4 PEAS AND PEA CULTURE 



pea in that the blossoms are white instead of violet 

 or purple, the seed is larger but more tender and 

 sweet. Another classification of peas is, smooth and 

 wrinkled sorts, the latter being sweeter and more 

 edible, with larger pods and more peas in the pod. 

 However, the smooth sorts are earlier and more 

 hardy. Peas are frequently classified as early, me- 

 dium, and late, according to the season of ripening. 

 The varying characteristic of climbing, dwarf, and 

 semi-dwarf habit of growth, constitutes yet another 

 basis of classification. 



History. — Peas have been known for centuries 

 and were no doubt cultivated before the Christian 

 era. It was a common plant among the Greeks and 

 Romans, and reference to it is frequently found in 

 their literature. One Lydgate, a writer in the time 

 of Henry VH, mentions peas being peddled about 

 the streets of London. 



Distribution. — Peas are pretty generally scattered 

 about the country. They are native to Europe, but 

 are widely cultivated in the United States and 

 Canada. The plant prefers cool temperatures and 

 abundant moisture supply. Growing them for seed 

 is not recommended in the South. In Canada it is 

 a leading crop. In the province of Ontario alone 

 the average annual area devoted to peas for the 20 

 years ending 1902, was 710,498 acres, and the aver- 

 age annual yield approximated 13,000,000 bushels, 

 with an average yield around 19 bushels to the 

 acre. Most of these are fed out on the farms. The 

 northern tier of states down to, and including Penn- 

 sylvania, New York, and New England, will pro- 

 duce seed. The southern limit for the successful 

 growing of seed peas has been designated as the 



