6 Experiments in Crossing a Wild Pea from Palestine with Commercial Peas. 



SUMMARY OF THE 40 CROSSES. 



Crosses with round-seeded forms of the white-flowering culinary types (Pisum sativum). 



5 crosses made, the varieties 

 used being : 



The Palestine Pea and l failed to germinate. 



(a) Pisum sativum ex Kew. I 3 flowered but produced no seed. 



(6) The " Bean-Pea " (Bohnen- /" l only produced a few seeds in F2 and these failed to 

 erbse). germinate. 



(c) An Egyptian variety re- 

 ceived from M. Vilmorin. / 



Crosses with wrinkled-seeded forms of the white-flowering culinary types (Pisum 



sativum). 

 8 crosses made, the varieties \ 



used being : 

 The Palestine Pea and ! & e(i off immediately after germinating. 



(a) Button's Little Marvel. 1 5 flowered but produced no seed. 



(b) Duke of Albany. | 2 only produced a few seeds in F2, but when sown, the 



(c) English Wonder. resulting plants died off before reaching the flowering 



(d) Button's Centenary. sta g e - 



(e) Quite Content. 



Crosses with umbellate or crown-flowering type : round-seeded, white-flowered. 



(Pisum sativum umbellatum). 

 f 2 failed to germinate. 



1 died off immediately after germination. 



1 flowered but produced no seed. 



2 produced a few seeds in F2. Of these 1 failed to germinate, 



but the other proved fertile. 



In F2 the plants did not show the umbellate character. 

 Two of them were much like the parental Palestine Pea, 

 having somewhat serrated foliage, but with colour in the 

 axils ; the other three plants were distinctly stronger 

 in growth, with larger foliage and not much serration. 



Only one type produced fertile seeds in F3. The resulting 

 plants were partly of the umbellate character and 

 partly not. Most of the blooms were bicoloured, but 

 some were white. None of the plants were like the 

 parental Palestine Pea, all being much stronger in 

 growth, and the leaves were not serrated. From these 

 plants four different types were selected and the produce 

 grown in F4 (1911). 



Of these, one selection which was in F3 a bicolour-flovrn-d 

 umbellate, gave in F4 some white-flowered umbellate 

 forms, as well as plants with dark bicoloured- and rose 

 and white bicoloured-flowers. 



Another selection with white blooms and not of umbellate 

 form has come true to type. 



A third selection, with bicoloured flowers and not of umbellate 

 form, is true to non-umbellate form and bicoloured 

 blooms ; whilst the fourth plant which had bicoloured 

 flowers and was not umbellate, has now produced two 

 plants of umbellate form. 



All the plants in 1911 suffered from the continuous dry 

 weather, but all were much stronger in growth than the 

 parental Palestine form. 



6 crosses made, the varieties 



used being : 

 The Palestine Pea and 

 Pisum sativum umbellatum, 

 or the so-cnlled 

 " Mummy " Pea. 



