A NEW BEAN.
The Brobdingnagian roots, when piled into a facade, make a satisfying spectacle at most Christmas shows ; but in botanical interest they yielded at Smithfield to the display of one little plant bearing bean pods. This is a new variety of Soya bean, produced by a research worker in the Royal Botanic Gardens, and made over to Messrs. Suttons. It is the first variety that will ripen readily in Britain, and it is to be tried in the coming year as a new field crop. The bean is superlatively rich in fats. Indeed, hunting men who inquired about its value as a horse food were discouraged from its use, because it may increase weight at an excessive rate. A proportion of the bean is probably the most economic' of all animal fodders. Whether the English grower can compete with the semi-tropical grower is doubtful ; but it is a botanical event of real importance that a variety congenial to our Northern climate has been evolved;
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