Butter Beans.

—There is another large class of beans known as butter beans. This variety is also known as Geneva, or plainpalais, or wax bean.

Lima Beans.

—The Lima bean is also a different botanical species known as Phaseolus lunatus L. It is nearly related to the kidney bean, being also a native of South America. The vine is a very long one, often reaching more than 10 feet if a proper support be offered it. The common Lima bean is one which matures rather late in the season, but it is most highly valued for its product, which is eaten shelled. There are smaller varieties of this bean known as the dwarf Lima or small Lima.

The total number of varieties of beans which are known and cultivated is, perhaps, more than 100, but they belong in general to the large classes specified.

Average Composition of Green, String, and Lima Beans.—
Lima beans:
Water,68.46percent
Ash,1.69„
Protein,7.15„
Crude fiber,1.71„
Carbohydrates,20.30„
Fat,.69„
String beans:
Water,87.23percent
Ash,.76„
Protein,2.20„
Crude fiber,1.92„
Carbohydrates,7.52„
Fat,.37„

The above data are for green Lima beans with the pod removed and for string beans including the pod. The latter, it is seen, are composed largely of water, containing less than 13 percent of dry matter. Of the dry matter almost 20 percent is protein. The soluble carbohydrates, including the starch and sugar, are the most important of the ingredients of the dry substance in so far as actual weight is concerned. In the Lima bean the protein is more than three times as great as in the string bean, and the starch and sugar almost three times as much. As a nutrient, therefore, the Lima beans are far more valuable than the string beans. These data may be taken as representative of all varieties of green beans, hulled and unhulled, the Lima beans being types of hulled beans and the string variety being the type of beans including the pod.

Composition of the Dry Bean.—
Water,15.86percent.
Ash,3.53„
Protein,20.57„
Fiber,3.86„
Sugar, starch, etc.,55.49„
Fat,.69„