48 A STUDY OF WHEAT. 



Faba vulgaris. It belongs to the natural order Leguminosce, 

 and the sub-order Papilionacea. It has been cultivated in Asia 

 and Europe since the earliest ages. It originated in the East, 

 and is said to be still found wild in Persia. Although it dates 

 from so ancient a time it is yet cultivated extensively over 

 the whole world, and is used for food in all countries for 

 men, cattle and swine. There are many different varieties cul- 

 tivated and sold in market under various names, as Lima, 

 Kidney, Winsor, black-eyed beans, etc. The Lima bean is ex- 

 tensively cultivated in America, and furnishes an important ar- 

 ticle of diet. 



Fig. p. Second Coat of Bean. Drawn with the Camera Lucida. 

 Magnified 475 Diameters. 



The common bean is either a running vine, trained on 

 frames, bushes or poles, or a bushy shrub growing one or two 

 feet high. It has pinnate leaves, 'without tendrils, and fragrant 

 flowers. The seeds, which are the nutritious food, are in- 

 closed in long pods, that are woolly on the inner surface. 

 These pods, when green, and yet containing the soft green 

 beans, are used for food. When fully ripe, the seeds are 

 softened by soaking in water and then boiled or baked baked 

 beans having almost a world-wide reputation or they are ground 

 into a meal, thus making bean flour. The plant grows rapidly 

 and luxuriantly, and it does not exhaust the soil, yet it re- 

 quires a rich soil for its habitation. Beans are not cultivated 

 to-day as extensively as they were before the introduction of 



