125 



The Lima beau has the well deserved reputation of being a 

 very robust plant, branching profusely, and carrying a very dense 

 foliage. If left to grow as a perennial, the beds form a tangle of 

 stems, of branches and leaves, old and new, which it is almost 

 impossible to keep in trim, and if any insect pest or fungoid dis- 

 ease descends on the beds, it is very difficult to cope with. Should 

 moreover, the weather be very wet, which was the case here, these 

 pests take such a hold on the old plants, that on a field scale, 

 many would be killed. It was possible, dealing with only one bed,, 

 to keep the disease, anthracnose, in check, but even then, it was 

 only by dint of frequent sprayings that the crop could be saved^ 

 and that only partially. 



Another efl'ect of the prolonged stay of the plants in the 

 ground, is that, unless the poles, on which the vines are trained, 

 are of wood which resists the wet, they are liable to rot and break 

 down after some months, and it is no easy matter to prop up 

 again in anything like order, the resulting medley of broken sticks 

 and tangled stems. 



This last remark does not apply to the case of field cultiva- 

 tion as practiced in Burma where the plants are not grown on poles 

 but left to trail on the ground. 



Lastly, the crops fall off', on tlie old beds, and they are not 

 equal to those o])tained from newly planted beds. 



TiriBD Generation. 



From selected seeds of the second generation accounted for in 

 the preceding pages, which seeds were submitted to further selec- 

 tion after trial in pots, 15 beds were planted with 455 seeds. The 

 planting, begun on lltli January, was finished on the 25th of the 

 same montli 1919. It was limited by want of suitable land. 



CKors Obtained from 3itD Generation. 



1st to oth April 548 pods gave 968 perfect beans weighing 23 oz. 

 7th to 9th „ 958 „ 2114 „ „ 48^ oz. 



11th „ 1173 „ 2740 „ „ 67 oz. 



Totals to date 2679 



5822 



137ioz. 



These figures show, at a glance, a marked improvement on 

 the previous crop and this is brought strongly in evidence if the 

 results of the two crops are put side by side : the figures stand as 

 follows : — 



