30 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



specially selected from Philadelphia Extra Early. 

 Later this variety, with many others tested here, was 

 found to resemble Philadelphia Extra Early so closely 

 that there seemed no reason for calling them distinct. 

 From the production data given it seemed about inter- 

 mediate in the group of very similar peas, with more 

 pods to the vine but less peas to the pod than Phila- 

 delphia, but much less of both than Eureka Extra Early. 



Lightning and Giant Lightning. Refs. 181 185; 

 Rural N. Y. 16:468. 1887; U. S. Dept. Agr. B P. I. Bui. 

 21:288. 1903: Barr Car. 1912: Price & Reed Cat. 

 1913; Farmer Cat. 1914. Lightning was distributed by 

 Carter about 1886: and came almost immediately to the 

 United States, as seeds from two sources, both American, 

 but stock probably imported, were sown at this Station 

 in 1887. The two lots varied in productivity, one bear- 

 ing one-fifth more pods to the vine, and averaging more 

 peas to the pod: but they were otherwise alike. They 

 were compared with three varieties of the Alaska type 

 from which they were said to differ only in seed color. 

 Other references remark the similarity of Lightning to 

 First Crop. First and Best, Prince Albert and other 

 Extra Earlies. but usually credit it with marked earliness 

 which was also shown in the 1887 Station tests. The 

 pods were decidedly small, a defect which was remedied 

 about 1908 by Carter's introduction of Giant Lightning. 

 This has pods nearly twice as large and more numerous 

 than those of its predecessor, and larger peas, but is 

 otherwise the same. This was grown here in 1926. was 

 early, and gave a fair crop of large, light colored pods 

 of typical, but slightly broad, extra early type, contain- 

 ing 4 to 7 very large, whitish green peas. In this variety, 

 when well grown, the rather too prominent tip of the 

 pod of Lightning is reduced in proportion, if not in 

 size. It has been grown in America since 1913, at least. 



Lightning Extra Early, of the Moore & Simon 

 Co., is probably the same as Carter's Lightning, tho 

 the catalog emphasizes the green color of the pods. 



Seeds of a Price & Reed Lightning pea were 

 secured from a New York State seedsman, and the 

 strain was grown here for two seasons. 



It proved from six to eight days late for a typical extra early; 

 was very dwarf ljj to l}i feet . unbranched; foliage medium to 

 light green, decidedly whitened and rather scanty, often with only 

 two or three leaflets; first flowers at 7th or 8th node, which were 

 cream colored, single, or rarely paired; pods were short 1 



■ ches . very plump, straight, with blunt to square ends, light 

 green; peas 3 to 5, large, rather oblong, indented, light green to 

 medium green: crop seeds were, as was very often the case on 

 Station soil, very decidedly larger than the seeds sown, and often 

 deeply pitted. 



The lateness of this pea, dwarfness of the plants, 

 and sparseness of the foliage would seem to separate it 

 from Carter's Lightning. 



Pedigree Extra Early. Refs. 186. 213; Bolgiano, 

 J. Cat. 1911; Allan Cars. 1913-15: Berry Car. 1920; 

 and letters from Field, Nov. 24. 1926; Livingston, Nov. 

 20. 1926: and Keeney, Nov. 24, 1926. Pedigree, 

 from a current strain of Extra Early, was developed 

 rom that firm's first single-plant selection, 

 starting about 1893. carried for further selection until 



about 1900, and distributed by several seedsmen. 

 When announced it was considered " the best strain 

 of Extra Early ever offered to the trade," very uni- 

 form, about 2 ' 2 feet high, pods 2 ' ■> to 3 inches long, 

 well filled, with 6 to 7 peas; not as early as Sunol or 

 Maud S. 



Pedigree Extra Early was grown at the Station for two or 

 more seasons from seed from different sources, including the origi- 

 nator. In each case it was a rather dwarf strain. 1 ' $ to 1 ! i feet; 

 with a few basal branches, producing flowers and pods singly, rarely 

 in pairs, at the 6th or 7th node: pods of typical shape in all strains, 

 but in one strain averaging nearly half an inch longer and with 

 one more pea per pod, the peas and the seeds, also, being distinctly 

 larger in this strain, and larger than in most Extra Earlies. the other 

 strains being typical in these respects. The originator's strain 

 was about a day earlier, also, both being somewhat earlier than 

 Landreth Extra Early: but crop yields, because of a larger number 

 of pods, favored the other strain. 



The Livingston letter referred to above gives First 

 in Market as a synonym of Pedigree Extra Early, which 

 is probably incorrect. (See First in Market, beyond.) 



The Henry Field Seed Co. says its Improved Extra 

 Early is Pedigree Extra Early. 



First in Market. Refs. 187, 188; and letters from 

 Livingston, Nov. 20, 1926, and Keeney, Nov. 24, 1926. 

 Livingston introduced First in Market about 1886, 

 when a sample was sent to this Station for testing. 

 This company says in a letter, " The N. B. Keeney 

 & Son Co., Leroy, N. Y., were the originators of First in 

 Market and the name that they used for the variety is 

 the Pedigree Extra Early." This is probably a slight 

 error, as according to the Keeney letter work on Pedigree 

 Extra Early did not start until 1893, and First in Market 

 was known in 1886. Previous to 1893, however, the 

 Keeney Co. had developed another improved strain of 

 Extra Early, which was named Extra Early K. B. 

 [Keeney's Best], and this was probably the strain 

 Livingston secured and named First in Market. 



It was found not distinct from Philadelphia Extra 

 Early; but it is still retained in Livingston's and a few 

 other catalogs; and seed of it was secured recently and 

 sown for three seasons. This strain and Philadelphia 

 were practically identical, with date of maturing the 

 same and both crops checked " fair to good." 



Best Extra Early. Refs. 190 192. In the spring 

 of 1888 this pea was distributed by Burpee to about 

 3,000 growers for testing; but was not regularly placed in 

 commerce until the next year. Only numerical data 

 for it are given in the Michigan bulletin. When sown 

 March 9, it required 119 days to picking, yet was called 

 " very early;" and it produced only a medium crop. In 

 France it was found very like Prince Albert, with pods 

 same form and size, lighter-colored foliage, larger peas 

 but poorer yield, and much earlier. It was grown at the 

 Station from 1922 '25, part of the seeds for the first test 

 coming from British Columbia and part from Burpee. 



Seeds of both lots were more or less pitted, even slightly 

 wrinkled. The foreign ones were much larger and all beautiful cream 

 in color, while those grown in the United States were considerably 

 mixed with green-shaded peas, and very much smaller. These differ- 

 ences disappeared almost entirely in seeds from the two crops, the 

 British Columbia stock becoming more green and the domestic 



