The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1914-10-08

By GEORGE r. FREEMAN. Plant
Breeder. Arizona Experiment station)
The development Of ery-farmlng in
the semi-arid southwest has created q
need for a ieguminous crop which,
used In rotation with grain OF forage
planting. will maintain the nitrogen
and humus content OF the soil and at
the same time provide money return
which is sure and profitable No crop
SO well nils this demand as the grow
Ing OF dry shell beans. Being a coun.
trywide food-staple they have a steady
market which is little Influenced by
local conditions other than transpor.
tation charges.
varieties OF beans originating in the
humid sections OF the East are OF but
little value when grown In the arid
Southwest They do not withstand
satisfactorily the extreme aridity and
heat OF the air during our summer
months. Out OF a large number OF
varieties tested at Yuma. Arizona. dur
Ing and previous 10 1909, only those
OF southwestern origin we're at all
successful. Among these local varie-
ties. certain ones we're noted which
gave yields far in excess OF all the
others. The results OF Investigations
with THESE varieties by members Of
the Arizona experiment station staff
may be found In Bulletin No. 70. DRY.
Farming In the Arid Southwest" by
X w. Clothier. and In Bulletin No. 6s,
Southwestern Beans and Teparies."
anc Timely Hints for Farmers. No. s2.
The Tepary Bean. New Southwest.
ern Legume." by @. F. Freeman.
The original stock OF the tepary
beans was collected from among the
Papago Indians In the vicinity OF
Santa Rosa and Indian oasis.
In order to study the different yarie-
ties in their native condition and 10
secure samples for testing their rela-
tive values. the writer, spent two
weeks during July and early August,
1910. among the Papago Indians in
their villages. situated in the valley
between Baboquivari and Quijotoa
mountains. some fifty to one hundred
miles southwest OF Tucson. Here IN a
region with about nine inches of rain.
fall. these beans we're being grown
successfully with no irrigation save
that from flood waters which came
down from the mountain washes. The
mass OF material here obtained TO.
gether with a number OF samples Sc
cured from other local sources when
separated and planted produced
strains OF the most widely diverse
types and economic values.
II was found that the Indians were
growing two classes OF beans. One
class which they called mon was lin.
fted to few varieties OF the common
kidney bean or Mexican frijole. The
other class they called pave and OF
these they grew several varieties as
state twhite) pave. scam (yellow)
pave, spate nook (speckled) pave,
etc The Mexican farmers OF south.
ern Arizona and northern Sonora also
grow these beans, and called them
teparies.
Subsequent Investigations developed
the fact that the teparies comprised a
group of varieties botanically distinct
from the common frijole. and that they
were really a cultivated form Of Phase
olus acutifolius. a wild bean which
lives In the desert mountains from
the Picos river west and south In
northern Sonora. Domesticated from
the neighboring canyons and cultivat-
cd In small patches. attended at best
by q crude husbandry and dependent
upon the precarious summer rains and
uncertain floods from the mountain
washes for irrigation. the tepary has
lost none OF It's native hardness.
Like other cultivated plants, how.
ever the tepary has responded to do
mestication in the production OF
number OF distinct varieties. The
writer has been able to segregate
more than forty different types which
come true TO seed. Among all OF
these, the varieties most commonly
grown among the Indians are the
white and yellow seeded sorts. usually
designated white teparies and yellow
teparies. The cultivated form OF the
tepary is so distinct from the wild
type that the writer has described II
as distinct variety to be known
botanically as Phaseolus acutifoliua
var. latifolius.