442 STURTEVANT S NOTES ON EDIBLE PLANTS 



culture among the Romans is evident from its mention by Columella, Pliny and Palladius.' 

 There is every reason to believe, from the paucity of description, that peas were not then 

 in their present esteem as a vegetable and were considered inferior to other plants of the 

 leguminous order. The first distinct mention of the garden peas is by Ruellius in 1536, 

 who says there are two kinds of peas, one the field pea and trailing, the other a climbing 

 pea, whose fresh pods with their peas were eaten. Green peas, however, were not a 

 common vegetable at the close of the seventeenth century. The author of a life of Colbert, 

 1695, says: "It is frightful to see persons sensual enough to purchase green peas at the 

 price of 50 crowns per litron." This kind of pompous expenditure prevailed much at the 

 French Court, as will be seen by a letter of Madame de Maintenon, dated May 10, 1696. 

 " This subject of peas continues to absorb all others," says she, " the anxiety to eat them, 

 the pleasure of having eaten them and the desire to eat them again, are the three great 

 matters which have been discussed by our princes for four days past. Some ladies, even 

 after having supped- at the Royal table and well supped too, returning to their own homes, 

 at the risk of suffering from indigestion, will again eat peas before going to bed. It is 

 both a fashion and a madness." "^ 



In England, it is not until after the Norman Conquest and the establishment of 

 monastic communities that we read of green peas being used. In Fosbrook's British 

 Monasticon, it is stated that at Barking Ntmnery the annual store of provisions consisted 

 among other things of green peas for Lent, and, in Archaeologia in Order and Government 

 of a Nobleman's House, they are again mentioned. In 1299, the English forces, while 

 besieging a castle in Lothian, were compelled to feed on the peas and beans of the sur- 

 rotinding fields.' At the present time, in varieties, they are grown as far north as Hammer- 

 fest and Lapland. 



Peas were early introduced to the American Continent, but, in notices of this plant, 

 the word peason refers sometimes, it is probable, to beans. In 1493, peason are mentioned 

 by Peter Martyr as grown at Isabela Island by Columbus; in 1535, peason are mentioned 

 by Cartier as grown by the Indians of Hochelaga, now Montreal; and in 16 13, peas were 

 obtained from the French traders grown by the Indians of the Ottawa River ;^ in 1540, 

 peas are mentioned in New Mexico by Alarcon and " small, white peas " by Coronado; 

 in 1562, peason were cultivated by the Florida Indians, as related by Ribault.* In 1602, 

 peas were sown by Gosnold on the Elizabeth Islands off the coast of Massachusetts, 

 according to Smith; ' in 1629, in Massachusetts, there was a " store of green peas," " as 

 good as ever I eat in England," growing in the governor's garden, according to Rev. Francis 

 Higginson.' In 161 4, peas were mentioned by Smith ' as grown by the New England 



' Columella lib. 2, c. 10; lib. n, c. I.; Pliny lib. 18, c. 31; Palladius lib. 10, c. 6. 



'Card. Chron. 71. 1843. 



Glasspoole, H. G. Rpt. Ohio State Bd. Agr. 30:519. 1875. 



* Cartier, J. Third Voy. Pinkerton Coll. 12:656. 1812. 



' Parkman, F. Pion. France 379. 1894. 



' Hakluyt, R. Divers Voy. Amer. Hakl. Soc. Ed. 102. 1840. 



' Pinkerton CoW. Voy. iy.20. 1812. 



" Higginson, Rev. Francis. New Eng. Plant. Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll. ist Ser. 1:118. 1792. 



Smith, J. Desc. New Eng. 16. 1616. Force Coll. Tracts 2: 1838. 



