DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIETIES 



39 



of recorded dates, and Blue Prussian be a descendant of 

 Nonpareil. Giving Blue Prussian priority in date would 

 lead to a chronological succession of leading varieties 

 essentially as follows: Blue Prussian, Green Nonpareil, 

 Blue Imperial, Woodford Green Marrow, Flack Imperial, 

 Kentish Invicta, First Crop Blue. Earliest of All. Alaska, 

 Earliest Blue, Rogers Winner, Rice No. 330, Horal, 

 Hustler and Market Surprise(P). 



MAJOR VARIETIES OF ALASKA GROUP 



Blue Prussian. Refs. 3, 5; M'Mahon Amer. 

 Gard. Cal. 311. 1806; Gard. Chron. 68, 198. 1850; 

 Cor. Gard. 1:63. 1861; N. Y. Sta. Rpt. 3:259. 

 1885. Little is known of the early history of Blue 

 Prussian, but the name indicates a Continental origin 

 and its apparent relationship to some other varieties 

 makes it probable that it was known in England long 

 before any recorded dates for it. 



It still survives but is now used almost entirely as 

 a field pea; and it is described here, with several allied 

 varieties, under the Alaska group, because it holds a 

 somewhat doubtful position as a progenitor of peas of 

 that type. In the first half of the Nineteenth Century 

 it was a prominent variety both in England and in 

 America, where it was listed as early as 1806; and it 

 has been grown to some extent in France. In its earlier 

 days it was used by market gardeners as well as for field 

 culture but has apparently never been a garden favorite. 



Older descriptions give it a slender, sometimes branched, 

 not very robust stem, 2 3 4 to 3j^ feet high, with abundant dark 

 green or " fresh " green foliage, the stipules being considerably 

 whitened. Its medium-sized white flowers began about the 10th 

 node, and produced a dozen or more pods, mostly in pairs, which 

 were about 2 3 4 inches long, roundish or somewhat flattened, straight 

 or slightly curved, with blunt to square ends when well filled, and 

 containing 6 or 7 rather large, closely-packed, deep green peas of 

 poor flavor. The seeds were small, whitish green or blue, round 

 and almost smooth. It was late in season and very prolific. 



Prof. Goff's description of Blue Prussian as grown 

 at this Station in 1884 differs very little from the older 

 ones. 



Two strains of it, both from Idaho Station seed, were grown 

 here recently, one strain being much superior to the other in vigor 

 and productivity, tho quite similar in other respects. Character- 

 istics of the better strain differed but little from those of the variety 

 dating back 50 to 75 years; but the stems were not quite so tall 

 (2 feet), pods not quite so long (2 to 2j^ inches), nor with so many 

 peas (generally 51, the season somewhat earlier (75 days) and the 

 crops hardly as good. 



Recent French descriptions make Blue Prussian quite dwarf 

 and stocky, with short-jointed, zigzag stems, very much whitened 

 stipules, and more pointed pods, rather poorly filled. 



In Canada, our Northwestern States, and in other 

 scattered areas Blue Prussian is still one of the leading 

 field peas. 



Nonpareil. Refs. 2, 4, 11, 12; Booth Car. 1810; 

 Gard. Chron. 673. 1853; Va. Sta. