VARIETIES OF PEAS 



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Alaska : tall-growing, small smooth pea, pod short, well filled ; very early. 



American Wonder: dwarf, wrinkled, very compact growth, productive 

 and early, fine quality, very sweet, the leading early pea in California. 



McLean's Little Gem : dwarf, wrinkled, very early, productive, rich and 

 sweet. 



Nott's Excelsior: resembles Amercan Wonder; larger growing and more 

 productive; fine quality; long bearing period; excellent home garden pea. 



Gradus: earliest of its height; pods large; peas delicious. 



Premium Gem: an improved Little Gem with larger pods. 



Yorkshire Hero (also called Alameda Sweet) : later than dwarf varieties ; 

 most popular in all parts of the state for main crop; strong grower, with 

 branching habit; large pods well filled with large, wrinkled peas; keeps in 

 condition on vine longer than other varieties. 



Stratagem : strong grower, with large showy pods ; peas large, of good 

 flavor. 



Champion of England : well-known late variety, largely used by canners. 



Telephone : late, very productive, large pods ; peas sugary ; largely grown 

 and sometimes very profitable. 



Edible Pod or Sugar Peas. Although California interest is al- 

 most wholly centered in the shelling varieties of peas, there has re- 

 cently been some attention paid in home gardens to the edible pod 

 varieties which are used in the kitchen as are string or snap beans. 

 They are available because of their hardiness at times of the year 

 when string beans can only be had from frostless regions if at all. 

 Their culture is the same as for other kinds of peas. 



LENTILS. 



Though of another botanical genus, lentils are best classed with 

 peas. They are quite hardy and make a good winter growth. They 

 may be used green as peas are, but are hardly as desirable. The 

 dry seeds are used in soups, stews, etc. Lentils are rarely seen in 

 California, probably because peas are preferred, not only because of 

 flavor, but because of more easy handling. The lentil bears but two 

 seeds in a pod. Owing to their early winter growth they may come 

 into use here for cattle food as in Europe. 



GARBANZOS. 



Another two-seeded pod bearer is the garbanzo or chick pea, 

 which is a hairy plant of the vetch family. Its uses are like those 

 of lentils, but it has also served widely as a coffee substitute. Its 

 culture is easy, like the pea in method, but the product is always 

 used dry or mature. The plant is more hardy against drouth than 

 the peas. Its production in California is small, but seems to be 

 increasing. 



