DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIETIES 



79 



in Maine, but it may be identical with the Trout bean 

 of northwestern Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and 

 Vermont of which we have been unable to obtain seed 

 or direct references. The latter is probably the German 

 bean Forellen. 



Plants very dwarf, less than a foot tall, with foliage like that 

 of China Red-eye, and very uniform pods, 4} 2 to 5 inches long, 

 slightly but regularly curved and gradually enlarging from neck to 

 end, which is rounded with long, slender curved tip from about 

 center. Seeds 5, very similar in shape to China Red-eye, about 

 1 6 larger, and very distinctly marked. More than half of the sur- 

 face centering irregularly about the hilum, often more markedly on 

 one side or one end than the other, is covered with a solid, irregularly 

 margined blotch of brownish crimson, the remaining surface being 

 white upon which are irregularly distributed perfectly round dots 

 and spots of the same red. Any irregularity of margin of the spots 

 is due to the joining of two or more. 



Lady Washington. Refs. 43, 44, 48, 91. Syns. 

 Large White, Chilean Field Pea. The native bean of 

 Chile known as Coscarron medio was probably brought 

 " around the Horn " at different times, since it was 

 grown in the East before 1850 and is still found here 

 occasionally. It was taken to California from the East 

 about 1851, and was first listed on the markets in 1856, 

 but it was little grown until about 1891 when fresh seed 

 was probably brought from Chile, Southern California, 

 or Mexico. From that time its culture spread rapidly. 

 Its chief value is as a soup or baking bean, as it cooks 

 soft in canning. Slightly later than pea beans, but fully 

 as good if not better in crop, with beans flatter, slightly 

 larger, and produced on more viny plants. 



Plants 1 } e to 1 5 g feet tall, with stout, erect stem like that of 

 Prolific Tree, but with many trailing runners reaching 3 feet; foliage 

 abundant, dark green, thin, smooth; leaflets medium to large, broad, 

 rounded, not taper-pointed. Flowers borne very low, white. Pods 

 paired or in clusters, 4} 2 to 4 J g inches long, straight, with blunt ends 

 and long, slender but rigid tips, nearly } 2 inch wide, oval in section, 

 not greatly constricted; seeds about 7, very short, broad oval, rather 

 flat, slightly lighter than those of Robust (145 to the ounce). 



Mahogany Red. This uncatalogued variety, oc- 

 casionally found in the markets, may be entirely distinct 

 from Red Kidney, but its seeds are so similar in shape 

 that it must be classed with it. The seeds are rather 

 more slender, more markedly kidney -shaped, and much 

 darker, approaching with age a rich mahogany red. 

 They are inferior in quality to other Red Kidneys, 

 especially Geneva and York, with skins of distinctly 

 " tough " texture. 



Maine. Refs. 16, 47, 49, 61. Thorburn listed this 

 variety in 1890, but it probably was grown much earlier. 

 In early descriptions it was said to be valuable both as 

 a snap and baking bean. 



Plant small, with few branches; leaflets yellowish green, 

 3J2~3?4 inches long, two-thirds as wide, quite smooth, thick. 

 Flowers white. Pods very short, 2J2 to 3J2 inches wide, oval in 

 cross-section, greatly curved, with long, slender curved tip. Seeds 

 nearly or quite one-half inch long, sub-cylindrical or slightly kidney- 

 shaped, usually broad at ends, often truncate, snow white, like those 

 of Davis Wax, but smaller. 



Maine Frost-proof. A field bean sent to this 

 Station in 1885 by Hoskins, and grown one season. 



Plants very dwarf, under a foot tall, prolific; pods loment-like, 

 4— 4 ] 2 inches long, recurved, often bent sidewise; seeds more or less 

 striped and spotted with gray on a white ground. 



Navy Pea. Refs. 13, 34, 38, 43, 47, 56, 63, 74, 



91, 96, 97, 98. Syns. Banner Leafless, Bismarck Great 

 American Soup, Boston Pea, Boston Marrow Pea, 

 Boston Navy, Boston Small Pea, California Branch, 

 California White Tree, California Wonder, Coscarron 

 Chico (Chile), Early Marrowfat Pea, Early Minnesota, 

 Electric Tree, Hallock Tree, Haricot rond blanc commun, 

 Imperial Prolific, Improved Prolific Tree, Improved 

 Tree, Improved White Navy, June Bean, Little Dwarf 

 Navy, Marrow Pea, Marrowfat Pea, Mexican Tree, 

 Navy, Portland Fancy, Prizewinner, Prolific Tree, Round 

 White Princess, Salzer's Tree, Small Navy, Tree, White 

 Branching Sugar, White Pea, Wisconsin Tree. 



This very old variety should probably be known as 

 Pea-bean, which form was preferred by Burr, our earliest 

 American authority on garden vegetables; but Navy has 

 now become the market name of a type rather than that 

 of a particular variety, so we follow Irish, Tracy, and 

 Jarvis in using Navy Pea to separate part of the group 

 from a few other pea beans that are clearly distinct, 

 like Robust and Snowflake. The first part of the name 

 in no way characterizes the variety but merely refers to 

 the preference for use at sea of the American Navy for 

 beans of this type. 



Beginning with the cultivation by the Indians in 

 New York State, the small white pea bean has been the 

 most widely grown of the field beans. Selection for higher 

 yields and hardier plants was commonly practiced by 

 bean growers. Nearly 100 quite distinct names have 

 been applied to beans of this type grown in various parts 

 of the United States. The many synonyms of the variety, 

 of which some have indicated rather distinct types, are 

 now interlocked and confused so that little can be done 

 to separate them. Of the white-seeded beans used for 

 cooking or baking, we have the white marrows, the white 

 kidney beans, and a third type made up of the smaller- 

 seeded sorts and represented by Great Northern, Lady 

 Washington, Robust, Navy Pea, Small White, and York 

 State Medium. Navy pea is the principal field variety 

 of the United States, requiring about 120 days between 

 killing frosts. In addition to its universal use as a home 

 baked bean, it is used extensively for the commercial 

 canned baked bean. 



Plant dwarf, 14 to 16 inches tall, spread in row of 16 to 18 

 inches: with many short runners lying loosely on the ground; very 

 vigorous, hardy, heavily productive; rather slender stemmed, much 

 branched, green thruout. Foliage very abundant, medium to dark 

 green; leaf surface smooth to very slightly rough, thin; leaflets small, 

 2} 2 to 3J 4 inches long by 2 to 2} 2 inches wide, widest at ! 4 distance 

 from base, lateral leaflets quite one-sided, rounded to stem, tapering 

 to short pointed tip. Flowers white. 



Pods borne mostly below foliage; also to some extent in the 

 lower leaf axils of runners. Color very light green. Quality poor; 

 stringy, very fibrous, tough, but possessing fine texture. Size short, 

 narrow and slender (3-4 x ? 8 x ^ inches), containing 6-7 seeds per 

 pod. Shape flat in snap stage, but nearly round as a green shell 

 bean, broad oval in cross-section, straight backed, slightly curved, 

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

 rounded at the end. Spurs short, medium slender, and recurved. 

 Suture placental is flat and carpellary, somewhat obtuse. 



Seeds small, .9 x .6 x .5 cm. (130 per oz.); oval, quite plump 

 to somewhat flattened; ends abruptly rounded to truncate. Hilum 



