 by American seedsmen. 



Jllnstrations. — Dry seeds are shown on Plate III, 20; snap pods cm Plate IX, 4, and 

 a cross section of snap pod is shown on Plate V, 14. 



BLUE POD BUTTER. 



Listed by 3 seedsmen. Seeds tested: Burpee, 1901, 1902, 1905; Rogers, 1904. 



Description. — Plant medium in size, erect, without runners or spreading branches, 

 thick stemmed, more or less purplish tinged, especially at nodes and flower stems, 

 early-intermediate in season, of short bearing period, lightly productive. Leaf 

 medium in size, dark green, varying to solid dull bluish purple, very wide across leaf- 

 lets, and of slightly rough surface. Flowers purple. Snap pods uniform in size, long, 

 straight, flat, dark green, varyingly tinged with bluish purple, somewhat tough, stringy, 

 of moderate fiber, of poor to medium quality, fairly free from anthracnose. Point of 

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

 below foliage, generally solid bluish purple in color, somewhat depressed between 

 seeds, about 6J inches long and usually containing 6 or 7 seeds, somewhat separated in 

 pod. Dry pods easy to thrash. Dry seeds of medium size, proportionally long, flat- 

 tish oval through cross section, truncate or rounded at ends, generally slightly incurved 

 at eye, solid light ecru in color with minute brownish area around eye. 



Confusing name— Blue Pod Field, which is of a very different t\7)e from Blue Pod 

 Butter. 



Comparison. — Little known or planted and grown only by amateurs, to whom it is 

 interesting because of its peculiar blue color. Often thought to be of good quality, but 

 really quite tough and full of fiber, and being also unproductive and too dull purple in 

 color for market use it possesses no real practical value. Habit of vine about same 

 as Davis Wax and pods similar in size and shape to Allan's Imperial Wax. 



History. — Introduced in 1888 by W. Atlee Burpee & Co., who state that the variety 

 came from Germany. 



Illustrations. — Dry seeds are shown on Plate III, 15; snap pods on Plate XI, 4; leaf 

 on Plate XXIV, 4; cross section of t^nap pod is similar to Detroit Wax (PI. V, 16), 

 differing principally in being larger. 



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