November 14, 1872. ] 



JOUENAL OF HOETICDLTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



379 



on the 9th, and on the 1st of July the pods were completely 

 filled and ready to gather. 



Ruelle Michaux. — This is a French variety, and is a very 

 inferior stock of Early Emperor, having short broad pods, and 

 coming into use at the same time. 



Danecroft Rival (Girling's Pea; Glass Pea). — In habit of 

 growth, height, and productiveness, this closely resembles Early 

 Emperor, but it can be easily distinguished from that and every 

 other variety by the total absence of glaucescence or bloom on 

 the leaves, which gives it a singular and sickly appearance. 

 The plant is remarkably tender. It is now preserved only in 

 the gardens of the curious, where it is grown more for its singu- 

 lar appearance than for any great merit it possesses. This was 

 raisedabout thirty-five years ago by Mr. Girling, of Stowmarket, 

 but it is not now worthy of cultivation. 



Sutton's Earliest op All. — This is evidently an inferior form 

 of Danecroft Rival. It has the same habit of growth, and, like 

 that variety, is destitute of the glaucescence which all other 

 Peas possess ; the pods are smaller, and though it comes into 

 flower two days earlier, it is fit for use at the same time, being 

 four days later than Dillistone's Early, as proved in the trial of 

 Peas at Chiswick, 1872. 



Beck's Gem (Tom Thumb ; Turner's Boyal Divarf ; Nain 

 hdtif extra ; Be Grace). — This is the most dwarf-growing of all 

 the varieties. It rarely ever exceeds a foot in height; the stem 

 is of a stout habit of growth, and branches at every joint to 

 within three or four of the top, producing from fourteen to 

 eighteen pods. The pods are almost always borne in pairs, 

 rarely singly, and are produced at every joint, particularly to- 

 wards the top ; they are smooth, of a dark green colour, and 

 well filled, containing from five to eight peas, which are almost 

 as large as Imperials. The ripe seed is somewhat ovate, and of 

 a greyish pearly colour. 



This is a very excellent Pea for forcing, and for early sowing 

 under walls or other shelter. It is remarkably prolific, and can- 

 not but be of great use in small gardens where sticks cannot 

 be conveniently obtained or made use of. This ripens at the 

 same time as Early Emperor. 



Telegbaph. — This is in every respect, as regards habit of 

 growth and general appearance, similar to the Early Emperor, 

 and differs from it in the ripe seed having a black hilum like 

 the Egg Pea. It also partakes of the character of the Egg Pea 

 in flavour, having the rough Bean-like taste which is remark- 

 able in that variety. It produces, on an average, five to eight 

 pods on a stem, and these contain from seven to eight peas. 

 Sown the same day, it ripens two days later than Early Emperor. 

 The variety is not worth growing. 



Early Ringwood (Bingwood Marrow; Flanagan's Early; 

 Beck's Marrow ; Essex Rival). — This produces a very large well- 

 filled pod, and is a most abundant bearer; but it has a peculi- 

 arity, which, by some, is considered an objection, from the pod 

 being white instead of green, and presenting, when only fully 

 grown, the appearance of over-maturity. This objection, how- 

 ever, is chiefly taken by those who grow it for market, and who 

 find a difficulty in convincing their customers that, notwith- 

 standing the pod being white, it is still not over-ripe. So far 

 from being soon out of season, the Ringwood Marrow retains 

 its tender and marrowy character longer than many other 

 varieties. 



Plant with a moderately vigorous habit of growth, produc- 

 ing a stem which is 3 J to 4 feet high, and always simple, ex- 

 cept in wet seasons, when it makes a second growth by throw- 

 ing out shoots from near the ground. The lowest pods are 

 within about a foot of the ground, and are produced at every 

 joint, even to the extremity, the whole number on each plant 

 being from ten to twelve. The pods are single and in pairs, in 

 about equal proportions, from 3 to 3& inches long, and six-tenths 

 of an inch wide, slightly curved and waved on the upper margin, 

 and terminated rather abruptly at the point. As they ripen 

 they become thick and fleshy, with a rough, pitted, and shrivelled 

 surface. They contain from six to seven large peas, which are 

 roundish and not compressed, about nine-tenths of an inch 

 long, seven-tenths wide, and the same in thickness. The ripe 

 seed is white. It comes into use six days later than Sangster's 

 No. 1. 



Eably Warwick (Bacehorse ; Essex Champion). — What is 

 now grown under the name of Early Warwick is very different 

 from the variety to which the name was originally applied. 

 When first obtained at Evesham, in Warwickshire, it was a 

 single-blossomed Pea, and somewhat earlier than the double- 

 blossomed Frame of those days, but it gradually lost its single- 

 blossomed character, and has now become identified with the 

 ordinary Early Frames. 



Early Frame. — In adopting the name "Early Frame," I mean 

 to include all the forms known nnder that name, whether they 

 are called single or double-blossomed, for in fact there are none 

 that are absolutely " single " or absolutely " double-blossomed." 

