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THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



with white or salmon colour. For some years past this variety has 

 often been called The Indian Kidney Bean." 



Dwarf Light Dun-coloured Kidney Bean. — A vigorous 

 variety, forming strong clumps, not producing the barren stem 

 of the Swiss Kidney Beans, but sometimes bearing clusters of 

 pods above the foliage. The leaves are large, slightly crimped, 

 and gray-green ; pods long, straight, nearly cylindrical, each con- 

 taining five or six seeds of a light chamois colour, darkening with 

 age, and brown around the hilum. 



Other varieties of Swiss Kidney Bean are the Large Gray 

 Swiss, the seed of which is yellow-white, streaked with black ; the 

 Bourvalais Swiss, with white seed marbled with light violet ; the 

 Red Ingot, the seed of which is paler than that of the Long 

 Spotted French Bean and not marbled. Among the Swiss Kidney 

 Beans may also be included the variety named the Giant Dwarf, 

 which is remarkable for the width of its leaves and the length of 

 its pods ; but in cultivation it is now superseded by the improved 

 variety of the Royal Dwarf White Kidney Bean. 



Russian Dwarf Kidney Bean. — A very good dwarf variety, 

 equal to any other for producing green pods. It is a very vigorous 

 plant, with exceedingly broad leaves, finely crimped, dark and 

 rather dull green in colour. Flowers lilac ; pods very straight, 

 and remarkably long and handsome. The seed, which in shape 

 and colour has some resemblance to that of the Dwarf Light Dun- 

 coloured Kidney Bean, is easily distinguished from all other kinds 

 by the dull appearance of the skin. There is a sub-variety of this 

 plant which has small black seeds, and produces pods that are 

 perhaps longer and more cylindrical than those of the ordinary 

 kind. There are often six, or even seven, seeds in a pod, and as 

 each seed is nearly f in. long, and lies in the pod at some distance 

 from the seed which is next to it, the length of the pods is easily 

 accounted for. 



Spread-Eagle, or Dove, Kidney Bean. — Another dwarf tough- 

 podded variety, which appears to belong to the section of the Swiss 

 Kidney Beans, and grows to the height of i6 in. or more. Leaves 

 light green, broad, long, and finely crimped ; flowers white, and 

 rather large ; pods straight and long ; seed very full, rather kidney- 

 shaped, and quite white, except near the hilum, where it is marked 

 with a black or brown blotch, the outline of which has some like- 

 ness to a bird with extended wings. Hence its most common 

 names of " Spread-Eagle " and " Dove " Kidney Beans. 



The Shah Bean. — A very vigorous plant, truly dwarf, 

 because it does not send up any twining shoots. It grows into 

 large erect bushes, not exceeding 15J to 19J in. in height; the 

 leaves are very large and broad, dark green, smooth, not crimped ; 

 the lilac-coloured flowers are succeeded by fine green, long, straight 



