AMERICAN VARIETIES OF BEANS. 



The Production of New Varieties. 



The development of varieties is one of the most interesting pages 

 in the history of American horticuhure. The hmit of the present 

 paper restricts us to a mere mention of the fact. The veteran 

 grower of to-day, when he is confronted with the modern seed 

 catalogue, with its maze of names, would gladly recall the time 

 when he could number the varieties of any one vegetable on the 

 fingers of one hand. Thorburn in 1805 listed 70 varieties of vege- 

 tables. A few new varieties were added annually, but no marked 

 progress was made until after the Civil War. This may be at- 

 tributed, in part, to the rapid development of the seed business about 

 that time, but more particularly to the changes produced by the 

 varying conditions under which plants were grown. Every year 

 since that time has witnessed scores of new forms ; many of them 

 have proved to be real acquisitions, while others were lacking in 

 desirable characters, or have displayed inferior characters and were 

 in consequence gradually replaced by more desirable sorts. 



During recent years, much effort has been devoted to the develop- 

 ment of improved varieties of beans and much has been accomp- 

 lished. One grower in New York State, during the last twenty 

 years, has developed fifteen distinct types and as many improved 

 strains of other varieties which are recognized as valuable acquisi- 

 tions. It is remarkable, however, that most of our varieties 

 have been brought about by chance. In speaking of the advent of 

 the Dwarf Limas, Professor Bailey ^ says : " They appeared in 

 the same way that nearly all new varieties of plants originate : 

 they were found growing amongst plants of common and well- 

 known varieties. A single plant, a ' sport,' was first observed in 

 some cases, and in others several original plants were discovered. 

 The Kumerle or Thorburn Dwarf Lima originated from occasional 

 dwarf forms of the Challenger Pole Lima which J. W. Kumerle, 

 of Newark, New Jersey, found growing in his field. The Hend- 

 erson, as we have seen, was a chance dwarf picked up in Virginia. 

 The Burpee came from a single plant of the Large White Lima. 



' Bailey, L. H., The Dwarf Lima Bean, Bui. 87, Cornell Exp. Sta., 1895. 



[153] 