 These expressions are not meant to indicate any peculiar struc- 

 ture of the flower as regards the number of the petals, but merely 

 hat the blossoms are produced singly or in pairs on the same 



peduncle. Great efforts have from time to time been made to 

 preserve the single-blossomed character, and notwithstanding 

 the care that has been bestowed upon the selection, growers have 

 hitherto failed in rendering it permanent. There is, however, 

 no real advantage to be obtained even if that character were 

 secured, for the supposed earliness of the single-blossomed 

 Frame Peas is now far exceeded by other varieties that have 

 been introduced of late years. 



Dickson's Favourite (Dickson's Favourite Improved ; The 

 Wonder ; Cotterell's Wonder ; Torivoodlee). — This seems to be 

 a form of the Auvergne, but the plant has a more slender 

 growth than that variety, and it is a day or two earlier. It 

 grows from 4 to 5 feet high, with a single stem, and pale 

 green foliage. The pods are produeed in pairs to the number of 

 twelve or fourteen, and are curved, but not so much so as in the 

 Auvergne, and contain from six to seven peas in each. Ripe 

 seed white. This variety, like the Auvergne, has a strong ten- 

 dency to degenerate, and to lose its distinctive character, and 

 therefore requires to be closely selected to preserve the stock in a 

 state of purity. It is decidedly an inferior Pea to the true 

 Auvergne, which it resembles, and which produces long, curved, 

 well-filled pods containing from nine to twelve peas in each. 



Leopold II. — This bears a close resemblance to Early Ring- 

 wood, the foliage and pods being of the peculiar pale green colour 

 of that variety. The pods are long, narrow, nearly straight, very 

 badly filled, the middle pea in each pod being abortive. It is 

 two days later than Early Ringwood. 



Bishop's Long-podded (Bishop's Improved). — The old Bishop's 

 Dwarf is now entirely out of cultivation. It was a low-growing 

 plant, 9 inches to a foot high, with a branching stem, and pro- 

 duced small insignificant pods 2$ inches long and half an inch 

 wide. Such a Pea is of no use in these days. 



Bishop's Long-podded is a great improvement on the old 

 variety. It grows 'about 2 feet high, produces numerous 

 branches, and bears from eighteen to twenty pods on a plant. 

 The pods are either single or in pairs, and contain from seven 

 to nine peas in each. Ripe seed creamy-white. 



Sutton's Long-podded Tom Thumb. — At the trial of Peas held 

 in the garden at Chiswick this season, the Committee decided 

 that this was identical with Bishop's Early Dwarf. 



Carter's Farmer's Prolific — Plant with a strong and robust 

 habit of growth, 5 to 6 feet high, producing fourteen to sixteen 

 pods on each stem, which are narrow, and very closely filled with 

 six or seven small peas. It is a very prolific variety, and comes 

 into use about the same time as Dickson's Favourite and 

 Auvergne. 



Spanish Dwarf (Dwarf Fan; Dwarf Bog). — This is an old 

 and worthless variety. The plant is about a foot high, branch- 

 ing out on each side in the manner of a fan, and hence it is 

 called the Dwarf Fan. The pods are either single or in pairs, 

 from 2 to 2£ inches long, and about half an inch broad, termi- 

 nating abruptly at the point, and containing from five to six 

 rather large peas. There is a variety of this which is called the 

 Improved Spanish Dwarf, and grows fully 9 inches taller than 

 the old variety, but it possesses no particular merit to recom- 

 mend it. 



Glory of Cassel is similar but inferior to Auvergne, and is 

 about two days earlier. 



Auvergne (White Sabre; White Scimitar). — The Auvergne 

 Pea was introduced from France some years ago by the Royal 

 Horticultural Society, but, although it very far surpassed every 

 other variety of White Pea then in cultivation, it never became 

 widely known or generally cultivated. It is a most characteristic 

 variety, and always easily distinguishable by its long and curved 

 pod. The plant is of a moderately strong habit of growth, pro- 

 ducing a single stem from 4 to 5 feet high, according to the soil 

 in which it is grown, and bears from twelve to fifteen pods on 

 each. The pods are generally small, but sometimes in pairs; 

 when fully grown, 4i inches long, and. over half an inch broad, 

 tapering towards the point and very much curved ; they contain 

 from nine to twelve peas, which are very closely compressed, 

 and are the size of the Early Frames. Even the small pods 

 contain as many as from seven to nine peas in each. The ripe 

 seed is white. It is four or five days later than Early Ring- 

 wood. 



Shilling's Grotto. — The plant is of a strong habit of growth, 

 always with a single stem ih to 5 feet high. The pods are generally 

 single, but frequently in pairs, 3J inches long and about half an 

 inch wide, and containing on an average about seven large peas. 

 The ripe seed is white. 



It is thirty years since this Pea was introduced, and at that 

 time it was a decided acquisition, being a great improvement 

 on the second early varieties then in cultivation. Since the in- 

 troduction of Champion of England, Champion of Paris, Prize- 

 taker, and several others to which it is certainly inferior, and 

 which ripen at the same time, it may very well be dispensed 

 with. It ripens at the same time as Auvergne. 



Charlton. — It is a hard matter to say what the Charlton Pea 

 is now-a-days. The old variety, which was so long known under 

 that and a dozen other names having disappeared, the Charlton 



