POLE BEANS. 281 



Stem six or seven feet high, with large Indian Chief, 

 broad foliage and purple flowers : the pods BUT^R-BJ^. 



& . ALGERIAN. 



are five inches long, nearly as thick as broad, D ' AL |RENCH. THB 

 sickle-shaped, green at first, but soon change 

 to a fine, waxen, semi-transparent cream- white, the line 

 marking the divisions being orange-yellow. At this stage 

 of growth, the color indicates approaching maturity ; but 

 the pods will be found crisp and succulent, and are in their 

 greatest perfection for the table. When ripe, they are nearly 

 white, much shrivelled, and contain six or seven seeds. 



"When cultivated for the ripened product, the seed should 

 be planted as early in the season as the weather will permit. 

 The plants will then blossom in eight or nine weeks, afford 

 young pods in eleven weeks, pods for shelling in thirteen or 

 fourteen weeks, and ripen in a hundred and twenty-four days. 

 Plantings for green pods may be made until the first of July. 



At the time of harvesting, the seeds are deep indigo-blue, 

 oblong, often shortened abruptly at the ends, half an inch 

 long, nearly the same in depth, and three-tenths of an inch 

 thick. Fourteen hundred seeds measure a quart, and will 

 plant a hundred and seventy-five hills. 



The Indian-chief Bean is remarkable for its fine, tender, 

 succulent, and richly colored pods ; and for these it is well 

 worthy of cultivation. They are not only produced in pro- 

 fuse abundance, but continue fit for use longer than those 

 of most varieties. In moist seasons, they remain crisp and 

 tender till the seeds have grown sufficiently to be used in the 

 green state. The ripe seeds are of little value. 



The real merits of the variety appear to be little known ; 

 yet, of all the running sorts cultivated for the green pods, it 

 must be classed as one of the best. 



A strong-growing, but not tall variety. The Mottled 

 flowers are white ; the pods are four inches and 

 a half long, three-fourths of an inch wide, yel- 

 low at maturity, and contain four or five seeds. 



