220 VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES. 



dermis as to render recovery impossible, and the crop 

 is greatly injured or altogether destroyed. The black 

 aphis also often commits terrible havoc ; it generally 

 appears first in the young leaves of the top, and there- 

 fore may be removed by a little timely care without 

 injuring the plants, but if once it is allowed time to 

 establish itself, it is very difficult of eradication. 



The KIDNEY BEAN (Phaseolus). Two species 

 are cultivated in England, both natives of warm 

 countries, and though they grow and pod well in 

 Britain during the warm months, they will neither 

 bear the frosts of early spring, nor those of late autumn. 

 The dwarf kidney-bean (Pliaseohis vulgaris], a native 

 of India, but erroneously called the French bean, is 

 mentioned as being in common cultivation in England 

 in the year 1597. The species called the runner 

 (Phdseolus multiflorus) was introduced from South 

 America in the year 1633. It is supposed that the 

 scarlet variety, which grows so tall and is so prolific, was 

 first cultivated about that time by Tradescant, the 

 celebrated gardener at Lambeth. It was then, we are 

 told, in so great repute for its flowers, that they formed 

 the leading ornament in the nosegays of the ladies ; 

 and it seems to have kept its place only as an orna- 

 mental plant for nearly a hundred years, as its 

 legumes were seldom used as an edible substance until 

 brought into notice by Miller of Chelsea in the 

 eighteenth century. 



The general characteristics of the two species are 

 the same. The leaves are ternate, attached to long 

 petioles; and the flowers, differing in colour according 

 to the variety, grow on racemes or short lateral 

 branches coming out from one common peduncle. 

 These are succeeded by oblong pods containing 

 smooth shining seeds of a kidney shape. 



The stems are more or less voluble in all, but those 

 of the dwarf kind are of very low growth, and require 



