Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/720

BEAM. a weaver's loom, as also in I. Sam. xvii. 7. The -famous passage in which beam occurs is in JIatt. vii. 3-5, and Luke vi. 41-42: "And why behold- est thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam (Gk. Sok6s, dokos) that is in thine own eye?" Mote signifies any light, dry particle, such as a dust-grain, or bit of straw.

BEAM-ENGINE. See Steam-Engine.

BEAM'ING. A preliminary process to hand weaving, which consists in winding the web on the weaver's beam, the two essential require- ments being firmness in the winding and evenness in the spreading of the yarn. Beaming was a special employment followed by workmen trained to the business as beamers, and is not employed in modern weaving by machinery. See Weaving. BEAM'-TBEE' { Pi/nts aria ) . A tree from 20 to 40 feet in height, native of almost all parts of Europe and of corresponding climates in Asia, not uncommon in the mountainous districts of Great Britain, and frequently planted. It has a straight, erect trunk, and a round or oval head ; the leaves are ovate, cut and serrated (in some varieties, deeply lobed), white and downy be- neath : the flowers in large terminal corymbs ; the fruit scarlet, of the size of small peas. The fruit is acid and astringent, but becomes agreeable by incipient decay; it is sometimes called sorb or service-berry, 'and resembles the true service- berry (q.v.) in quality, altlwugh it is much smaller. Beer is made from it by fermentation. Its verv hartl and fine-grained wood is used for cogs for the wheels of machinery. The whiteness of the foliage makes the tree — sparingly intro- duced — ornamental in plantations. See Pybus.

BEAN. An annual plant of the order I^gu- mlnosa;: widely cultivated for its seeds (beans) and pods, which are used as a food for both man and animals. The wliole plant of some species is frequently grown for forage and green manuring. The Broad Bean {Yicia faha) is the common bean of Europe, of which the Broad Windsor and Mazayan are the best-known varieties. It has been "in cultivation from remote times. The plant is erect, 2 to 4 feet high; has thick, an- gular stems, leaves with 2 to 5 oval leaflets; flowers in clusters, generally white with black- eyed wing; pods large and thick, and beans thick, flattened, and generally angular. The va- rieties and sulivarieties in cultivation are numer- ous and variable. They are grown both in the garden and field for forage and as human food. The plant is not well adaiHcd to the hot, dry summers of either the I'nitcd States or Conti- nental Eurolic. but succeeds well in England. It requires a heavy, rich, and well-drained soil. The Scotch, or Horse Bean, belongs to this spe- cies, and is ciitivated to considerable extent as a fora"e crop. Phaseolus vulgaris, the Kidney Bean of Europe, is the common garden and field bean of the United States. It was introduced into Euroi)e in the Sixteenth Century, probably from South America. New varieties of this spe- cies are easilv originated, and more than 1.50 va- rieties are iii cultivation in the United States. Kidney beans are generally divided into two jjroups— tough-podded and edible-podded. There are bush and pole varieties of each group Many of the 'wax' or string beans, and most of the shell-beans which are eaten before fully ripe, belong to this species. A few varieties are grown as field crops, and the product is sold as dry beans. They may be planted either in hills or' drills after all danger of frost is past, and require a warm, loose soil.

Tlie Lima Bean {Phaseolus lunatus) is a climbing species of South American origin, bear- ing very flat, broad pods, with short, flat seeds, slightly kidney-shaped. It is grown to a limited extent in various parts of the United States, and especially in California, where most of the seed is now raised. The Soy Bean {Soja liisitida or Gli/cine hispida) is the common bean of China and .Japan. It is grown in Europe, and in some of the Southern and Southwestern States to some extent as a forage and soiling crop. (See SoY Bean.) The Cowpea iVigna ciiijanfi) belongs to the bean family. It is the chief forage, soiling, and green manure crop of the southern United States. (See Cowpea.) The Scarlet Runner Bean (Phaseolus multiflortis) is an ornamental climber used to a limited extent as string and green-shell beans in Europe, especially in Eng- land. The frijole {Phaseolus, spp.) is a small flat bean, raised in the southwestern United States, as well as in ilexico and other Spanish- American countries, where it ranks next to maize as a staple food. Other beans, grown to a considerable extent in Oriental countries, but rather uncommon elsewhere, are the Lablab Bean (Do^ic/ios ?o6?a6). Asparagus Beans (Doli- chos sesquipedalis), ilungo Beans {Phaseolus Miiufio), and Locust or Carob Beans {Ceratonia, siliqua). The Velvet Bean {Mucuna utilis) has lately come into cultivation in a number of Southern States as a forage plant and soil-reno- vator. It has about the same feeding and fer- tilizing value as the Cowpea. The Velvet Bean does not ripen its seeds north of Florida and the Gulf-coast States. For illustration see Legumes. Feeding and Food Value. The ripe seeds of the bean are used to a limited extent in the United States as a feed for farm animals, while the whole plant is sometimes used as forage. In bean-growing districts the culls (which are not of good enough quality for human food) can usually be purchased at a low price, and are a cheap feed, as they are rich in proteid matter. In Europe horse-beans are frequently fed to horses, especially to those required to perform long-continued or severe labor. Sheep are fond of raw beans. For other farm animals, it is stated, beans may profitably be cooked. Beans are suitable for combining with corn or other grain rich in carbohydrates. Like other legu- minous crops, bean forage is comparatively rich in proteids. The Locust or Carob Bean is grown in the ilediterranean region as a cattle-food. The Velvet Bean, too. has recently attracted at- tention as a forage crop.

As a food for man beans are extensively used, green or dry. In many varieties the immature pod has little fibrous matter, and is eaten with the seeds as String Beans. Dry-shelled beans have the following percentage composition: Water, 12.fi; protein, 22.5: fat, 1.8; carbohydrates. 50.6; mineral matter, .3.,5. The fuel value per poimd is 1605 calories. Fresh-shelled beans contain per cent.: Water, 58.0; protein, 9.4: fat, O.C : carbo- hydrates. 20.1 ; mineral matter. 2.0. The fuel value of fresh-shelled beans is 740 calories per pound. String Beans contain per cent.: water,