THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 221 



American Wonder, Premium Gem and Bliss Ever- 

 bearing. These three varieties were such a sur- 

 prise to both my father and myself that from that 

 year afterward not a single tall-growing variety 

 was grown in our garden. 



*' Since then I have grown many of the impor- 

 tant dwarf peas and have found that American Won- 

 der is still unsurpassed in quality and is, perhaps, 

 the hardiest of the wrinkled varieties. It requires 

 a rich soil and extra cultivation to get the best 

 results from it. If I were restricted to one variety, 

 American Wonder would be my choice. Next to 

 this variety I think I would place Nott's Excelsior. 

 It is an excellent cropper and compares favorably 

 in flavor with the best of both the dwarf and the 

 tall wrinkled kinds. Because of its productiveness, 

 it has become exceedingly popular among market 

 gardeners, with whom it has largely replaced even 

 American Wonder, because it is a trifle earlier. 

 The old Premium Gem is almost entirely replaced 

 by these varieties. Sutton's Excelsior, one of the 

 newer varieties, is somewhat later than Nott's, but 

 has large pods usually containing six or seven big 

 peas of excellent flavor. It is a strong candidate for 

 public favor. 



*' In growing peas it is essential to know that the 

 Dwarf Wrinkled kinds are somewhat less hardy 

 than the round, smooth-seeded varieties. They 

 cannot be sown, as a rule, quite so early, because 

 the ground must have warmed up a good deal be- 

 fore they will germinate successfully, and if sown 

 too early they decay. The round-seeded kinds can be 

 sown almost as soon as the ground can be worked, 

 and they will come up remarkably well, but no one 

 who has a discriminating taste will enjoy these 

 extra early peas, because they lack flavor. There- 



