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78 | ANNUAL REPORT, 
oe Peas. a a tae 
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New peas continue to attract attention. Messrs, Carter, Veitch, and 
others, in England, as well as in our own country, seem to have exhausted 
the superlative, and the end is not yet, and in truth, the improvement is 
simply wonderful. Ina trial on the above named garden of twenty varie- 
ties, mostly new, and, we add, good, the Kentish Invicta and Blue 
Peter, as early peas, are worthy of notice; while Eugenie, Blue Imperial, 
Carter’s Surprise, Veitch’s Perfection a McLean’s Premier, have so 
many good points, that we feel like responding to the cry of our English 
cousins, ‘‘ Eureka!” Whether they will continue to maintain Phple good 
qualities, time will determine. 
Crossing and Selection of Seeds. 
We present with this report two specimens of evergreen sweet corn, 
with all the fixed characters of standard varieties. No.1, the product of 
across of the common field sweet corn and white dent, one cross, time’ 
six years. No. 2, common field sweet corn crossed with early sweet corn; 
seed selected; time seven years; result, inferior to none on the list. 
Potatoes. 
Results of experiments commenced in seventy-three. Perhaps there is 
more interest felt on this subject than that of any other connected with 
the farm or garden. We are all of us acquainted with the name of some 
variety that has run out, or, in other words, failed to produce a reasona- 
ble amount of large potatoes in proportion to the number of small ones. 
From the lists, containing hundreds of names, said to be of wonderfal 
value, we have but a few left that are worthy of recommendation. 
In an ordinary field of potatoes, some are found to be coarse and of 
inferior quality, and will not transmit the origina) quality Others are 
immature, and cannot be expected to produce the best results. A few 
only in each hill are fit for seed. Eyes planted from seed and stem ends 
show a marked difference when planted separately, for three years, in favor 
of stem ends; yet the experiment shows a far greater difference and im- 
provement, where an equal proportion of eyes are planted in each hill, 
from stem and seed ends; the result shows that while the potatoes from 
the seed end are inferior in quality to those of the stem end, that both 
grow small by degrees and beautifully less each year, and give the first 
signs, viz.: (a greater number of small ones and less of large ones) of 
running out. Imperfect seed, poor soil, and the usual way of cutting and 
selecting the seed, will cause, in time, any variety to be branded as worth- 
less. A change of location, the very best conditions of soil, together 
with a judicious selection of seed—cutting lengthwise if cut at all—will, 
we believe, not only maintain and improve the good qualities of the Early 
Rose, Peerless, Late Rose, Compton’s Surprise, Early Ohio, Extra Early 
Vermont, Brownell’s Beauty, Snowflake, and other valuable kinds, but 
that the Neshannock, Fox Eye, Carter, and many others, said to have run 
out, may be made equally productive and good. In this connection the 
