LEGUMINOS^E. CLXVIII. FABA. CLXIX. VICIA. 



315 



made from peas sown along with them. It is proper to let the 

 sheaves lie untied several days, so that the winning process may be 

 hastened, and when tied to set them up on end, in order that the 

 full benefit from the air may be obtained, and the grain kept off 

 the ground. Beans are sometimes mown, and in a few instances 

 pulled up by the roots. In all cases they should be cut as near 

 to the ground as possible, for the sake of the straw, which is 

 of considerable value as fodder, and because the best pods are 

 often placed on the stems near the roots (Brown). 



Beans are stacked either in the round or oblong manner, and 

 it is always proper, if the stack be large, to construct one or 

 more funnels, to allow a free circulation of air. 



The threshing of beans is nearly as easy as that of peas. 



The produce of beans, when proper management is exercised, 

 and where diseases have not occurred, is generally from 25 to 

 S5 bushels per acre. Donaldson says that a crop of beans, 

 taking the island at large, is from 16 to 40 bushels, but that a 

 good average crop cannot be reckoned to exceed 20. In Mid- 

 dlesex, Middleton says that bean crops vary from 10 to 80 

 bushels per acre. The produce in haulm is very bulky in moist 

 seasons. 



In the application of beans. The grain in Scotland is some- 

 times made into meal, the finer for bread and the coarser for 

 swine ; but beans are for the most part applied for feeding horses, 

 swine, and other domestic animals. In Middlesex, all are given 

 to horses, except such as are preserved for seed, and such as 

 are gathered while green and sent to the London markets. When 

 pigs are fed on beans, it is observed that the meat becomes so 

 hard, as to make very ordinary pork, but excellent bacon. 



The flour of beans is more nutritive than that of oats, as 

 appears in the fattening of hogs ; whence, according to the re- 

 spective prices of these two articles, Dr. Darwin suspects that 

 peas and beans generally supply a cheaper provender for horses 

 than oats, as well as for other domestic animals. But beans are 

 more difficult of digestion than oats, although of more nutri- 

 ment. Some advise cut straw or bran to be mixed with beans 

 to accelerate their digestion. 



Bean-straw, when mixed with peas, Brown considers as af- 

 fording almost as much nourishment, when properly harvested, 

 as is gained from hay of ordinary quality, when it is well got 

 horses are fonder of it than of pea-straw. It should either be 

 given when newly threshed, or else stacked up and compressed 

 by treading or covering, as the air is found to affect materially 

 both its flavour and nutritive quality. 



The produce of beans in meal is like that of peas, more in 

 proportion to the grain than in any of the cereal grasses. A 

 bushel of beans is supposed to yield 14 pounds more of flour 

 than a bushel of oats, and a bushel of peas 18 pounds more, or 

 according to some, 20 pounds. In 1 000 parts of bean-flour, were 

 found by Sir Humphrey Davy, 570 parts of nutritive matter, of 

 which 428 were mucilage, 103 gluten, and 41 extract, or matter 

 rendered insoluble during the process. 



The diseases of beans are the rust, the honey-dew, mildew, 

 and black-fly or aphides, which the lady-birds are supposed to 

 feed upon, as they are observed to be plentiful wherever the 

 black-fly is found. The fly almost always succeeds the honey- 

 dew, both are most prevalent on the summits of the plants, and 

 some have attempted to mitigate the evil by cutting them off. 

 In general, however, these diseases are without remedy, either 

 preventive or positive ; therefore the best thing that can be 

 done when the plants are attacked is to plough them down. 



Common Garden-bean and Horse-bean. Fl. year. Clt. ? 

 PI. 2 to 3 feet. 



CLXIX. VTCIA (said to be from vincio, to bind together, 

 because the species have tendrils by which they bind other 



plants). Tourn. inst. t. 221. Juss. gen. 360. D. C. fl. fr. 4. 

 p. 589. prod. 2. p. 354. Vicia species of Lin. 



LIN. SYST. Diadelphia, Decandria. Calyx tubular, 5-cleft 

 or5-toothed (f. 46. a.), the 2 superior teeth shortest (f. 46. a.). 

