28 ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF OUR GARDEN VEGETABLES. 



of Gerard (1636), adds others from Clusius, such as P. peregrinus, 

 fructa minore albo, which he describes as follows: "The stalk of 

 this is low and stif ; the flours are of a whitish yellow on the outside, 

 and of a violet colour within; the fruit [seed] is snow white, with 

 a black spot in the eye. This is P. peregrinus, 4 of Clusius." It seems 

 to correspond with the haricot. This name is derived from the Italian 

 Araco, given to a common field weed of Southern Europe, known as 

 Ochrus. Johnson adds that Olusius obtained his sorts from " the East 

 and West Indies." Lastly, after a long investigation into the history 

 of P. vulg&ris, A. de Candolle sums up as follows: " (1) P. vulgans 

 has not been long cultivated in India, the south-west of Asia, and 

 Egypt; (2) it is not certain that it was known in Europe before the 

 discovery of America ; (3) at this epoch the number of varieties suddenly 

 increased in European gardens, and all authors commenced to mention 

 them; (4) the majority of species of the genus exist in South America; 

 (5) seeds apparently belonging to the species have been discovered in 

 Peruvian tombs of an uncertain date, intermixed with many species, 

 all being American. " .An interesting paper * upon the seeds and tubers 

 found in the Peruvian tombs (the date being from the twelfth to 

 fifteenth centuries) fully confirms the fact that Phaseolus vulgans and 

 the varieties oblongus and ellipticus, of various colours, were cultivated 

 in Peru long before the Spaniards entered South America. 



SCARLET EUNNER BEAN. 



Phaseolus multiflorus (Lim. P. vulgaris var. coccineus) is a native 

 of South America, and was introduced in 1633, according to Paxton. 

 Linnaeus (1764) refers to two botanists, who wrote of it Jakob 

 Coruntus and Morison, both of the same century. It is figured by 

 Parkinson (1640) as "P. Indicus, flore coccineo, the Scarlet flowered 

 Frenche beane." He adds that " it grew in the West Indies, and was 

 first grown by Mr. Tradescant, ' ' the gardener to Charles I. He died 

 about 1652. 



The amount of nutrition in haricot and French and scarlet 

 runner beans may be assumed to be much the same. Professor 

 Church says that the pods contained 9T8 per cent, of water, 

 0'64 per cent, of mineral matter, and 2'02 of true albuminoids. The 

 beans contain 23 per cent, albuminoids, 52*3 per cent, of starch, &c., 

 and mineral matters 2'9 per cent.; the nutrient ratio being 1: 2*5; 

 the nutrient value, 80. 



Lentils appear to be the most nutritious of all vegetables as 

 regards the quantity of nitrogen present, the albuminoids amounting 

 to 25 per cent., while the starch is 56 per cent. 



To supply a convenient standard among underground roots for the 

 carbonaceous qualities, the Potato may be taken, for this has only 

 1'2 per cent, of albuminoids, but 18 per cent, of starch. 



* " Sur les Graines et Tubercules des Tombeaux Peruvians de la Periode 

 Incasique," par MM. Costantin et Bois, Rev. Gen. de Bot. vol. xxii. p. 242. 



