VARIETY FORMS FOR BUSH KIDNEY BEANS. 



17 



ing many runners. It is a habit which is not always the same at all 

 stages of growth, some varieties, like Burpee's Stringless Green Pod, 

 being very erect when young, but burdened with fruit-laden branches 

 and drooping when old. For this reason it is necessary to select one 

 stage of a plant's growth at which to describe this peculiarity. The 

 most typical stage and the one adopted in the following descriptions 

 is the time just before the plant comes into full bearing. Variations 

 in habit range from Red Valentine for very erect sorts to Navy Pea 

 and other field varieties for very spreading kinds. 



Thickness of plant stems (very slender-stemmed, slender-stemmed, 

 somewhat slender-stemmed, somewhat thick-stemmed, thick-stemmed, 

 very thick-stemmed). — This character is generally correlated with 

 appearance, size, and shape of the leaves, those plants having large, 

 coarse, and wide leaves, like Canadian Wonder and Burpee's White 

 Wax, generally being thick-stemmed, and those plants having small, 

 smooth, narrow leaves, like Refugee and Red Valentine, generally 

 being slender-stemmed. 



Number of runners (without runners, occasional runners, moder- 

 ate number of runners, many runners, etc.). — Some varieties, besides 

 having runners as described above, often develop drooping branches 

 and long fruit spurs, which, though generally not to be classed as 

 runners, sometimes develop into real runners, as is shown by Ten- 

 nessee Green Pod and Emperor William. Late Refugee and Navy 

 Pea are examples of decidedly spreading bush sorts, and Golden 

 Wax and Round Yellow Six Weeks of varieties absolutely free from 

 runners. 



Color of plant stems and branches. — Except Blue Pod Butter, 

 Black Turtle Soup, Lightning, and some varieties having black seed, 

 all beans cultivated in America are green throughout the plant. As 

 explained below, the solid dark-leaved sorts are separated into vari- 

 ous shades of green, but their stems and branches are referred to by 

 no other term than green. Only the first two of the above-named 

 varities are colored to any extent, and, while the above black-seeded 

 sorts are commonly classed as green-stemmed, they will be found, 

 upon close examination, to be slightly tinged on the main stem, at 

 nodes of branches, and on the flower stalks. 



Season of bush varieties (very early, or less than 46 days; early, 

 46 to 48 days; early-intermediate, or 49 to 51 days; intermediate, or 

 52 to 54 days; intermediate-late, or 55 to 57 days; late, or 58 to 60 

 days; very late, or more than 60 days). — In the above estimates, as 

 well as in the variety descriptions, earlmess unless otherwise noted is 

 based upon the time when snap pods are first usable and not when 

 seeds are first dry and ready for thrashing. Although strictly green 

 shell and field sorts are seldom used as snaps, it nevertheless seems 



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