DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIETIES 



33 



1925. It differed in no material respect from Rice 

 Extra Early: but the pods were somewhat shorter, and 

 not quite so plump, resulting in distinctly smaller peas 

 and seeds, but the yield, owing to a longer picking season, 

 was as good, if not better. The second reference says 

 this is the first early round pea with the sweetness of 

 the wrinkled varieties. The quality was not tested here. 

 Saxonia. Refs. 256, 257; Allan Cat. 1913-14; let- 

 ter from Allan, Nov. 22, 1926; Jour. Roy. Hort. Soc. 

 36:723. 1910; letter from J. M. McCullough's Sons, 

 Nov. 1, 1922. Saxonia was advertised in America about 

 the same time, 1912, by two western seedsmen, both of 

 whom speak of it as new. The Allan Seed Co. says in 

 a letter that its seed of Saxonia came from David Sachs, 

 Quedlinburg, Germany, probably the originator. The 

 company grew the pea for several years but discontinued 



it because of small demand. This is probably the same 

 as the Saxonia tested in the garden of the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society in 1910, which is similar in many essen- 

 tials, but seems to differ in others. 



The American Saxonia was described as a strain of Extra 

 Early maturing about the same time as First and Best, free from 

 "wild" (degenerating) tendencies, about 2j^ feet high, very hardy 

 and vigorous, with pods 2 :! 4 inches long or more, slightly curved 

 at tip, generally in pairs. 



As grown here in three recent seasons it was an early, not 

 earliest, rather dwarf type, unbranched, with pods often larger 

 than most Extra Earlies (2j^ to 3 J/4 inches), but somewhat uneven, 

 slightly curved, rounded at the ends, not very well filled, with 6 

 to 7 peas when well grown, which are rather large, more or less oval 

 longitudinally, and light green in color. It was fairly productive. 

 The blossoms are sometimes in pairs, the pods are rarely so. 



Ohio Chief is a synonym of Saxonia. 



TOM THUMB GROUP 



The Tom Thumb peas, as the name indicates, are 

 very dwarf in plant, now rarely exceeding a foot in 

 height, especially on lighter soils. In the history of the 

 type variety, however, several peas are included that 

 were originally of medium height, or even tall, but 

 closely connected, historically or through synonymy, 

 with the Tom Thumbs of England or America. Other 

 varieties are grouped here, also, that differ in many 

 respects from the type, and have little historical or 

 other connection with the Tom Thumbs; but all are 

 white-seeded, dwarf or semi-dwarf, second early or 

 midseason peas, often with white or whitish pods, 

 sometimes with pointed or rounded rather than the 

 more common blunt ends, short to medium length, 

 rather broad and generally quite plump. 



MAJOR VARIETIES IN TOM THUMB GROUP 



Spanish Dwarf. Refs. 1-6; Lawson Agr. Man. 

 76. 1834. The first direct reference found to Spanish 

 Dwarf is an American one; but it was undoubtedly 

 known long before 1827 in England and France, since 

 the earliest references in these countries speak of it as 

 a long-established variety. It was grown for many 

 years in America. Burr described it in 1863, speaking 

 of it as a favorite in small gardens, but inferior in quality 

 to Burbidge Eclipse or Bishop Long-pod. 



It was very dwarf, variously said to be from 9 inches to 2 feet 

 tall, with erect stems, often with spreading branches from near 

 the base, to which it owes the synonym Dwarf Fan, having short, 

 strong internodes, small, dark green leaves, strong tendrils, short 

 petioles and peduncles, flowers mostly in pairs, producing short, 

 broad, slightly flattened, but well-filled pods. It was a second 

 early or midseason pea and a fair to good cropper. The peas were 

 only fair in quality and the seeds small, smooth and white. 



Bishop Dwarf. Refs. 11-16; N. Y. Sta. Rpt. 

 3:252. 1885; Vilmorin-Robinson Veg. Gard. 510. 1920. 

 As with its probable parent, Spanish Dwarf, we find 

 Bishop Dwarf first referred to in an American catalog; 

 but it originated near Perth, Scotland, in 1825, being 

 discovered, as a single plant in a field of Spanish Dwarf, 

 by David Bishop. It was listed in several American 

 catalogs previous to 1845, and was grown at this Sta- 



tion as late as 1884, when Prof. Goff spoke of it, as an 

 " old variety, not much grown at present." 



It was very similar to Spanish Dwarf, varying in height like that 

 variety and occasionally with two main branches from two joints 

 below the flowering node which grew almost as tall as the main 

 stem. The pods were said to be 2j^ inches long, quite character- 

 istic in shape, enlarging progressively for one-third their length, 

 then remaining of same diameter almost to the square end. In its 

 early history it was very productive, bearing paired pods, ready 

 from midseason on, with 7 small peas; Prof. Goff found it a poor 

 producer. It was generally quite inferior to its successor, Bishop 

 Long-pod. Prof . Goff in 1884 also described an "Early Dwarf," 

 evidently from seeds furnished by Vilmorin, which from its 

 synonyms, Nain hatif and L'Evergne (undoubtedly intended for 

 L'Eveque, French for Bishop) and the description, could only 

 have been Bishop Dwarf, tho its identity with the latter was not 

 recognized. 



Tom Thumb. Refs. 17-29. Tom Thumb traces 

 to Flanagan's Early in England and Strawberry in 

 America, though differing so greatly from these varieties 

 that history, not characteristics, makes the connection 

 apparent. Flanagan Early (earlier forms unknown 

 though allied to the Frames) was cultivated in England 

 before 1850; a white-seeded, straight-podded, mid- 

 season pea, with a vine 2 J 2 to 4 feet tall; and from it 

 developed a somewhat shorter-vined, earlier type, Ring- 

 wood Marrow. From Ringwood Marrow or from the 

 original Flanagan Early arose, probably by selection 

 alone, strains known as Beck Gem (first advertised in 

 1853), Turner Dwarf or Royal Dwarf, in which the 

 length of vine was further reduced and the season 

 slightly advanced. In 1858, a more improved type was 

 announced by Paul as Tom Thumb; and Beck Gem in 

 its improved form also received the same name; so that 

 two types of Tom Thumb were in cultivation in England 

 at the same time. 



One or the other of these types, possibly both, were 

 introduced into the United States by Landreth, about 

 1850, probably under the name Beck Gem; but later 

 importations of the improved stock brought also the 

 name Tom Thumb. The two strains and the name met 

 in America a strain of the Strawberry pea, even more 

 dwarf than the imported stocks, only 6 to 9 inches tall, 



