DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIETIES 



47 



broad, plump 6 6] . ■ x " . x \ inches'! containing 5-6 seeds. Shape 

 round, circular in cross-section, slightly curved, straight-backed, 

 regular, filled to tip and edge, end pointed. Spur medium long, 

 thick and recurved. Suture, placental is slightly indented and 

 carpellary. rounded to broadly accuminate. Seeds resemble those 

 of both parents, when freshly harvested color is more like Refugee 

 but with age the purple darkens and the brown of Full Measure is 

 present. 



Newington Wonder. Refs. 13, 51. Syns. Brown 

 Date Bean. This English variety originating about 

 1850. was noted in the U. S. Commercial Agr. Rept. 

 p. 536 of 1855 and was said by Robert Thompson to be 

 " the best variety of kidney beans." It reached America 

 very soon after and for fifty years or more was grown 

 to a limited extent. The pods of this old variety were 

 of poor quality, tough and stringy when full grown. 

 The seed greatly resembles that of Giant Stringless Green 

 Pod and therefore it appears that Newington Wonder 

 has been known as a synonym for that variety. The 

 old variety is still used in England since it appears in 

 trials as of 1909 and later. 



Plant very dwarf, spreading with some runners and abundant 

 dark green, fine, smooth, foliage. Pods green soon changing to 

 pale yellow often almost entirely covered with reddish purple, short, 

 broad, straight, crisp and tender when young; and, if kept picked 

 continue to form over a long season, making the variety very 

 productive. Seeds small, oblong or slightly kidney-shaped, decided 

 truncate, light brown, dun-colored, or pale brownish drab with 

 faint yellowish eye-ring. 



Osborn. Refs. 47, 51, 53, 85, 94, 98. A first class 

 certificate was conferred upon this variety in 1873 by 

 the Royal Horticultural Society. This was also the 

 year of its introduction. Irish considered it identical 

 with Emile for they were undoubtedly of the same 

 horticultural use and value. At Geneva pods of Osborn 

 were longer and straighter, splashed with purple, and 

 more stringy; while the seeds were narrower in propor- 

 tion to their length, often slightly kidney shaped and 

 differed in color from those of Emile in being brown or 

 blue black rather than brownish purple. In tests here 

 in 1883 Osborn was three days later than Emile and 

 slightly more productive. 



Perpetual. Refs. 51, 53. This bean was intro- 

 duced by Carter before 1913 and was listed in his 

 American catalogs. It was grown in the trials at Geneva 

 and noted as exceedingly similar in plant and pod to 

 Cream Valentine. 



Pods slender, longer and only two-thirds as wide as Cream 

 Valentine. Quality stringy but without parchment, fine texture. 

 Seeds 6, slightly more pink than those of Cream Valentine, and 

 often truncate at the ends from compression in the pods, the contact 

 between the beans resulting in small flattened areas of dark brown 

 which contrasted noticeably with the body color and were usually 

 darker than the eye-ring. 



Pheasant-eye. In 1910 this variety was listed as 

 new by Rahe Seed Co. and was said to have come from 

 a single plant found in a row of Bountiful and to have 

 all the good points of that variety with added symmetry 

 of pod. 



Plants rather inferior to those of Bountiful. Pods of rather 

 better color, ready later, therefore flatter when pods of the same 

 size were compared; stringless, but rather thin-fleshed. Seeds of 

 same size and shape as those of Bountiful, dull veiny white, blotched 



about eye and toward one end with yellowish brown, changing 

 to light brown or reddish brown with band of same color over other 

 end and spots irregularly distributed near margins of patches. 



Prince. Refs. 53. This is the result of a cross 

 between Superlative and Perfection introduced by 

 Sutton in 1927 and in the United States in 1929 by 

 Walter. Because of the very long, straight, dark green 

 pods this variety has possibilities as a forcing and home 

 garden bean. A late variety ready for picking in 54 

 days at Geneva. Prince in our trials proved to be one 

 of the longest podded varieties grown; plant is vigorous 

 but smaller than Superlative, the pods are longer and 

 rather shorter tipped and the seeds somewhat similar 

 to the Henderson but with more red. 



Plants somewhat smaller than those of Superlative, vigorous, 

 healthy, with dark green foliage. Flowers blush pink. Pods borne 

 intermediate among the foliage; light, medium, waxy green in color. 

 Quality fair to good; brittle, nearly stringless, fiberless but rather 

 coarse in texture. Size long, medium broad and fairly slender 

 (7—8 x re x j^ inches), containing 6-7 seeds per pod. Shape flat, 

 ovate in cross-section, slightly curved to much curved, straight 

 backed, regular, not crowded, filled to the tip and edge but not 

 towards the stem tip and pointed at the end. Spur long, slender 

 and recurved. Suture, placental is flattened and carpellary, acute. 

 Seeds large, 1.8 x .7 x .55 cm (50 per oz.i; decidedly long reniform, 

 somewhat flattened; ends uniformly rounded. Hilum large, flat 

 but somewhat curved. Color dark buff ' cinnamon rufous orange) 

 under color, almost entirely covered with dark reddish-brown 

 claret brown) mottling. 



Prolific Piekler. Refs. 41, 48. This bean was 

 grown by some German gardeners near Rochester, N. Y., 

 for some time before it was listed by Vick in 1894. It 

 was exceedingly like Canadian Wonder, but with much 

 longer pods; but very productive. 



Pods more than 8 inches long, flat, much constricted between 

 seeds, stringy, tough and of poor quality, but useful in early stages 

 for pickling. Seeds 7 or 8, more than % inch long, half as wide, 

 flat, much like a long Lima bean in shape, plum violet in color. 



Purple Pod. Refs. 28, 49, 93, 94. Syns. Blue 

 Pod Butter. Since there is no known reference to the 

 appearance or use of this bean among the early settlers 

 it probably is of European origin. There is a climbing 

 Purple Pod which is a very old French variety and which 

 in all characters except climbing habit resembles the 

 variety introduced to this country in 1888 by W. Atlee 

 Burpee. This Purple Pod Dwarf or Bush supposedly 

 came from Germany. This bean is little known or 

 planted except by home gardeners, or by some who 

 favor it as a pickling bean. A second early, ready in 

 50 days at Geneva. In color of foliage this variety is 

 unlike all others. The pod is shorter, broader, flatter 

 than pods of Bountiful, perhaps more like pods of 

 Imperial Wax in general shape. 



Plant medium, about 15 inches tall with equal spread, a true 

 bush, erect but with growth rather scraggly, no runners but some 

 long branches that sag down with weight of pods; rather vigorous 

 in growth but not overly productive and of short bearing season. 

 Stem stout, thick with short internodes, more or less purple tinged, 

 especially at nodes; branches few, squared, ridged, purple coloring 

 at nodes and flower stalks. Foliage abundant, quite dense, dark 

 green with purplish cast, dull, crumpled but smooth, medium 

 veined, medium thick, pubescence heavy, leaflets 4 inches long 

 with width of 3 3 4 , the greatest width is at base, base line very nearly 

 straight, terminal leaflet triangular with sides straight, tapering 

 uniformly to point. Base leaflets shorter, 2 } _> inches long by 2 inches 



