BEAM. 



BEANS. 



met with, although it was a hardy, and alto- 

 gether a vermin-loving breed, and very strjngly 

 formed. (Elaine's Encyclopaedia of Rural 

 Sports.} 



BEAM. The principal piece of timber 

 which supports a building. 



BEAM OF A PLOUGH. The upper prin- 

 cipal timber into which the handles and all the 

 other parts of the tail of the plough are fixed. 

 It is most commonly made of ash wood, some- 

 what bent in its form, and of different lengths 

 according to the nature of the plough. (See 

 PLOUGHS.) 



BEAM-TREE. The Pynts aria of botanists. 

 The white beam-tree or wild pear-tree, is a de- 

 ciduous British tree of small growth inhabiting 

 the mountainous parts of the country, and re- 

 sembling a small apple-tree with berries like 

 those of the mountain ash. Its leaves are 

 strongly veined, in a plaited manner, and white 

 underneath; the wood is hard, compact, and 

 tough, and is used for axle trees, naves of 

 wheels, and cogs of machinery. (Brande's 

 Diet. Science.) 



BEANS ( Vicia Faba). A well-known vege- 

 table of the pulse species, largely cultivated 

 both in gardens and fields. Sax. bean ; vicia is 

 the Latin name for the tare or vetch ; derived, 

 recording to Varro, a vidardo, because its ten- 

 drils entwine or bind round other plants. The 

 bean was called in Greek Kt/^cc ; by the Fa- 

 lisci, a people of Etruria (now Tuscany), Haba, 

 whence the name Faba seems to be taken. 

 Martinius derives the word from TTU*, to feed, 

 as if it were Puba / Isidorus from po>, to eat. 

 Its cultivation is of much importance in rural 

 economy, inasmuch as it has gone far to super- 

 sede fallows on strong loams and clays. The 

 bean is a plant of considerable importance to 

 the farmer, as affording him a valuable food for 

 both horses and swine ; its varieties are nu- 

 merous, but as it is cultivated both for agricul- 

 tural and horticultural purposes, it will be ne- 

 cessary, in treating of its cultivation, to adopt 

 the following arrangement: 1. Field beans; 

 2. Garden beans. The English growth of beans 

 has 01 late years diminished, a large portion 

 of the consumption of this country now com- 

 ing from abroad ; yet I am of opinion that beans 

 or peas, according to the soil, should enter 

 into ihe rotation of the crops of all English 

 farms : for if drilled and well horse-hoed, it is 

 one of the finest preparations for wheat. And 

 it may be well to observe, that the Russian or 

 winter bean may be successfully cultivated on 

 moist soils. 



The flowers of the bean emit a most agree- 

 able perfume. Of all the pulse kind, this was 

 held in the first rank in ancient times. We 

 find the Athenians used beans sodden, in their 

 feasts dedicated to Apollo ; and the Romans 

 presented beans as an oblation in their solemn 

 sacrifice called Fabaria. Pliny informs us 

 that they offered cakes made of bean meal 

 unto certain gods and goddesses in these an- 

 cient rites and ceremonies. Lempriere states 

 that bacon was added to the beans in the offer- 

 ings to Cama, not so much to gratify the pa- 

 late of the goddess, as to represent the simpli- 

 city of their ancestors. One of the most noble 

 and powerful families of Rome derived the 



name of Fabii from some of their ancestors 

 having cultivated the bean called Faba. The 

 meal of beans is the heaviest made from pulse, 

 and was called in Latin lomentum. This was 

 mingled with fmmentii corn, whole, and so 

 eaten by the ancients ; but they sometimes 

 bruised it first; it was considered a strong 

 food, and was generally eaten with gruel or 

 pottage. Many superstitious customs and 

 notions were in olden times attached to this 

 pulse. The ancients made use of beans in 

 gathering the votes of the people, and for 

 electing the magistrates. A white bean signi- 

 fied absolution, and a black one condemnation. 

 From this practice, no doubt, was derived the 

 plan of black-balling obnoxious persons. The 

 Roman husbandman had a religious ceremony 

 respecting this pulse, somewhat remarkable: 

 when they sowed corn of any kind, they took 

 care to bring some beans from the field for 

 good luck's sake, superstitiously thinking that 

 by such means their corn would return home 

 again to them ; these beans were then called 

 Refrinse or Referinx. The Romans carried 

 their superstition even further, for they thought 

 that beans mixed with goods offered for sale 

 at the ports would infallibly bring good luck to 

 the seller. 



In some places bean meal is still mixed with 

 other meal in making coarse bread ; or the 

 beans are boiled into a mess with fat meat, in 

 which state they are very nutritious. Bean 

 meal given to oxen soon makes them fat; 

 mixed with water and given as a drink to 

 cows, it greatly increases their milk. A small 

 quantity of beans is generally mixed with new 

 wheat when ground to flour : the millers pre- 

 tend that soft wheat will not grind well with- 

 out beans, and they generally contrive that 

 there shall be no deficiency in the necessary 

 proportion. Thus a quantity of beans is con- 

 verted into what is considered as wheaten 

 flour. 



The bean came originally from the east, and 

 was cultivated in Egypt and Barbary in the 

 earliest ages of which we have any records. 

 It spread thence into Spain and Portugal, from 

 whence some of the best varieties have been 

 introduced into this country. The proportion 

 of nutritive matter in beans, compared with 

 other grain, is, according to Einhof, as fol- 

 lows : 



By weight. Or in a bushel. 



Wheat - 74 per cent. - about 47 Ibs. 

 Rye . 70 ----- 39 

 Barley - 65 ... 3 

 Oats - 58 ... - 23 

 Beans - 68 ... 45 

 Peas - 75 - - - 49 

 French beans 84 ... 54 



The same chemist obtained from. 3840 parts 

 of marsh beans ( Vicia Faba), of 



1312 



- 31 



Starch __---- 



Albumen ------- 



Other matters, nutritive, gummy, starchy, 

 fibrous, analogous to animal matter - 1204 



And from kidney beans (Phseseolus vulgaris) 

 of 



Starchy matters 



1805 



Albumen, and matter approaching to ani- 

 mal matter in its nature - - ~ --99 



Mucilage 



(Davy, AS. Chem.. p. 132.) 

 15 



