28 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



Rather late, quite large-poddt 1 3 inches), productive 



Extra Early, with wry well colored, medium sized to large peas. 

 In United States Department Agriculture tests the pods were 

 more curved at the end than in most varieties of the group. 



( aractacus. Rets. 124 128; Bliss Cat. 1870; 

 Country Gent. 36:124. 1871; Gard. Mo. 16:40. 

 1874: Gregory Car. 1885; Benary Car. 1905 6. 

 Caractacus was advertised in 1865, by Waite, with 

 note, '"stock exhausted this year;" so it undoubtedly 

 originated earlier. One commentator says it was 

 carefully selected by Waite from Daniel O'Rourke, 

 another that it is Dillistone Prolific type, but Denaiffe 

 says it has always yielded better than Daniel 0"Rourke 

 or Prince Albert, its only fault being irregularity in 

 appearance and earliness. with marked tendency to 

 deteriorate. The list of synonyms shows its similarity 

 to several other varieties, if not identity with them. 

 It does not seem to have attracted as much attention in 

 England as several others of its type and time; but 

 came to America soon, was listed by many seedsmen, 

 mentioned several times by agricultural periodicals, 

 and tested by Prof. Goff for two or three years. It went 

 also to both France and Germany. 



Plants grown at the Station in 1923 and 1924, from foreign 

 seed, were considerably shorter than those described by Goff in 

 1884, raised from American-grown seed, but notes by him on the 

 crop of 1885 show plants only a few inches taller than those grown 

 here later, 2 to 2' 4 feet. His description agrees with our own in 

 indicating somewhat more glaucous foliage than that of Landreth 

 Extra Early or Early Frame, larger stipules, and pods decidedly 

 lighter in color; but his pods were larger than ours, 2 to 2? 2 inches, 

 against slightly over or slightly under 2 inches; he found 5 7 peas 

 to a pod, we found 3-6; his seeds were larger and smoother than 

 ours, but agree in being sometimes shaded green. His crop matured 

 " rather early." ours in 49 to 54 days. In spite of small pods 

 Caractacus gave good or very good yields. 



Philadelphia Extra Early. Refs. 131 135; Evans 

 Cat. 1868; Country Gent. .'$6:134. 1871; Buckbee 

 Cat. 1894: Buist Cat. 1913; Condon Cat. 1918. The 

 history of Philadelphia Extra Early is obscure. It was 

 listed by the Department of Agriculture in 1865 and 

 cataloged commercially in 1868, but without added 

 information. In 1885 it was said to be a standard early 

 variety in Philadelphia markets, and in 1918 was called 

 an improved strain of Landreth Extra Early, which, 

 from date of first mention and place, seems quite likely, 

 but Prof. Goff, in describing the pea in 1884, says it is 

 probably from Daniel O'Rourke, 1 and thru the latter 

 from Early Kent and Early Frame. In Buist's catalogs, 

 Philadelphia Extra Early is said originally to have been 

 called Hancock's. If a conjectured origin for Hancock 

 p. 84 is true, Philadelphia can be traced directly to 

 Landreth Extra Early. Ferry makes Philadelphia 

 Early a synonym of Burlington, and the latter came from 

 Landreth Extra Early. 



In 1884, at the Station, height 1 J4 to 3 feet as compared with 

 two strains of it recently tried here, both from American -grown 

 Ked, in which the heights were l'i to 2 feet, and 2 to 2]/ 2 feet 

 respectively. The descriptions, separated by 40 years, agree in 

 certain characteristics in which the pea differed a little from others 

 of the type: Branches few. basal: foliage similar in color to Land- 



reth Extra Early, a little lighter in shade than several others of the 

 group; pods nearly 3 inches long, end very blunt Goff i ;" square " 

 recent, color light, peas fewer. The seeds of the old strain same in 

 color as those of today, but showed a slight shade of green in some 

 cases, which was lacking in both the parent and crop seeds in the 

 recent tests. This factor has no separatory value between closely 

 allied varieties. Goff called the strain " very early," but figures he 

 gives for it in 1883 show it required 64 days from April 21 to edible 

 condition: while the strains grown in 1922, '23 and '25 required 

 54 to 56 days from sowings a week or ten days later than the 1883 

 test, and only 49 days when sown May 22. Goff said, " not pro- 

 lific," and our crops were checked " fair," only. Philadelphia 

 Extra Early, around Geneva, at least, does not compare favorably 

 with several other Extra Early strains. 



East Hartford. Refs. 10, 143-146. This strain 

 was listed in 1868 by Hawley, but may be older. It 

 was found in 1889 to be one of the better peas among 

 80 varieties tested in Vermont, — a reputation it still 

 deserves in this group, according to our tests. In 1914 

 it was said to be popular among Hartford market gar- 

 deners as an extra early, smooth pea, — a prolific bearer 

 of rather small pods containing peas of good quality. 



Our three years' test of it does not emphasize the earliness, but 

 it gave a " very good " yield; the pods were borne singly, were small, 

 1' , to 2'.| inches long, rather broader, less plump, and with rounder 

 ends than those of some other strains, containing 4 to 7 peas, rather 

 better in color than the average, and of good size. The seeds first 

 sown were small 178 to the ounce I, but those of the resultant 

 crops were much larger, cream colored, with some shaded green. 

 In other characters it is indistinguishable from Landreth Extra Early. 



The strain is evidently well fixed, without the 

 tendency to deterioration which is a fault of so many 

 varieties. 



Emerald Gem. Refs. 147, 148; Thorburn Cat. 

 1873; Rural N. Y. 13:554. 1883; Vilmorin -Robinson 

 Veg. Gard. 496. 1920. Emerald Gem was introduced 

 by Sutton in 1871, after several years' trial and some 

 temporary naming. It was similar in color of foliage 

 and pods to Girling's Danecroft Rival, and was held to 

 be a revival of that old variety; but Sutton apparently 

 sustains his contention that Emerald Gem had no con- 

 nection with Danecroft. In all respects but color of 

 foliage it is an Extra Early; but total lack of bloom on 

 stems, foliage and pods gave them a peculiar, semitrans- 

 lucent, glazed, green color. It was very early. 



It was introduced into America in 1873, and culti- 

 vated to some extent as a curiosity because of its peculiar 

 coloration. 



According to Denaiffe (L. P. P. 28, 1906) a dwarf 

 form of Emerald Gem (Nain Emeraude tre"s hatif) 

 only 10 to 12 inches high, is known in France. 



Dexter. Refs. 151-154. Dexter was said by 

 Gregory to be " an American pea sent out by a gentle- 

 man who is probably the largest grower of seed peas in 

 America," John H. Allan; and a letter from the seed 

 company bearing Allan's name, of Nov. 22, 1926, says 

 the pea was introduced in 1870. According to Allan's 

 later catalogs, the original name was Allan's Early 

 Dexter, though this appears last in the list of synonyms. 

 Like Racehorse, Eclipse, Daniel O'Rourke, Maud S 

 and Sunol, this pea honors famous horses. Only general 



See ascribed connection of Daniel O'Rourke and Landreth Extra Early, pp. 26. 27. 



