24 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



Pods in pairs, slightly bent backward, well rilled, rather abrupt 

 at both ends. 2 ' _• inches long by » to ' j inch broad; seeds round and 

 plump, cream colored but whitish toward the eye and at the union 

 of the cotyledons. Sown May 1 pods were ready for use in 67 days, 

 which differs but little from the two crops of it grown at the Station, 

 63 days, making it now. at least, a second early. 



Denaiffe described Early Frame (Michaux ordi- 

 naire' about 1906: 



Second early. 3'j feet tall, pods straight or slightly curved, 

 slender, square at the end, 2 3 „ to 2 3 a inches long, borne from the 

 10th node up. well filled, containing 7-8 seeds, yielding finely. 



Vilmorin-Andrieux, twenty years earlier, say it 

 might be described as a sub-variety of Early Emperor. 



Stems branching just below the flowers, the branches also 

 fruiting: pods always paired, beginning at the 10th node, and 

 forming 12 tiers, or circles, straight, rather narrow and small, very 

 well filled: seeds very round, white shaded salmon, medium in size. 



As Early Frame is still cultivated on the Continent. 

 seeds were obtained from France and grown at the Sta- 

 tion, for two years, and our detailed description of it 

 differs but little in essential points from much older ones. 



Growth, from the same lot of seed, to 4 1 •_> or 5 feet 

 in a favorable season or 3 feet in a hotter, drier one, with 

 change of flowering node from 12 13 to 10-11, indicates 

 the variability of characters even in an old, well-fixed 

 variety, and shows the impossibility of speaking in 

 mathematically exact terms of any variety. Similar 

 variations occur in other characters, particularly of pods 

 and peas, which are the principal bases of selection. 



Added characters of Early Frame noted by us are: Dark to 

 medium green foliage, as a whole not much whitened, — 4 leaflets; 

 stipules somewhat whitened, only slightly larger than the leaflets, 

 lightly clasping, with sharp tips and margins toothed about one- 

 half way from base, moderately prominent tendrils, slender and 

 much curled; flowers white, usually single but often paired, on 

 medium to long, slender peduncles which form medium to short, 

 slender pod stalks " shanks " : pods almost identical with those 

 described by Denaiffe, lighter in color than the foliage, blunt to 

 square at end with small straight tips: peas of medium size, round, 

 smooth, light green to yellowish green, of fair to good quality for a 

 starchy pea: seeds smooth or sometimes finely pitted, round, very 

 small 165 to an ounce , cream colored or sometimes very light 

 green; radicle very prominent, cotyledons yellow; yield good to 

 very good. 



The variety is too late, too tall and has too slender 

 pods to compare favorably with the best current types 

 of Extra Early. It has, however, remained surprisingly 

 good much longer, a century and a half, than do most 

 strains. 



I.amln ih Extra Early. Refs. 26, 27; Country 

 Gent. 9:111. 1857: Burr Fid. Gard. Veg. 529. 1863; 

 Rural N. Y. 11 : 562. 1882. In a letter to the Country 

 Gentleman in 1859 David Landreth says he intro- 

 duced this variety " thirty-six years ago," thus dating 

 its origin before 1823; and it is listed in his catalog 

 of 1824, selling at double the price of other varieties. 

 Nowhere, so far as we can find, are its parentage and 

 manner of origin stated, but Burr names it, with Hill's 

 and Hovey's Extra Earlies, as an improved American 

 variety of Charlton. All descriptions found are in quite 

 general terms. In 1836, sown June 2, before hot, dry 

 weather, a few pods ready to use were secured in 35 

 days. Other references emphasize its earliness. 



As the first American Extra Early now in cultiva- 

 tion, it seems advisable to give a full description of it 

 as grown here for three years. Sown late in April or 

 on May 1, pods were ready for use in 56 or 57 days, or 

 in 51 days when sown May 22, and pickings continued 

 for almost two weeks, tho shortened when sown late. 



Description. — Plants 2'j to 2'{> feet high, drooping, so that 

 support is optional, vigorous; stem medium to slender, round, 

 smooth, slightly ridged longitudinally; internodes of medium length 

 and nodes not very prominent; branches usually lacking; foliage 

 abundant to dense, medium green often slightly yellowed, both 

 leaflets and stipules without perceptible bloom; leaflets four, medium 

 in size and shape; stipules considerably larger than leaflets, lightly 

 clasping, of same basal color as leaflets, but considerably whitened, 

 with sharp tip and lower margin cut into a few low teeth; tendrils 

 not striking: flowers begin at 11th node, creamy white, more single 

 than in pairs, on medium to long peduncles, of medium diameter; 

 pods 2'j to 2 l ■>• occasionally 2 :t .i inches, medium in breadth, and 

 above medium in plumpness, smooth, round to oval in section, 

 straight, regular, often not perfectly filled to tip, usually filled to 

 edge, with blunt to square ends and medium sized straight tip, 

 lighter in color than the foliage, holding condition rather poorly: 

 peas five to six in a pod, not always uniform in size and shape, of 

 medium size, smooth, round, whitish green in color, of fair quality; 

 seeds smooth, seldom pitted or wrinkled, round, small to medium 

 in size (about 135 to an ounce i, cream colored; radicle obscure; 

 cotyledons orange; yield only good, the pods being rather small, 

 and not too well filled. 



The variety, considering its age and all condi- 

 tions, holds a prominent place among the Extra Earlies, 

 and it is undoubtedly the source from which a goodly 

 proportion of our other strains have originated. 



Early Washington. Refs. 24, 28, 32, 34; Mag. 

 Hort. 7:137. 1841; 10:91, 93. 1844; Hovey Cat. 1859; 

 U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt. iAgr.): 18. 1860. From the name, 

 its early listing in America and several notices of it here 

 long before it was tested in England in 1866 or 1867, 

 Early Washington is probably American. 



In 1844 it was considered identical with Early 

 Frame; but as it was not compared with it when growing, 

 to establish the synonymy, the name was continued. 

 At Chiswick i Ref. 34 ) the name was considered a syno- 

 nym of Early Emperor. 



It was for a long time very popular as an extremely 

 early, very prolific, smooth pea; and is still listed in 

 some American catalogs. 



As grown at the Station for three years it was about a half 

 foot taller than Landreth's Extra Early, stouter stems, more angular 

 above; foliage slightly darker in shade, leaflets larger and often more 

 than four, stipules clasping stem more closely, with more bloom, 

 and with rounded rather than sharp tips; flowering two nodes higher 

 up the stem; with pods averaging longer but otherwise similar, not 

 holding freshness quite so well; and with much smaller peas and 

 seeds. It was about as early as Landreth Extra Early but matured 

 over a longer season, nearly three weeks. It gave a good yield, only. 



The disadvantages of Early Washington are those 

 of Early Frame, joined with a rather inferior yield due 

 to the small size of the peas. 



Earl) Warwick. Refs. 30, 31; Gard. Chron. 22 

 (3rd ser.): 276. 1897; Mag. Hort. ."{:19. 1837; Rogers 

 Veg. Cult. 226. 1839; Douglas Car. 1843; Mag. Hort. 

 10:93. 1844; Jour. Hort. Soc. London 4:270. 1849; 

 Burr Fid. Gard. Veg. 535. 1863; Gard. Chron. 220. 

 1865. Early Warwick seems to have been developed at 



