16 BULLETIN 119, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



S. P. I. No. 



32643. From the same source as No. 32640. Growth and maturity just like No. 



32640; seeds grayish green, finely marbled with black specks. 



32644. From the same source as No. 32640. Indistinguishable in growth from No. 



32640; seeds straw colored. 



33098. From Cuba, 1912. "Little Devil or mambi bean. An indigenous legume, 

 found growing wild in the woods of Oriente Province, especially in the valley 

 of Guantanamo . A climbing vine of vigorous growth that covers and smothers 

 the tree over which it grows; for this reason the native country people call 

 it 'Little Devil.' It is also called 'mambi,' because it was discovered as 

 edible by the Cuban soldiers during the war of 1868-1878." Very late, not 

 even blooming at Arlington farm in 150 days in 1912 when killed by frost. 

 Vines vigorous, making a solid mass 2 feet deep, but not quite so large as No. 

 21291; seeds maroon. 



01555. From Mr. E. T. Shields, Yachow, China, March, 1911. "This bean is known 

 as climbing mountain bean. It is fed to pigs and not much eaten by the 

 natives." Vines in rows 16 inches high, 30 inches broad, in full bloom at 

 Arlington farm in 120 days, a few pods maturing when killed by frost at the 

 end of October. 



THE MUNG BEAN, GREEN GRAM, OR GOLDEN GRAM. 



The mung bean (Phaseolus aureus Roxb.; Pis. IV and V) is culti- 

 vated throughout the southern half of Asia, in the adjacent Malayan 

 Islands, and quite generally through the eastern portions of Africa. 

 It has been introduced into Greece, but otherwise seems not to be 

 cultivated in Europe. In India the plant is of very ancient cultiva- 

 tion, and numerous varieties are found in different parts. The plant 

 is not definitely known in a wild state, but Prain (1897, p. 423) is in- 

 clined to think that it is a cultivated derivative of Phaseolus radiatus 

 L. (Phaseolus sublobatus Roxb.), which grows wild in India. Accord- 

 ing to Mollison (1901, p. 87) this legume, or pulse, is sixth in impor- 

 tance in the Bombay Presidency, about 200,000 acres being grown 

 each year, mostly mixed -with other crops. The seeds are used almost 

 exclusively as human food and the straw is fed to cattle. Duthie 

 and Fuller (1882, p. 37) state that the average yield of seed per acre 

 is 410 pounds. In the Northwestern Provinces and Oudh it is more 

 important than the urd bean, the moth bean, or the cowpea. 



In German East Africa it is called chiroTco, and the same name is 

 used in Portuguese East Africa. In Japan its name is hundo or 

 yayenari. In Jamaica both the mung and the urd have been intro- 

 duced by Hindoo laborers. The plant is there called Jerusalem pea 

 and is being used largely as a green-manure crop (Harris, 1913, p. 

 192). 



BOTANY. 



There has been great confusion concerning the proper botanical 

 name to apply to the mung. Most of the difficulties in the case have 

 now been cleared up, thanks to the generous assistance accorded by 

 Sir David Prain, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. The 



