198 HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. 



1893 and the yield from each kept separate. In 1894 the crop from each 

 was sown again, and each was harvested separately as before. That year 

 both the vines and peas showed marked variations. There were vines with 

 the flowers in clusters at the top like the Mummy, and other vines with 

 the flowers scattered. There were large peas with black eyes, and small 

 peas with black eyes, small, medium and large pure white peas, and peas 

 with a yellow or dusky tint like the Black Eyed Marrowfat, but without 

 the black eye. A single plant having flowers in clusters at the top, but 

 having peas with black eyes, was selected and the crop saved. The 

 largest peas and the smallest ones, which were smaller than any known 

 named variety, were selected from this crop and sov/n separately in 1895. 

 The difference in size of the peas produced from these was very marked. 

 Most of the peas from the small seed were quite as small as the peas sown, 

 and on the other hand the peas from the large seed were as large and 

 larger, and in 1896 the results were the same. Selection has not been car- 

 ried on regularly with these since, as sufficient evidence was obtained of 

 what could be done in selecting for size in peas once new blood has been 

 introduced by cross-breeding. As far as the writer is aware, experiments 

 have shown that it requires a long time to make any marked difference in 

 the size of an established variety of pea by ordinary selection. 



Experiments have been in progress at the Central Experimental Farm 

 for the past three seasons in the selection of named varieties of peas with 

 a view to increasing the number of peas per pod, and productiveness of the 

 plant, and to lessen the number of days in maturing. No marked results 

 have vet been obtained. 



