Experiments in Crossing a Wild Pea from Palestine with Commercial Peas. 7 



Crosses with degenerate plants produced by the large-podded English Garden Peas 



(white-flowered) . 



It is, of course, well known that the large-podded types of garden Peas often 

 jduce degenerate plants having a very wild appearance and bearing curved pods. 

 With plants of this type crosses were made as follows : - 



^ 1 failed to germinate. 



2 flowered but produced no seed. 



The remaining two gave results as follows : 



Hybrid 4. The Fl plants gave a few seeds only, from which 

 two plants were produced in F2 one bicolour-flowered 

 and one white-flowered. The white-flowered plant was 

 completely sterile, whfle the bicolour-flowered type 

 produced four seeds from which two plants were raised 

 in F3, and these proved; to be completely sterile. 



Hybrid 5. The Fl plants gave a few seeds only, from which, 

 however, only one plant was raised in F2. This plant 

 was 3 feet high, bicolour-bloomed, with small stumpy 

 pods, and was much like a stronger type of the Palestine 

 Pea. Two seeds only were produced, one of which failed 

 to germinate, while the other gave a plant in F3. This 

 plant was 5 to 6 feet in height, had bicoloured flowers, 

 non-serrate leaflets, and fair-sized pale stumpy pods. 

 Colour showed in the axils. It proved to be quite fertile 

 and was grown to F4. The F4 plants were generally 

 very similar in appearance 4 to 5 feet in height ; all had 

 bicoloured flowers, no whites appearing ; scarcely any 

 trace of serration was noticeable ; all had pale stumpy 

 pods. After having been grown to F4 this cross was, 

 as before mentioned, by accident lost. 



crosses made, the varieties 



used being : 

 The Palestine Pea and 



(a) Duke of Albany. 



(b) Ne Plus Ultra. 



Crosses with bicolour-flowcring types (Pisum arvense). 



Crosses with dark bicolour-flowered : round-seeded, grey or mottled (Pisum arvense). 



4 failed to germinate. 



3 germinated but died off. 



1 flowered but produced no seed. 



2 gave a few seeds only. 



1 proved to be quite fertile. 



Of the last three mentioned which gave seeds : 



1 flowered but produced no seed. 



2 were quite fertile. 



These in F2 gave no plants like the parental Palestine form. 

 All were stronger in growth ; the colour of the blooms 

 varied ; the foliage was somewhat serrated and there 

 was colour in the axils. 



In F3 the plants were generally like a stronger Palestine Pea, 

 with colour in axils and somewhat serrated leaflets. 



In F4 (growing in 1911) the plants generally appear to be 

 intermediate between the two parents in form. Blooms 

 are bicoloured. Some show serration, others do not, 

 and the majority appear to have colour in the axils. 



LI crosses made, the varieties 



used being : 

 The Palestine Pea and 



(a) Purple-podded Pea. 



(b) Pisum Jomardi (? arvense 



type). 



(c) A type of the " Maple " 



field Pea. 



(d) Pisum quadratum ex Kew. 



(e) An Egyptian Pea received 



from M. Vilmorin. 



