V I c 



V I c 



green sort are often used to cover disagreeable 

 objects. The flowering evergreens are likewise 

 often set out in pots. 



VICIA, a genus furnishing plants of the 

 biennial, perennial, and annual hardy kinds. 



It belongs to the class and order biadelplda 

 Decandriu, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Papilioiiacecc or Legumiitosce. 



The characters are: that the calyx is a one- 

 leafed perianth, tubular, erect, half-live-cleft, 

 acute : upper teeth shorter, converging, all of 

 equal breadth : the corolla papilionaceous : ban- 

 ner oval, with a broad oblong claw, at the tip 

 emarginate with a point, bent back at the sides, 

 with a longitudinal compressed raised line : 

 wings two, oblong, erect half-cordate, with an 

 oblong claw, shorter than the banner : keel with 

 an oblong two-parted rlaw, the belly compressed, 

 semiorbicular, shoru. than the wings: the sta- 

 mina have diadclphous filaments, single and 

 nine-cleft : anthers erect, roundish, four- 

 grooved : a nectareous gland springs from the 

 receptacle between the compound stamen and 

 the germ,, short, acuminate: the pistillinn is a 

 linear germ, compressed, long : style filiform, 

 shorter, ascending at an erect angle: stigma ob- 

 tuse, transversely bearded below the tip: the 

 pericarpium is a long legume, coriaceous, one- 

 celled, two-valved, ternimated by a point: the 

 seeds several, roundish. 



The species cultivated is V. Fala, The Bean. 



It has an annual root : the stem upright, 

 about two feet high to three or four in the 

 larger garden varieties, thick, angular : the 

 leaves without tendrils : the leaflets about three 

 pairs, ovate-oblong, tomentose, convoluted : 

 the flowers several together in the axils, white 

 with a black silken spot in the middle of the 

 wings : the legumes thick, roundish, straight, 

 pointed, very woolly within, containing several 

 large ovate flatted seeds. It is a native of Egvpt. 



There are several varieties of garden beans ; as 

 the Mazagan Bean, which is the first and best 

 sort of early beans at present known. It is 

 brought from a settlement of the Portuguese on 

 the coast of Africa, just without the Straits of 

 Gibraltar, and smaller than those of the Horse 

 Bean, 



The early Portugal or Lisbon Bean, which is 

 the next, and appears to be the Mazagan sort 

 saved in Portugal, as it is very like those which 

 are the first year saved in this country. It is 

 the most common sort used by the gardeners for 

 their first crop, but they are not near so well 

 tasted as the Mazagan. 



The small Spanish Bean, which comes in soon 

 after the Portugal sort, and is rather a sweeter 

 bean. 



The Broad Spanish, which is a little later than 

 the other, but comes in before the common 

 sorts, and is a good bearer. 



The Sandwich Bean, which comes soon after 

 the Spanish, and is almost as large as the Wind- 

 sorBean; but, being hardier, is commonly sown 

 a month sooner. It is a plentiful bearer, but not 

 very delicate for the table. 



The Toker Bean, which comes about the same 

 time with the Sandwich, and is a great bearer. 



The White and Black Blossom Beans, which 

 are also by some much esteemed; the beans of 

 the former, when boiled, are almost as green as 

 peas ; and being a tolerable sweet bean renders 

 it more valuable. These sorts are verv apt to 

 degenerate, if their seeds are not saved with great 

 cai'e. 



The Windsor Bean is allowed to be the best 

 of all the sorts for the table : when these are 

 planted on a good soil, and are allowed sufficient 

 room, their seeds will be very large, and in great 

 plenty ; and, when they are gathered young, are 

 the sweetest and best-tasted of all the sorts; but 

 these should be carefully saved, by pulling out 

 such of the plants as are not perfectly right, and 

 afterward by sorting out all the good from the 

 bad beans. 



This sort of bean is seldom planted before 

 Christmas, because it will not bear the frost so 

 well as manv of the other sorts; so it is gene- 

 rally planted for the main crop, to come in June 

 and July. 



And of the small early varieties, there is one 

 which is chiefly planted for curiosity. It is a 

 dwarf, six or ten inches in height, w ith branches 

 spreading like a fan, and flowers succeeded by 

 small pods, both in clusters; whence it is called 

 Dwarf Fan or Cluster Bean. 



Also of the middle-sized later beans, a sort 

 now very commonly cultivated is the Long- 

 podded Bean, a yard or more in height, a great 

 bearer, the pods long and narrow, closely filled 

 with oblong middle-sized seeds. Of this there 

 are several sub-varieties, as the early, the tall, 

 the Turkev, &c. 



The White-blossomed Bean, which has none 

 of the black mark on the wings. The seed is 

 semitransparent, and having less of the peculiar 

 bean flavour, when young, than any of the 

 others, is by many in much esteem. It bears 

 abundance of smallish, long, narrow pods, and 

 the seeds arc almost black when ripe. 



And there is a red-blossomed bean, with' 

 smallish pous and seeds, but which is not near 

 so palatable as that with white blossoms. 



There are also other varieties. 



Culture. — These crops are raised with much 

 facility by sowing them at diflerent times from 



