PEAS AND BEANS 145 



denly as what might be considered a mutation, 

 yet is fixed from the outset, and will breed true, 

 and constitute an established variety. 



All this we have referred to in earlier chap- 

 ters, and we have seen many illustrations of this 

 so-called Mendelian inheritance in the case of a 

 good many of our plant developments — the 

 white blackberry, for example, the stoneless 

 plum, and the thornless blackberry among 

 others. But it seemed worth while to make spe- 

 cific reference to Mendel's work with the peas, 

 in the present connection, in particular because 

 this work doubtless represents the most impor- 

 tant thing that has been done with the pea at 

 any recent stage of its development. 



Peas versus Beans 



It was perhaps fortunate that the Austrian 

 monk chose the pea for his investigation rather 

 than the bean, for, notwithstanding the fairly 

 close relationship between these two, there is a 

 rather marked difference between them as to 

 their practical response to the efforts of the plant 

 developer. Perhaps because the pea has been 

 cultivated under varied conditions, and selected 

 for a wide variety of qualities, this plant shows a 

 marked tendency to vary, suggesting in this 

 regard the evening primrose and Godetia, and 



