l68 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I915. 



exception of the anterior end' where the color may extend a 

 little farther towards the lower surface. (Fig. 40 top row). The 

 outer border of the eye should be clear-cut and regular in out- 

 line, except that it may be slightly irregular at the posterior end 

 (Fig. 36). 



The color should be uniform throughout the eye except the 

 narrow ridge surrounding the hilum and over the caruncle 

 where the color is always darker than elsewhere. The color 

 over the remainder of the eye should be of a medium dark 

 shade as illustrated in Fig. 36. 



These are the requirements in pattern and color for the 

 standard Improved Yellow Eye. The two things besides size 

 and plumpness upon which the dealers insist most are (i) that 

 the background should be a clear opaque white and (2) that 

 the eye should be large. It is much better for the eye to be 

 larger than the standard rather than smaller. Considerable 

 laxity is allowed in regard to the shape of the eye pattern and 

 also in regard to spotting. At the present time no discrimina- 

 tion in price is made if the eye pattern is irregular in outline, 

 or if there is a reasonable amount of spotting. There is indeed 

 a certain class of trade in Boston, particularly Italian and 

 Jewish, which prefers a densely spotted bean, like that shown 

 at a in Fig. 41. Such a bean however is not an Improved Yel- 

 low Eye. This class of trade would no doubt be as well or 

 better satisfied with a solid yellow bean. 



In regard to the eye color itself considerable variation will 

 be allowed wi'ithout discrimination in price. However, the 

 market distinctly prefers a medium dark eye color. Very light 

 shades will not sell readily. 



The color must always be clear and bright. In a letter of 

 March 16, 191 5, from Chas. H. Stone & Company, of Boston, 

 this concern, which is one of the largest handlers of produce 

 in Boston, says : "A medium dark eye is more desirable than 

 the usual light shade. But the dark color must be clear and 



^In this paper the following orientation of the bean will be used. The 

 area by which the seed is attached to the pod is the hilum. This side 

 of the bean is the ventral and the opposite side the dorsal. At one end 

 of the hilum there is a very small depression, the micropyle. This end 

 is the anterior. At the opposite end of the hilum is a small raised area,^ 

 the caruncle. This end is the posterior. 



