258 FIELD AXD GARDEX PRODUCTS 



in characteristics. Each of these groups can again be divided into 

 bush and pole beans. Bush beans of the field type are recognized, for 

 commercial purposes, under three well-marked types, known as Kid- 

 ney, Marrow, and Pea beans, each of which may be subdivided into 

 two groups, colored and white. The garden beans, like the field 

 beans, may be divided into bush and pole types; these again into 

 Kidneys and Limas, the term "Kidney" in this case including all of 

 the common garden beans whether of one type or another, and this 

 group may again be divided into wax and green pod. The same 

 subdivision may also be recorded under pole beans, as is suggested in 

 the following classification ; 



f Kidney.. . (Colored. 



1 White. 



| Bush \ Marrow 5 Colored. 



.*.-, I White. 



Field beans.... ^ ^Pea (Colored. 



'(White. 

 Pole or corn hill . White or colored. 



'Bush. 



Kidney ......... (Wax. 



i 

 i Green pod. 

 fY i UT 



Kidney ......... f Wax. 

 Pole ............ Lima. \ Green pod. 



Runner (Scarlet Runner). 



Soil. While clay loams or soils overlying limestone are most 

 desirable, sandy and even gravelly loams may be used, but these latter 

 soils should contain more or less humus and the gravelly soil should 

 not be too coarse. Beans may be grown on heavy clay soils but the 

 surface or underground drainage, or both, must be good and special 

 attention must also be given cultural methods to produce a fine, 

 mellow seed bed. Muck soils or those with a superabundance of 

 humus are not suitable as they tend to produce vines at the expense 

 of the seed. It is also true that this crop will not thrive on low, wet, 

 poorly drained soils. Beans seem to produce good crops on soils some- 

 what deficient in nitrogen when well supplied with potash and phos- 

 phorus. Contrary to a somewhat prevalent notion, beans will not 

 produce well on very poor soils, but require a. fair degree of fertilitv. 



Seed. Care should be exercised in the selection of beans for seeol. 

 None but the best hand-picked beans should be used for planting, as 

 the success of the crop is quite largely dependent on the vitality of the 

 seed. 



Tilth. Since the bean is a warm-season crop and can not safely 

 be planted until after danger from killing frost has passed, the 

 preparation of the soil for field beans should be deferred until the 

 vegetation covering the area has made considerable growth, so that it 

 may be as completely destroyed as possible during the operations of 

 plowing, harrowing, and fitting the land for the reception of the seed. 

 The short-season character of the bean crop enables the land to be 



