The Dawn of a New Constructive Era 99 



was frequently planted in other regions it didn't become popular 

 because they always had to send to Florida to get the seed. 



Twelve years ago the Department took up the matter in a sys- 

 tematic manner and began a careful search of the entire world, try- 

 ing to find other species of velvet bean which would be more hardy 

 and mature earlier and have other desirable characteristics lacking 

 in the Florida bean. Up to this time about twenty distinct species 

 have been brought in. Of these, some hundreds of hybrids and 

 crosses have been made in an endeavor to combine the desirable 

 qualities of the different species ; and now we have an infinite 

 variety, and of these quite a number of forms have made for 

 themselves a place in the agriculture of the South. 



The old Florida bean was a vine which grew pretty high; I 

 don't think any of us know how long it will grow ; it produces a 

 small pod 2^ to 3 inches, with small mottled seeds, the pod cov- . . n„ j^ 

 ered with a black velvet — from which the bean took its name. Development 

 Until twelve years ago that was the only variety we had in culti- 

 vation. 



Another was what is known as the "Lyon" bean. The pod, 

 instead of being three inches long, was nearly six inches in length ; 

 the beans, instead of being spherical and mottled, were large, flat- 

 tened ovals, like a butter bean, only larger. The pods, instead of 

 being covered with black, velvety pubescence, were covered 

 with grayish hairs and of quite a different form — pointed at each 

 end. If anything, it was more rank growing than the Florida 

 bean, and produced fully as heavily, but unfortunately ripened 

 very little earlier. These were popular for two or three years 

 until we got others in. 



The next was what is known as the "Yokohama" bean, from 

 Japan. That pod is very similar to that of the Lyon bean, a large 

 pod with ash colored or white seed, the pod covered with hairy 

 bristles instead of velvet. The vine is rather small. This ripens in 

 about five months from planting, where the old bean took nine to 

 ten months. 



Following that came the "Chinese" bean, which is probably 

 little more than an early ripening variety of the Lyon bean. That 

 ripens in a hundred and fifty days from planting. 



Then we have another one, which came to us probably from 

 Georgia ; it is called the "Georgia" bean. Some say it is a 90 and 

 lOO-day bean, but it is not ; it ripens in 120 days. The pod is very 

 similar to that of the Florida bean, but the vine is much smaller. 



