96 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



from runners. Pods and seeds are very similar and 

 under some conditions are slightly larger. 



Plant moderately large, 15-20 inches tall with a spread of 

 18-24 inches, quite bushy and stocky. Vigorous, heavily produc- 

 tive, and moderately long in bearing. Stems stout with moderately 

 short internodes, branches numerous, mostly basal in position. 

 Foliage abundant, dark dull green, smooth, lightly veined, very 

 slightly pubescent, thick and leathery; leaflets large, 4 J s~5 x 3}^j-3j-^ 

 inches, very broad. Petioles moderately long. Flowers white, 

 later turning cream colored. Peduncle rigid, medium long. 



Pods borne intermediate among the foliage; dark green in 

 color. Size long, broad and slender (4— 4 J o x 1} | x ?s inches), 

 containing 3 seeds per pod. Shape fiat, long oval thru cross- 

 section, uniformly curved, straight backed, constricted, seeds fairly 

 close together smooth, filled to the tip but not to the edge and 

 rounded to square on the end. Spur not prominent, very short, 

 stout, and straight. Suture, placental is flattened, and carpellary, 

 acute. 



Seeds large, 2.2 x 1.5 x .45 cm. (30 per oz.); long broad, semi- 

 circular, extremely flat, elliptical in cross-section; ends uniformly 

 rounded. Hilum medium, flattened to slightly indented. Color 

 white, with a greenish tinge in some instances, marked with a very 

 distinct dark shaded, raised converging lines from the hilum to 

 the dorsal margin. Surface quite rough. Quality excellent. 



Wonderful. This variety should not be confused 

 with Wonder, a very different type of bush lima. It 

 was introduced in 1910 by Simon who said that it was 

 an improved selected strain of Fordhook. In shape and 

 size of pods and seeds the two are very similar. When 

 introduced, however, the pods were supposed to be 

 larger and broader than Fordhook, but at Geneva little 

 of any difference existed between the two strains. It 

 differs from Fordhook mainly in having a trifle larger 

 seed that retains more of the green pigment when dry. 

 The leaflets of Wonderful are shorter and broader, being 

 about 5 inches long and 3J $ to 3} j inches wide at the 

 base. The pods are borne well off the ground. The 

 seeds are decidedly green when shelled. It has the same 

 season as Fordhook, and is quite prolific. 



Wood's Prolific. Refs. 41, 48, 91. Syns. Hender- 

 son's Improved Bush Lima, King's Improved Bush 

 Lima, Prolific Bush Lima, St. Louis Seed Co.'s Improved 

 Bush Lima, Tuckers Prolific Bush Lima, Wood's Bush. 

 This strain of Henderson's Bush was obtained from a 

 farmer near Richmond, Va., who stated that it was a 

 sport from the latter variety. It was obtained and 

 introduced by T. W. Wood, the originator of the 

 Henderson, in 1899. It was meant to serve as a variety 

 similar to Henderson, but with a larger pod and seed, 

 together with increased vigor and quality. These factors 

 were achieved to a moderate degree. The new selection, 

 however, did not retain the earliness of Henderson. In 

 the field the plants of Henderson and Wood's Prolific 

 look almost identical. They differ in that Wood's Pro- 

 lific is more vigorous, has larger plant, with slightly 

 larger leaves, and possesses a greater spread. Pods are 

 very similar but are slightly larger and less filled to the 

 edge than Henderson. The seeds in the green-shell 

 stage, at least, are a trifle larger. At Geneva, it required 

 87 days to reach maturity, 3 days later than Henderson's 

 and 3 days earlier than Dreer's Bush. 



Plant medium size, 12-15 inches tall with a spread of 15-18 

 inches. Quite erect, bushy, entirely free from runners. Quite 



vigorous, intermediate in season, productive over a moderately long 

 period. Inclined to be slender stemmed with numerous short 

 branches both basal and medial in position. Foliage abundant, 

 very dark, glossy green, smooth, lightly veined, pubescence absent 

 or very slight, moderately thick; leaflets small to medium (4—4 ' j >.- 

 4M-2K inches), petioles moderately long. Flowers white, numer- 

 ous. Peduncles moderately short and rigid. 



Pods borne well above the foliage, dark green in color. Size 

 moderately long, broad and quite slender (3' jj-4 x z /i~Y% x 3 s inches), 

 containing 3-4 seeds per pod. Shape flat, elliptical in cross -sect ion, 

 fairly straight altho there is a tendency for the pod to twist from 

 side to side, straight backed, moderately constricted, fairly crowded, 

 smooth, filled to the tip but not to the edge and square at the end. 

 Spur short, straight and moderately slender. 



Seeds small to medium, 1.7 x 1.2 x .5 cm. (60-65 per oz.); 

 somewhat triangular, occasionally broad sub-reniform, elliptical 

 thru cross-section, flat to moderately plump altho not approaching 

 the potato type in this respect; one end usually wider and more 

 evenly rounded than the other. Hilum small and flattened but 

 hilar surface slightly incurved. Color pale creamy white over entire 

 surface, marked with a converging, slightly raised, radiating lines 

 from the hilum to the dorsal margin that suggests a surface that 

 is moderately rough. Quality fair to good. 



THE RUNNER BEANS 



This group, known more widely as flowering beans 

 and botanically as Phascolus coccineus, represents a 

 class that is of comparatively minor importance in this 

 country, yet of sufficient popularity in England to 

 justify the presence of a moderately large number of 

 varieties. It is not the purpose of this monograph to 

 report a complete varietal test of this group, neither does 

 it suit our purpose to ignore the species completely. 

 An attempt has been made to point out the leading 

 variety types with as complete descriptions as possible, 

 and to qualify these with minor accounts of such varieties 

 that are merely of historical interest. 



The group as a whole is believed to be a native of 

 South America. It is naturally a perennial, but under 

 cultivated conditions of the more temperate climates it 

 is an annual. This group of plants, while of some 

 importance as a vegetable crop, is more esteemed as 

 ornamental climbers on account of their rapid growth 

 and the production of an abundance of large, often 

 brightly colored flowers. Irish more completely describes 

 the group as follows: 



" Plant twining, 10-15 feet high, minutely pubescent, in warm 

 weather perennial with tuberous rootstocks, with us, annual and 

 with branchy roots; stems slender. Leaflets broadly ovate or 

 obliquely ovate, acuminate, inclining to triangular, 3—4 inches long, 

 2 ' 2~3 ' ■> inches broad, quite smooth. Blossoms showy, in racemes 

 longer than leaves, white, scarlet or variegated in different garden 

 varieties. Pods green, oblong, cylindric, varying very much in 

 length, straight or little curved, scabrous, tipped with short stout 

 spur. Seed large, %-\ x /\ inch long, :! n— 's inch broad, }.i-?s inch 

 thick, a little turned, variously colored. The cotyledons remain 

 below ground when the seed germinates." 



Arabian Runner. This variety is of unknown 

 origin. The term Arabian seems to be applied to several 

 varieties of flowering beans, often with a modification 

 which connects it with a particular variety. Available 

 references are too meager, however, to establish definitely 

 very much about either the history or accurate descrip- 

 tion. In the annual report of the United States Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture in 1865, the names Arabian 



