22O THE FORAGE AND FIBER CROPS IN AMERICA 



Generally beans are more or less vine-like plants, although some 

 of the uncultivated forms have acquired the bush or so-called 

 dwarf habit of growth. Soy beans, however, are upright 

 plants without any tendency to climb, and the broad or horse 

 bean, although belonging to a genus whose species are mostly 

 vines or vine-like, is an erect growing plant. Bean plants are 

 usually coarse growing and harsh, with relatively large leaflets 

 and rather woody stems. The cowpea is the least harsh and 

 woody. 



Beans may be grown (i) for the whole plant for forage; 

 (2) for the ripened seed; (3) for the unripened seed, when 

 they are known as shell beans; and (4) for the young pods, 

 when they are known as string or snap beans. As a rule, only 

 broad or horse beans, soy beans, and cowpeas are raised for 

 forage. The plants of the genus Phaseolus namely, common or 

 kidney bean, lima bean, and Spanish bean are not highly es- 

 teemed for forage. Lima beans, black beans, soy beans, cowpeas, 

 and horse beans are used for human consumption only as shell 

 or ripe beans ; common beans and Spanish beans as either snap, 

 shell or ripe; and Yard Long and Cuban only as snap beans. 

 The common bean and the lima bean may be grown either as a 

 bush or dwarf variety, or as a climbing or pole variety, without 

 reference to the use for which they are to be employed. When 

 grown as snap beans, either common or lima beans, whether 

 bush or climbing, may have either green or yellow pods; when 

 the latter, they are known as wax beans. 



What are known as field beans are bush varieties of the com- 

 mon or kidney bean grown for their ripened seeds. These are 

 in no way botanically distinguishable from the green pod bush 

 varieties grown as shell or as snap beans. The field varieties may 

 be used as snap or as shell beans, while the garden varieties may 

 be grown under field conditions for their ripened seeds. The 

 latter practise is rare. In general, the field varieties are more 

 hardy than the garden varieties; that is, they will thrive under 



