CHAPTER XIV. 



BEANS. 



THE BROAD BEAN. Vicia faba. 



French, feve; German, garten-bohne ; Flemish, platteboon; Dutch, tuin 

 boonen ; Danish, valske bonner ; Italian, fava ; Spanish, haba ; Portuguese, fava. 



THE KIDNEY BEAN. Phaseolus vulgaris. 



French, haricot ; German, bohne ; Flemish and Dutch, boon ; Danish, have- 

 bonnen; Italian, faginolo; Spanish, frijole; Portuguese, feijao. 



THE SCARLET RUNNER BEAN. Phaseolus Multiflorus. 

 French, haricots d'Espagne; German, Arabische bohne; Dutch, Tursche 

 boon; Italian, fagiuolo di Spagna. 



THE LIMA BEAN. Phaseolus lunatus. 



French, haricots de Lima; German, breitshottige Lima bohne; Italian, 

 fagiuolo di Lima; Spanish, judia de Lima. 



THE BLACK-EYED BEAN. Vigna sinensis. 

 A cow pea. 



THE TEPARY BEAN. Phaseolus acutifolius; var. latifolius. 

 THE SOY BEAN. Glycine hispida. 



Of the vast numbers of bean varieties known to horticulture, 

 California grows but very few. Market gardeners of different 

 nationalities, ministering to their compatriots among our citizens, 

 have brought to California many varieties which they esteemed in 

 their old homes and grow them here in limited quantities, but the 

 general markets and the gardens and fields of Americans can show 

 but few sorts. This is due in part to the indisposition of the people 

 to try culinary experiments and in part to the fact that some va- 

 rieties have shown peculiar climatic adaptations and are, therefore, 

 better from a grower's point of view. But though few varieties 

 are grown, some of them are grown on a very large scale to such 

 an extent, in fact, that five counties on our southern coast win for 

 California the distinction of being the greatest Lima bean produc- 

 ing country in the world. 



The capacity of California for production of beans is appar- 

 ently limited only by the extent to which the produce can be profit- 

 ably sold. Whenever there is a falling off in local production of 

 the common varieties east of the Rocky mountains, California ship- 

 ments are freely made, and when, many years ago, there was a full 

 train-load sold for Boston, California embraced not only the profit 

 thereof, but the proud satisfaction that she was really doing some- 

 thing worth while for the maintenance of the intellectual standard 

 of the country. Train loads of beans have now become too com- 

 mon to attract notice. 



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