38 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



until recently when many seedsmen have the variety 

 listed as Stringless Green Pod. Burpee's Stringless 

 Greenpod gradually became one of the leading sorts. 

 It was followed by Bountiful in 1899, Giant Stringless 

 Green Pod in 1898, and Stringless Refugee in 1904. 

 These four are today the leading stringless green podded 

 varieties. Stringless Green Pod, offered by Thorburn, 

 1898, was undoubtedly the same stock as Burpee's 

 Stringless Green Pod. 



What is the parentage of this the first stringless 

 green podded variety? A letter from the originator, 

 N. B. Keeney, published in Burpee's catalog of 1894 is 

 our only source of information. We quote therefrom: 

 " It (Burpee's Stringless Greenpod) is the result of 

 five years of careful work combining the desirable 

 qualities of the Yosemite Mammoth Wax, Burpee's 

 Saddleback Wax, and Ne Plus Ultra, and it is our best 

 selection out of over two hundred varieties. It gets its 

 round pod and stringlessness from Yosemite and Saddle- 

 back, and its long, straight, handsome green pod from 

 the Ne Plus Ultra." No other details are available. 

 Only by comparing characters as now found in Stringless 

 Greenpod with those of Yosemite, Saddleback Wax and 

 Ne Plus Ultra can one surmise as to the possible direc- 

 tion of the crossing if any. 



Irish makes Stringless Green Pod (from Thorburn) a 

 sub-variety of Brown Holland which he describes in some 

 detail, and Denaiffe notes its similarity to that variety. 

 Certainly Stringless Greenpod is an improvement over 

 Brown Holland in its pod characters. More than a 

 dozen strains of Stringless Greenpod have been grown in 

 recent tests, under the original name, known and 

 unknown synonyms. Considerable difference was noted, 

 and comparison with the same or other strains grown 

 elsewhere showed even wider ranges in size and shape of 

 pods and seeds as well as height of plant ; yet it is believed 

 that all names given in our synonyms apply to varieties 

 so similar in useful qualities that they may be considered 

 identical. Stringless Green-pod is an early, hardy, 

 productive variety profitable for both home and market. 

 It is used to some extent by the canner but in general 

 the pods are too thick and large; the variety passes thru 

 the canning stage rather rapidly, develops a large promi- 

 nent seed rather quickly and therefore is not suitable 

 to the majority of canners. 



This is an early bean 46 days to edible pod at 

 Geneva, 3 days earlier than Full Measure, about the 

 same in season as Bountiful and Tennessee Green Pod, 

 and 10 to 12 days earlier than Stringless Refugee. It is, 

 earlier than Giant Stringless Green Pod but has shorter, 

 thicker and more curved pods, which are more constricted 

 between seeds. The seeds are much darker in color and 

 the pods are not as attractive but are as good in quality. 

 Byers has pods which are longer and straighter and 

 plants which are larger and more vigorous. Plants of 

 Stringless Green Pod are more open in growth habit 

 than those of Full Measure or Byers. 



These varieties differ from Burpee's Stringless Green- 

 pod; Adams Stringless, Giant Stringless, Grenell String- 

 less Green Pod, Hodson Stringless Green Pod, Jones 



Stringless, Prolific Stringless Green Pod, Stringless 

 Refugee, Barteldes Stringless Green Pod. 



Plants strictly dwarf, 12 to 15 inches tall, 12 to 15-inch spread 

 in row: stocky, erect when young, somewhat more spreading w.th 

 weight of pods; somewhat open with few blossom stalks appearing 

 above plant: hardy, vigorous, productive over moderate bearing 

 period. Stem thick, ridged above; branches few. green thruout. 

 Foliage scanty to medium, medium green; slightly rough, not 

 glossy, with slight fine pubescence; leaflets broad, about 4 inches 

 long and 3 inches wide near base, extending almost straight to 

 short taper-pointed tips. Flowers lilac. 



Pods borne very largely high among the foliage, medium dark 

 waxy green in color. Quality excellent; fleshy, extremely brittle, 

 without fiber and entirely stringless. Size medium to short, fairly 

 broad and thick, i3' £-5 x ys x 3 > inches) and containing 4-6 seeds in 

 a pod. Shape very broad oval to nearly circular in cross-section, 

 slightly curved, straight -backed, somewhat constricted, not crowded, 

 smooth, filled to the tip and edge, and somewhat tapering at the 

 end. Spur medium long, fairly stout and somewhat curved. Suture, 

 placental is slightly indented and carpellary, rounded to obtuse. 



Seeds medium 1.4 x .8 x .7 cm i 75 per oz. > broad oval to 

 cylindrical, very plump but not quite circular in cross-section, 

 rounded and occasionally truncate ends. Hilum small, flattened. 

 Color fawn or buff to dark brown argus brown 1 over entire surface 

 with a narrow dark brown to black eye-ring. 



Byers. Refs. 41, 48, 88, 91. Byer Bros, of 

 Tennessee in 1897 sent out test samples of a new bean 

 found in their fields. Two years later it was introduced 

 by Childs as a very promising new stringless greenpod. 

 It is still offered by this firm and by no other as far as 

 we have been able to ascertain. It is considered a good 

 home garden bean because of high quality and long 

 season. It also has possibilities as a market bean. 

 Midseason, 50 days at Geneva, 4 to 5 days later than 

 Bountiful, 3 to 4 days later than Stringless Greenpod, 

 2 days later than Full Measure. 



The seed resembles seed of Full Measure and Pride 

 of Iowa in color and markings. The seed markings 

 also resemble those of Refugee but with more brown 

 color. The pods are longer and more irregular in size 

 than pods of Stringless Greenpod and Full Measure; 

 are straighter but with the same characteristic inch 

 markings and are more of a glossy green than the pods 

 of Giant Stringless Greenpod. The plants are more 

 branching with foliage more dense and leaflets narrower 

 and smaller than both those of Stringless Greenpod and 

 Full Measure. 



Plant large, 15 to 18 inches tall, with spread of 16 inches; 

 erect when young, but later when plants are older and loaded with 

 pods often somewhat drooping, runnerless; vigorous growth, very 

 productive over long bearing period. Stem stout, round, ridged 

 above; branches many with secondaries, green thruout. Foliage 

 abundant, dense, medium green, slightly crumpled, smooth, glossy, 

 medium thick; leaflets rather long, 4'^ by 3' 4 inches wide. Flowers 

 blush pink. 



Pods borne intermediate among the foliage; medium light 

 green in color. Quality good to excellent; fleshy, brittle, tender, 

 but rather coarse in texture, stringless, without parchment. Size 

 medium long, fairly broad and very plump, 1 5-6 x . . x 

 inches 1, containing 5-6 seeds per pod. Shape round, nearly circular 

 to very broad cordate in cross-section, straight, often creasebacked, 

 regular, quite crowded, smooth, filled to the tip and edge, and gently 

 rounded at the end. Spur long, slender and slightly recurved. 

 Suture, placental is indented and carpellary, decidedly rounded. 



Seeds medium large, 1.4 x .6 x .55 cm, (68-70 per oz. . Shape 

 medium long, cylindrical, very plump, very broad oval to nearly 



