SPECIAL REPORT FOR YEAR. 25 



The crop of beans harvested in the fah of 1912 presented 

 marked differences in size, color, shape and type within the 

 same variety. Even the descendants of single plants supposedly 

 self-fertilized also showed a wide variation in color and shape. 

 Some exhibited an entire lack of uniformity. This was con- 

 clusive evidence that the beans propagated in the variety tests 

 of 191 1 had been crossed and observations of the bees lead one 

 to believe that the beans were again crossed in 1912. In view 

 of this hybridization it became necessary to devise ways and 

 means of protecting bean plants to prevent crossing by humble 

 bees, especially if one desires to study the inheritance of char- 

 acters in beans and to originate new pure strains. To accom- 

 plish this a screened cage was planned wherein it would be pos- 

 sible to propagate 500 to 600 plants to form the basis of pure 

 lines. 



From the experience reported above growers of seed beans 

 will realize that it is advisable to cultivate only one variety 

 of beans at a time. If more than one variety is grown there 

 is bound to result a mixture of types through the agency of 

 humble bees in crossing. 



While the Station's work with beans to date has not pro- 

 gressed far enough to enable one to draw many conclusions, 

 some promising types have been separated out which are 

 breeding true. Among these types that have been found to 

 breed true is one strain which produced white beans. In 191 1 

 out of a variety of beans which each year developed many 

 types was selected one plant characterized by long runners, 

 spreading habit of growth, white blossoms and many pods 

 enveloping all white beans. The seed of this plant has been 

 planted separately during the past two years and each season 

 has produced a high yield of white beans. 



Another interesting pure line is one of the Old Fashioned 

 Yellow Eye beans. A plant of this type, — short, erect growing-,, 

 with white blossoms bearing many pods and yielding beans 

 white in all parts except around the eye, was selected in 1911. 

 This plant also has bred true to type each season. The Old 

 Fashioned Yellow Eye bean is familiar to all in Maine. How- 

 ever, of the three varieties sold in the state by dealers for seed, 

 none is pure. Each will produce many widely varying types. 

 The fixation of the color pattern and shape of bean, and also 

 high yield, seems to have been accomplished in the line developed 



