TESTS OF SOME IMPORTED GARDEN LEGUMES 



By Joseph A. Cocannouer 

 {From the College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines, Los Banos) 



The legumes taken collectively form a part of the diet of most 

 peoples. Of the very large number of plants belonging to the 

 legume family, there are few that possess greater economic im- 

 portance than do beans and peas. Besides furnishing nourish- 

 ing food for men and animals, they provide the agriculturist 

 with a means of securing from the store of nitrogen in the air 

 a sufficient amount of this element to replenish that removed by 

 other crops. For this reason these legumes are not only valuable 

 as food crops, but they are of special value when properly used 

 in a garden rotation. 



STANDARD LEGUMES OF THE WORLD 



Kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). — According to de Can- 

 dolle(5) the kidney bean had its origin in South America. It 

 was unknown in Europe or Asia until the discovery of America. 

 This bean has been excavated from Peruvian tombs in South 

 America and has been found growing wild in several places in 

 the same continent. These are mostly climbing plants, the bush 

 group of P. vulgaris having been developed through cultivation 

 and selection. Under each group there are the green and wax 

 pods, but the latter are much less common than the former. 

 The kidneys are the common beans of American and European 

 gardens. 



Lima bean {Phaseolus lunatus) . — For some time the Lima 

 bean was believed to have had its origin in southern Asia. (5) 

 De Candolle never considered that there was any foundation for 

 this belief. Like the kidney bean, the Lima has been excavated 

 from Peruvian tombs and has been found wild along the Amazon. 

 According to de Candolle this bean has never been found wild 

 in any part of the Old World. 



The Lima is a rank climbing vine and is divided into two 

 very distinct classes: (4) First, the sieva, which is a slender 

 grower, as compared with the large Lima, and which is com- 

 paratively hardy. It is a true annual, producing numerous small 

 papery pods; secondly, the large Lima (var. macrocarpus) , 

 often called the true Lima, is a tall rank grower, but less hardy 

 than the sieva. The pods are large and fleshy and contain very 

 large flat beans. In the tropics macrocarpus is perennial. Bush 



67 



