KIDNEY BEANS. 69 



GIANT FORCER. 



Listed by 1 seedsman. Seeds tested: Dreer, 190G. 



Description.— Pl&nt very large, spreading extensively over ground with heavy, 

 thick-stenuned, drof)ping l)ran(hes, but without ri'al 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 somewhat 

 variable in size, very long, straight, oval-round through cross section, nu'dium gri'en 

 in color, l)rittle, stringy, of small fiber, of good quality, fairly free from anthracnose. 

 Point of pod short and slightly curved or straight. Green shell pods borne mostly 

 below foliage, sparingly splashed with faint red, full on outside between seeds, about 

 7J inches long, and usually containing fi to 8 seeds crowded in pod. Dry jxxls some- 

 times hard to thrash. Dry seeds small-medium, short, generally larger at one end than 

 at other, roundish oval through cross section, well rounded at ends, straight or rounded 

 at eye, pale buff in color, sparingly splashed with medium fawn. 



Comparison. — New and as yet planted only in an experimental way. Recom- 

 mended l>y introducers as excellent for forcing, but as Department trials of this variety 

 have so far been incomplete it is not possible at this time to state its real \aluc in this 

 and other respects. Excepting for smaller size and different color of seed it seems to 

 be similar in appearance and general us(>fulness to the late type of Best of All, but 

 imlike that variety the stocks are pure and even. 



History. — Introduced in 1906 by Henry A. Dreer. 



Ilhtstrations. — Snap pods are similar to Best of All (PI. XI, 3). 



(IIANT STRINOLESS GREEN POD. 



Listed by 78 seedsmen. Seeds tested: Burpee, 1901, 1903; Keeney, 1903, 1904, 

 1906; Philipps, 1903; Rice, 1903; Thorburn, 1901, 1902. 



Description. — Plant large-medium, very erect when young, with a few shoots high 

 above plant, Init upon approaching maturity becoming somewhat weighed down 

 and spreading with many outstretched branches, without real runners, somewhat 

 thick stemmed, green throughout, early-intermediate in season, of moderate bearing 

 period, heavily to moderately productive. Leaf medium in size, medium green in 

 color. Flowers light pink. Snap pods somewhat variable in size, very long, gener- 

 ally more or less scimiter curved, sharply constricted between seeds as if drawn tight 

 by a thread and separated into sections, round, deeply creasebacked, -dark green, 

 extremely brittle, absolutely stringless, totally without fiber, of very good quality, 

 somewhat suljject to anthracnose. Point of pod medium in length, variable in shape, 

 either straight, curled, or twisted. Green shell pods borne mostly above foliage, never 

 appreciably colored or splashed, very much depressed between seeds, about 6 inches 

 long, and usually containing 6 or 7 seeds tightly crowded in pod. Dry pods hard to 

 thrash. Dry seeds of medium size, slender, roundish through cross section, truncate 

 or rounded at ends, straight at eye, solid brownish ocher in color except minute brown 

 area around eye. 



Comparison. — One of the most largely grown garden varieties. Except for differ- 

 ence in color of seed, it is sometimes hardly distinguishable from Burpee's Stringless 

 Green Pod and possesses about the same merits and has the same fault of uneven pods 

 described for that variety. For home use there is little to choose between the two 

 varieties but for market use there exists considerable difference of opinion as to which 

 variety is the most profitable. A few days later in season, and pods a little longer, 

 proportionally slenderer, straighter, and more deeply constricted between seeds than 

 Burpee's Stringless Green Pod. Also similar to Knickerbocker and Henderson's 

 Full Measure. 

 109 



