150 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXXI, No. 2 
standpoint of commercial utilization and suitability for hybridizing 
with certain susceptible American varieties. Although most of them 
have appeared quite uniform in their resistance, in a few cases much 
variability in plant characters has been noted. However, the foreign 
introductions which have thus far shown the least variability in type 
and which seem the most promising for hybridization are briefly 
described at this time. 
The varieties in group 1 are either very tall pole types or bush 
beans with the pea-bean habit of growth. The color and shape of 
seed and extreme lateness make them unsuitable for direct use at 
least in the northern field-bean sections, and their tough, fibrous, 
stringy, small pods preclude their U3e anywhere as snap beans. 
They have all come fairly true to type and offer perhaps the most 
promising possibilities for hybridization work. 
Of particular interest in group 2 are the S. P. I. Nos. 52192 and 
52193 (variety Nos. 551 and 552) which are apparently identical in 
plant characters and reaction to disease. Both have a dwarf, inde¬ 
terminate habit, with short, thick, green, tough, pods containing 
three or four slate green, marrow type seeds. They are much earlier 
than the varieties in group 1, but are less productive. Both varieties 
might be used advantageously in crosses with many of our high 
quality but susceptible garden types, and with the kidney and mar¬ 
row field beans, to introduce resistance to all the biologic forms of the 
anthracnose fungus. 
The variety Negro pegueflo mata (No. 386, S. P. I. 53784-A) is 
perhaps the most promising for introducing anthracnose resistance 
into white pea beans such as Early Wonder and Michigan Robust. 
It develops large, spreading, indeterminate plants with dark-green 
foliage, very late and productive; pods pea-bean type in color and 
size; seeds black, pea-bean shape and size but somewhat flattened. 
The other South American and East African varieties in group 2 
are apparently so far removed in horticultural characters from our 
American types that one would use them in hybridization only as a 
last resort. 
The anthracnose-resistant French varieties in group 2 seem to have 
not only immediate commercial possibilities, but also offer promising 
material for crossing with such anthracnose-susceptible American 
types as Burpee’s Stringless Green Pod, Giant Stringless Green Pod, 
Bountiful, Full Measure, Rogers Improved Green Pod Refugee, 
Refugee Wax, Sure Crop Wax, Pencil Pod Wax, Burpee Kidney Wax, 
Kentucky Wonder Pole, etc. Descriptions of these French varieties 
follow. 
No. 245. Beurre blanc nain , described by Denaiffe (4, p • 180) and by Robinson 
(10, p. 82) as grown at Lansing, Mich., is of dwarf, indeterminate growth, about 
12 inches high; foliage light green, medium size; flowers white; snap pods stringy, 
parchmented; of transparent, greenish-yellow color, flat, slightly curved, 5 or 6 
seeds per pod, 4 to 5 inches long, to % inch wide; season early; dry seed 
white, medium size, oval in cross section, rounded ends, large pea-bean type. 
The dried seed is said to be excellent for table use. This variety, because of its 
resemblance in many ways to a pea-bean type, might be used in crosses with 
Michigan Robust to secure an anthracnose-resistant pea bean. It would also 
be a valuable type to use in crosses with American sorts where a white seeded 
garden or canning variety is desired, but the pods are too pale a yellow to make 
it useful in hybridizing with a susceptible green podded type to secure a resistant 
wax-podded segregate. 
No. 269. Flageolet blanc extra, described by Robinson (10, p. 56) and Denaiffe 
(4, PP> 142, 148), is said by the former to be the best known and most esteemed 
