AMERICAN GARDEN-BEAN. 459 



The ripe seeds are orange-yellow, with a narrow, reddish- 

 brown belt, or line, encircling the eye ; oblong or ovoid ; half 

 an inch long, and three tenths of an inch thick. A quart 

 contains two thousand seeds, and will plant a row two 

 hundred and twenty-five feet in length, or two hundred and 

 twenty-five hills. 



As an early string-bean, the variety is worthy of cultiva- 

 tion, but is little used, and is really of little value, as a 

 shelled-bean, green or ripe. It has been common to the 

 gardens of this country for more than a century ; and, 

 during this period, no apparent change has taken place 

 in the character of the plant, or in the size, form, or 

 color of the seed. 



A French variety. The ripe seeds are sim- Solitaire, 

 ilar to those of the Refugee ; but the plants are quite dis- 

 tinct in foliage and general habit. Its height is about 

 eighteen inches ; the flowers are purple ; the pods are six 

 inches long, slender, nearly cylindrical, green at first, paler 

 and streaked with purple when more advanced, and contain 

 six seeds. 



It is not early. Spring plantings were in blossom in 

 sixty days, produced pods for the table in seventy days, 

 and ripened in about fifteen weeks. It may be planted for 

 its green pods until the first of July. 



The beans, when ripe, are variegated with light drab and 

 deep purple, the purple prevailing. They are often straight, 

 sometimes curved, nearly cylindrical at the eye, usually 

 rounded, but sometimes shortened, at the ends, three fourths 

 of an inch long, and a fourth of an inch thick. Two thousand 

 measure a quart. 



On account of the size and branching character of the 

 plants, more space must be allowed in cultivation than is 

 usually given to Common Dwarf varieties. If planted in 



