I too grow both "Emerite" and "Fortex"... they are both great beans, and they take turns as my main snap (along with a few others) in a multi-year rotation.
"Fortex" is one of my favorites for eating raw; they are tender & sweet, even when large... and they get very large, up to 11" long! The yield is drawn out over a fairly long period, without the intense flushes of some pole beans (such as "KY Wonder"). That makes them good for kitchen gardens, but maybe not the best choice if you want to freeze large quantities at one time (unless you plant a lot, which I do). The vines are highly disease resistant, most notably for rust - so if rust is a problem in your area, I highly recommend "Fortex". The runners need a bit of training initially, because some of the first runners tend to go out horizontally, rather than straight up. The long tender pods are also susceptible to wind bruising, so the vines will produce the best beans if grown in an area sheltered from the wind. I plant mine downwind of a block of corn, or other pole beans. In very windy areas, they might not be the best choice.
"Emerite", as Gary stated, is a very firm bean. And while it is considerably shorter than "Fortex", the pods are consistently uniform in size & very straight. These qualities make them a good choice if the beans will be canned... and their frozen quality is the best of any bean I have tried. IMO, they are a more consistent yielder than "Fortex".
While the flavor of "Emerite" is good, I prefer some of the pole Romano types (which generally freeze poorly) or "Fortex" for fresh eating, and "Emerite" for freezing. Both beans remain stringless even to large size. The complaint I have heard from others further South is that both can perform poorly in heat. "Rattlesnake" or some of the purple poles (such as "Grandma Roberts") might be a better choice for those areas.
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