PEAS AND BEANS 135 



I find in my files a letter bearing date of 

 February 29, 1908, that may be quoted here as 

 summarizing the results of the experiments: 



"By express to-day," I wrote, "I send you all 

 the peas raised from the one best of all my selec- 

 tions. This one is the one which produced the 

 most peas to the pod, the most pods to the vines, 

 had the most uniformly filled pods, and in all 

 respects was the most productive and best ; on the 

 whole, the best pea, taking quality, quantity, and 

 everything into consideration, which I have ever 

 seen. They are fifteen per cent smaller on the 

 average. One other thing which I have added to 

 them is that they are sweeter than the pea which 

 you first sent me. They all came from one single 

 vine which was the best in all respects and the 

 seed has been reselected through six generations." 



MULTIPLYING THE NEW VARIETY 



Of course, the selected pea, as thus produced, 

 existed only in small quantities. But it had been 

 fixed as to type and could be depended on to 

 breed absolutely true. It was necessary, how- 

 ever, for the company to multiply the seed for a 

 number of years before there was enough of it in 

 existence to use for the purposes of the canner. 

 By growing the crops in California, however, 

 where from two to four crops could be raised 



