94 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the very botanical characters upon which the species is founded y 

 when it is brought into cultivation. Even in its wild state it is 

 scarcely more distinct from the common races of maize than the 

 " husk corn" is, or the curious striped-leaved corn of Japan, — 

 and the latter would certainly be considered worthy of specific 

 ' recognition by botanists were it not for the fact that historical 

 evidence shows that maize was introduced into Japan directly or 

 indirectly from the New World, and that, therefore, its origin is 

 more or less enshrouded in knowledge ! All this is but another 

 illustration of how tenaciously botanists still hold to the Linnaean 

 idea of species, whilst they profess the Darwinian idea. 



A similar evolution of types which are as distinct and per- 

 manent as accepted species in the same genus, is well illustrated 

 in the various beans. The common garden or kidney bean was 

 made into two species by Linnaeus, the pole beans {Phaseolus 

 vulgaris) and the bush beans (P. nanus). Since it has been 

 demonstrated by experience and experiment, that these groups 

 are interchangeable forms of one type, botanists have discarded 

 Linnaeus's designations of them and now call the garden bean a 

 single species ; yet it should be said that a more explicit and 

 satisfactory instance of the evolution of specific forms right under 

 our own observation could not be demanded. The two groups 

 are species until we discover that they have sprung from one type 

 within historic times, whereupon we then regard them not as 

 species but as anomalies of cultivation. Von Martens, however, 

 discards origin as a mark of specific likeness or differertce, and 

 now proposes to erect seven species upon the obvious racial 

 differences in the garden beans. But the most interesting feature 

 of this bean botany is the complete neglect, on the part of 

 botanists, of the singular dwarf Limas, which have appeared in 

 very recent years. Remember, now, that Linnaeus regarded the 

 common pole beans and the common bush beans as two distinct 

 species, because one is a running or twining plant and the other is 

 a dwarf erect plant. The Lima bean is a twining plant ; but within 

 the last few years three well-marked types of true bush beans 

 have sprung independently from the old types of Lima. If these 

 differences were worth specific recognition in the common garden 

 beans, why are not the same differences worth at least a passing 

 comment in the Lima bean? Yet, because these types have 

 originated before our eyes, botanists consider them not worth 



