222 THE FORAGE AND FIBER CROPS IN AMERICA 



studied at Cornell University the varieties of field beans. He 

 proposes the following key: 



SEED 0.6 inch or more in length, more or less reniform. Ratio, length, width, 

 thickness = 0.4 : 0.19 : 0.15 KIDNEY 



SEED between 0.4 and 0.6 inch in length. Thickness exceeding half of the 

 length. Ratio, length, width, thickness = 0.4:0.26:0.24 MARROW 



SEED 0.4 to 0.48 inch in length. Thickness less than half of the length. Ratio, 

 length, width, thickness = 0.4 : 0.27 : 0.20 MEDIUM 



SEED 0.3 inch or less in length. Not reniform. Ratio, length, width, thick- 

 ness = 0.4 : 0.29 : 0.24 PEA 



Using this key, the field beans were classified as follows : 



KIDNEY GROUP: White Kidney, Red Kidney. 



MARROW GROUP: Brown (Swedish select), Old Fashion Yellow Eye, Improved 



Yellow Eye, Marrow. 



MEDIUM GROUP: Day's Leafless, York State Medium, and Blue Pod Medium. 

 PEA GROUP: California Small White, Rice, Marrow Pea, California Wonder, 



Boston Small Pea, American Wonder, York State Pea. 



Probably the larger quantity of the beans grown belongs to 

 the pea group; then follow in order of production the medium, 

 kidney, and marrow groups. Co-operative experiments con- 

 ducted by the Cornell Station indicate that in New York State 

 the pea and medium beans outyield the marrow and kidney 

 types. 1 



265. Distribution and Yield. Field beans are grown prin- 

 cipally in southern Michigan and western New York. The 

 total production in the United States in 1899 was 5,064,844 

 bushels from 453,867 acres, an average of 11.2 bushels per 

 acre. The legal weight per bushel in most of the states is 60 

 pounds. In 1899 the farm price ranged from one to two dol- 

 lars per bushel in different states. 



The total area devoted to field beans in Ontario, Canada, 

 is about 50,000 acres annually. The average yield of six high 

 yielding varieties at the Ontario Agricultural College for nine 

 years was 21.8 bushels. 2 



*New York Cornell Sta. Bui. No. 210 (1903), p. 243. 



2 Ontario Agricultural College and Experimental Farm Rpt. 1905, p. 193. 



