32 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



plump, not filled to tip. with pointed to rounded ends, containing 

 6 or 7 rather large, round, light green pens; gave only a fair crop. 



Seeds for the second lot were mostly dark cream in color but 

 some were very light green over light to medium yellow under- 

 S a n Ma] J .' in lx>th years, which should have given a much 

 shorter period to edible maturity than for the other strain sown 

 much earlier.' pods required the same time, 57 days to picking; 

 the plants were only 1 ' i to 1 ' _> feet high, with less and lighter 



,1 foliage, glaucous and distinctly whitened, often with only 

 two leaflets; flowers began at the 7th node, were always single on 

 short stalks, producing pods from ■ « to ' , inch shorter than those 

 of the first strain, but plump, square-ended, and with one or two 

 less peas which were smaller but decidedly more indented and of 

 better color. The abundance of the small pods gave a better yield 

 " good to very good " than that of the larger podded strain. 



The earliness of one strain may offset the greater 

 yields of the other. 



John L. Ref. 229. This pea was said by its 

 introducer, Hastings, to have produced from one peck 

 of seed sown at St. Augustine. Florida, one bushel of 

 pods in 30 days from sowing. This is the shortest 

 growth period we find in any authenticated and reliable 

 record, and also the most tropical location for such a 

 test, the precocity and climate evidently having a very 

 close relationship. John L, according to Hastings' cat- 

 alog of 1924 has held the record of earliness since 1896, 

 probably about the date of introduction. Grown at 

 the Station it has proved almost identical with Iowa 

 Challenge, but with shorter stalks and seed somewhat 

 more wrinkled and pitted. It also, in the north, ripens 

 its crop slowly, edible pods being found for five weeks. 



Sunol. Refs. 230; Mich. Sta. BuJs. 120:24. 1895; 

 and 131:31. 1896; N. J. Sta. Rpt. 19:147. 1898; Allan 

 Cat. 1913 14. Sunol was introduced in 1893 by Allan, 

 who is said by Gregory to have " produced more new 

 peas than any one (elsel on this side of the Atlantic." 



Early descriptions picture a semi-dwarf vine, l s g to 3 feet 

 high, sometimes branched from the base, a very early but rather 

 shy bearer of pods 2 to 2} o inches long, round, nearly straight, 

 usually " rounded out " at point, with 5 to 6 rather large peas 

 which change to light-cream colored seed, slightly dented and pitted. 



These characters were nearly all the same for the variety 

 grown here recently for two seasons; but the vines were still more 

 dwarf 1 '4 to 1 ' j feet , yield of pods " good," but pods short 1 . 

 to 2 ' . inches , and rather poorly filled, with rounded to blunt ends. 



Among earliest of varieties, but otherwise not to 

 be recommended. 



I ctra Earl) Pioneer. Ref. 231. Extra Early 

 Pioneer was introduced by Dreer,-' prior to 1894, who 

 claimed for it remarkable earliness, with pods of medium 

 size and peas of fine flavor. 



Tests of it made here, during two seasons, with seeds from 

 the same source and sown at the same time as those of Sunol, 

 show it from two to four days later than that variety. It was, 

 however, decidedly more productive, ranking among the best of 

 the Extra Earlics in this respect because of the numerous, well- 

 filled, blunt- to square-ended pods, slightly longer than those of 

 The picking season was short. The vines were 2 to 2'^ 

 feet tall, with dark green, glaucous foliage, so much whitened as 

 to appear lighter. 



Lightning Express. Ref. 232. The first record 

 we find of Lightning Express is in Buckbee's 1894 

 catalog, who probably introduced the variety or gave 

 it the name, shortly before that date. 



As grown here for three seasons it was a dwarf, distinctly 

 early, rather uneven-podded strain, the pods ranging from 2 to 

 _' . inches in length, and from medium to plump in width; in other 

 respects a typical Extra Early. One crop was checked good, and 

 two very good. 



Prolific Earlj Market. Refs. 241 243; S. Dak. 

 Sta. Bui. 85:5. 1904; Darling 8b Beahan Cat. 1913; 

 Allan Cat. 1914; Rice Cat. 1913. In a letter to 

 Maule in 1901, Keeney says: " About 10 years ago 

 the writer selected a very prolific plant of an extra 

 early pea, having a very long pod," from which Prolific 

 Early Market resulted. First and Best, according to 

 another authority, was the " extra early pea; " of 

 which the new one is a very productive strain. 



Descriptions made previous to its growth here say it is the 

 most productive white-seeded extra early, with from 40 to 50 pods 

 on many vines, three or four days later than the old Extra Earlies. 

 about 2 ' i feet high, with light green, straight, round, saddle 

 backed, square-ended pods, 3 inches long, averaging about 7 

 peas, which when dry are of light cream color, round and smooth. 



As grown here for three seasons the vines were not quite so 

 tall and were unbranched; the foliage was medium in amount and 

 medium green in color; the pods 2} 2 to 3 inches long, the peas 

 whitish green to light green in color, 6 to 7 in pod; and the seeds 

 were occasionally slightly flattened from pressure in the pod, and 

 some were shaded green. As when introduced, it was a second 

 early; but it matured its pods promptly. It seemed to have lost 

 some of its former productiveness. 



Prolific Extra Early, as listed by Burpee, described 

 by Denaiffe, and grown here for three seasons, is appar- 

 ently the same as Prolific Early Market. Prolific Early, 

 listed by Farquhar in 1904, may be different, but data 

 given do not suffice to say. 



Rice Extra Early. Refs. 244, 245; and Rice Cars. 

 As indicated by the name, this strain of Extra Early 

 has been distributed by Rice, since before 1901, both for 

 market gardeners' and canners' use. It is continuously 

 re-selected and kept uniform in type. 



As grown here it was 2 '4 to 2J2 f ect high, with a few basal 

 branches; abundant foliage rather darker in color than medium 

 green, slightly glaucous; flowers at 8th to 10th node, practically 

 always single; pods seldom reaching 3 inches, very plump, often 

 saddle-backed, blunt to square-ended, well filled with 5 to 6 peas, 

 between light green and medium green in color, rather large for the 

 type, grading about the same as Alaskas for canning; seeds slightly 

 pitted. Same season as Alaska and about the same in productivity. 



Monster Podded Extra Early, with pods said to 

 reach 4 inches in length, is similar to the above except 

 in slightly greater height, and larger pods and peas. 



First Early. Refs. 246; Portland Seed Co. Car. 

 1909. This pea is described by Griffith and Turner in 

 1902, but does not appear in Tracy's bulletin listing 

 varieties of 1901, so it was probably introduced in 1902. 

 No record, other than in the introducer's catalogs, has 

 been found, but it was grown here in 1922, 1923 and 



Other peas showed a week or ten days difference in time of maturing in favor of late sowing. 



from firm, Dec. 8, 1926. says Pioneer was synonymous with Eureka Extra Early; but date of introduction lost by destruc- 

 tion of old records. 



