DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIETIES 



69 



Thorbum in 1885 offered a new improved Extra Early 

 Valentine with wax pods which was said to have origi- 

 nated with T. V. Maxon, Jefferson County, N. Y. The 

 color of the seeds indicates a close relationship to Red 

 Valentine. As a member of the Valentine family, at 

 one time it was quite widely grown, but of late years it 

 is seldom offered since in trial it has proved to be lacking 

 in vigor and yield. It always was among the earliest 

 of wax podded varieties, 47 days at Geneva, which is 

 only 1 day later than Challenge Black Wax. The pods 

 are larger, straighter, and lighter in color with longer 

 tips than the pods of Challenge Black Wax, while the 

 plant is much smaller and more bushy. It differs from 

 its parent variety in color and stringlessness of pods, as 

 well as in having somewhat wider leaflets and a more 

 compact plant. 



Plant small, 1 foot tall or less, with narrow spread in row, 

 erect, compact, without runners; not especially vigorous, of weak 

 growth, low productivity with short bearing period. Stem slender, 

 branches low and few, green throughout. Foliage medium in 

 amount, dark to medium green, smooth, dull, thick; leaflets 4 

 inches long, 3} s inches wide near base, margins rounding to stem 

 and almost straight to poorly denned short tip. Flowers blush 

 pink. 



Pods borne mostly above the foliage; medium yellow in color. 

 Quality fair to good; brittle, stringy, practically fiberless, but rather 

 coarse in texture. Size medium short, rather narrow, and fairly 

 plump i4 ] ,-5 x ?),— « x 5^ inch), containing 4-5 seeds per pod. 

 Shape round, fairly broad, oval to cordate in cross-section, moder- 

 ately curved, creasebacked, regular, not crowded, smooth, filled 

 to the tip and edge, and abruptly tapering at the end. Spur 

 moderately long, quite stout, and straight. Suture, placental is 

 indented and carpellary, obtuse. 



Seeds medium, 1.3 x .7 x .6 cm. (85-90 per oz.), oblong, oval, 

 somewhat cylindrical, plump, nearly round in cross-section; ends 

 abruptly rounded and occasionally truncate. Hilum small, 

 flattened. Color light fawn (yinaceous cinnamon) blotched and 

 splashed over 95' ~ c of the surface with varying shades of dull red 

 (vandyke to acajon red). 



WardweU Kidney Wax. Refs. 9, 14, 16, 30, 35, 



41, 45, 47, 48, 49, 56, 58, 59, 61, 63, 66, 67, 68, 69, 77, 

 78, 84, 91, 93, 94, 99. Syns. Kidney Wax, Milliken's 

 Wax, Wardwell's Delicious Wax, White Kidney Wax. 

 On the trial grounds of Rogers Bros, and R. B. Hunger- 

 ford, Jefferson County, N. Y., a seed of a new type 

 was found and developed by Mr. Charles Wardwell 

 sometime between 1880 and 1885. Several seedsmen 

 introduced it about the same time, Thorbum in 1887 

 and Johnson & Stokes and Ferry in 1888. Whether or 

 not this variety was a natural hybrid or came from a 

 seed mixture from foreign sources is not known. There 

 are several American varieties with seed of similar 

 color and shape, but they had been known or commonly 

 grown in this country before Wardwell's and were not 

 seed of wax-podded varieties. Wardwell's is particu- 

 larly valuable for the home and market garden, and 

 has been long used as a main crop variety which, under 

 good growing conditions, yields an abundant crop on 

 rather showy plants. An early sort with pods ready in 

 48 days at Geneva, 3 days behind Challenge Black 

 Wax but in season with Sure Crop and Pencil Pod. 

 Perhaps this variety is most like Golden Wax, although 

 2 or 3 days later. The pods are about 1 inch longer 

 than Golden Wax pods, a trifle wider and slightly curved 



backwards at the stem end, while the spurs are smaller 

 and start more from the center of the end of the pod. 

 The plant itself is rather distinct in its somewhat low 

 heavy open growth. 



Plant medium, height 12 to 15 inches, with spread of about 14 

 inches in row; fairly erect, somewhat spreading, with few spreading 

 branches, very open plant without runners; vigor good, bearing 

 period and productiveness only moderate. Stem stout, ridged, 

 intemodes short, branches few, green thruout. Foliage scanty to 

 medium, dark green, glossy, slightly rough surface, thick, crumpled, 

 rather coarse looking; leaflets about 4 inches long, 3 inches wide, 

 widest } ;j distance from base, quite round without distinct shoulders, 

 moderately long, rather obtuse, points slightly curved just before 

 tip. Flowers white, cream with age. 



Pods borne below the foliage; medium dull yellow in color. 

 Quality fair; practically stringless, fairly brittle, some fiber, and 

 rather coarse in texture. Size long, broad, and rather slender 

 (5J4-6 x }j s M inches), containing 5-6 seeds per pod. Shape 

 flat, long oval or narrow ovate in cross-section, straight to slightly 

 curved, straight backed but occasionally slightly creasebacked, 

 regular, fairly crowded, smooth, filled to the tip and edge, and 

 rounded to blunt on the end. Spur very short, stout and straight. 

 Suture, placental is slightly indented and carpellary, acute. 



Seeds medium to large, 1.5 x .8 x .6 cm. (55-60 per oz.); 

 oblong, reniform, fairly plump to somewhat flattened; ends rounded 

 and occasionally truncate. Hilum small, flat to slightly protuber- 

 ant. Color dull white, thru which may be seen grayish vein-like 

 markings; mottled and speckled irregularly with tawny yellow, 

 auburn brown and a slight tinge of light purple on the whole or 

 part of the hilar surface, parts of one or both ends, and occasionally 

 it may appear to some extent on one or both sides. In most instances 

 the shading is distinctly lighter at the hilum. 



White Flageolet Wax. Refs. 47, 63. This is a 

 German variety which originated about 1896 and which 

 was included in the trials at the Missouri Botanical 

 Garden. It was found to be identical with the field 

 bean White Flageolet except for its bright yellow, tender 

 pods. 



White Stringless Wax. This was a novelty intro- 

 duced by Vaughan in 1928 and tested here for one season. 

 It is probably a selection from Davis Wax, the seeds of 

 the two varieties being practically indistinguishable. 

 Those of the new strain, however, were slightly smaller 

 with a smooth, glossy surface. 



Plant small, less than 1 foot tall, with large, light yellowish 

 green foliage, showing some disease late in season, after pods have 

 escaped serious injury. Pods very long, 6 J j to 7 inches, with slender 

 necks from very small receptacles, less than ' j inch wide, semi- 

 round, oval in cross-section, slightly constricted between beans or 

 with zig-zag effect due to protrusion on opposite sides of alternate 

 beans, much curved as would be expected from stringless pods, 

 ends rounded, with rather long, slender, flexible tips from near 

 centers, walls quite thick and fleshy, brittle, stringless, fiberless, 

 medium in texture, of good quality. Seeds as above about 75 to 

 the ounce. 



White Wax. Refs. 16, 47, 56, 61, 93, 94, 97, 98. 

 This very old variety probably came from Germany as 

 it was known to Martens. Burr, however, writing in 

 America at about the same time, describes no dwarf 

 wax bean. It undoubtedly split up into various types 

 and strains, all of which have long since disappeared. 

 With one exception, we have no way of separating the 

 strains, and are wholly unable to group the synonyms 

 for the two types described by Wing. From tests at 

 this Station in 1882 and 1883, he describes one strain 

 as follows, probably grown under unfavorable conditions: 



