ON THE POSSIBILITIES 
and vegetables ahead of time, there is an almost 
equally great demand, later on in the season, from 
the canners. 
The illustration of the asparagus which stands 
canning as against equally good asparagus which 
does not, typifies the needs of this demand. The 
same truth applies to tree fruits and _ berries 
and vegetables—to everything that undergoes the 
preserving process. 
Some plants are more profitable when their 
bearing season is lengthened as much as possible; 
some, as has been seen, when it is made earlier 
or later; but Mr. Burbank faced a different con- 
dition when he produced his Empson pea. 
The canners wanted a very small green pea 
to imitate the French one which is so much used. 
Quite a little problem in chemistry was involved. 
Peas half grown are two-thirds sweeter than peas 
full grown, because, toward the end, their sugar 
begins to go a step further and turn into starch. 
With these demands in mind, Mr. Burbank planted 
and selected, and planted and selected until he 
had the qualities he wanted in a pea of the right 
size when it was half ripe. 
But still another element entered—peas for 
canning should ripen all at one time and not 
straggle out over a week or two. The reason 
for this being that, if they ripen all at once, they 
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