 Corolla papilionaceous (f. 46. d.). Stamens diadelphous (f. 46. 

 g.). Style filiform, almost forming a straight angle with the 

 ovary, villous on the upper side (f. 46. g.). and on the under 

 side beneath the apex. Legume oblong (f. 46. A.), 1-celled, 

 many-seeded (f. 46. /;.) ; seeds with a lateral, oval, or linear 

 hylum. Usually climbing herbs, with abruptly pinnate leaves, 

 having many pairs of leaflets ; the common petiole drawn out 

 into a tendril at the apex (f. 46. z.), which is usually branched. 

 Stipulas usually semi-sagittate. Peduncles axillary, elongated, 

 many-flowered, or short and 1-flowered. The species of the 

 genus are not well defined. 



1. Peduncles elongated, many-flowered; flowers secund. 



1 V. PISIFORMIS (Lin. spec. 1034.) plant quite smooth ; leaves 

 mucronate, with 3-4 pairs of ovate, cordate, obtuse, reticulately- 

 veined, distant leaflets ; stipulas ovate, semi-sagittate, toothed ; 

 peduncles many-flowered, length of leaves ; calycine teeth 

 nearly equal, shorter than the tube ; legumes oblong, compressed, 

 reticulately veined ; seeds globose, with the hylum linear. I/ . w . 

 H. Native of the south of Europe, in woods. Sturm, deutsch. 

 fl. 1. fasc. 31.Jacq. austr. 4. p. 33. t. 364. Riv. tetr. irr. 

 t. 52. The lowest leaflets approximating the stem and sessile. 

 Flowers cream-coloured, about the size of those of V. syhdlica. 



Pea-formedVetch. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1739. PI. cl. 



2 V. AMOS'NA (Fisch. in litt. Ser. in D. C. prod. 2. p. 355.) 

 stems erect, tetragonal, firm, and smoothish ; leaves distant on 

 the stem, tendrilled at the apex ; leaflets numerous, dense, 

 opposite and alternate, elliptic-lanceolate, rather mucronate, re- 

 ticulated with numerous diverging fine nerves ; stipulas semi- 

 sagittate, toothed ; peduncles many-flowered, rather longer than 

 the leaves ; the superior teeth of the calyx broadish, short, and 

 acute, lower ones elongated and subulate ; style hardly pilose 

 at the apex; legumes unknown. I/. H. Native of Siberia, 

 about Tructsk. Gmel. sib. 4. p. 11. no. 11. t. 3. ? Flowers 

 purple, about the size of those of V. onobrycldoldes. Leaflets 

 large, like those of the first species. 



Pleasing Vetch. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1818. PI. cl. 



3 V. CAROLINIA'NA (Walt. fl. carol, p. 182.) plant smoothish ; 

 leaves with 8-10 or more elliptic-lanceolate, obtuse, mucronate, 

 alternate leaflets ; stipulas ovate-lanceolate, entire, small ; pe- 

 duncles many-flowered ; flowers rather distant ; calycine teeth 

 short ; style villous at the apex ; legumes lanceolate, glabrous, 

 obliquely reticulated. If.. w . H. Native of Carolina. V. 

 parviflora, Michx. fl. car. 2. p. 69. V. craccoides, Rafin. in 

 litt. V. Cracca, Pursh, ex Rafin. Corolla white, smaller and 

 narrower than in V. Cracca, having the vexillum tipped with black. 



Carolina Vetch. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1820. PI. cl. 



4 V. PO'NTICA (Willd. spec. 3. p. 1094.) plant pubescent ; 

 leaflets numerous, elliptic-lanceolate, obtuse, mucronate ; stipu- 

 las lanceolate, quite entire, nerved ; peduncles very long, many- 

 flowered ; flowers crowded ; legumes unknown. I/ . H. Native 

 of the country near the Etixine sea. Flowers secund, nodding, 

 about the size of those of T. Cracca, white. Leaves with a few, 

 scattered, adpressed pili on the under side. Vicia multiflora, 

 floribus albis, calyce purpureo, Tourn. cor. 27. 



Pontic Vetch. PI. cl. 



5 V. DUMETORUM (Lin. spec. 1035.) plant smoothish ; leaflets 

 reflexed, ovate-lanceolate, mucronulate, alternate, very finely 

 and reticulately veined ; stipulas lunate and setaceously toothed ; 

 peduncles many-flowered, about the length of the leaves ; caly- 

 cine teeth very short, equal among themselves ; style bearded 

 at the apex ; legumes oblong, compressed, reticulately and finely 



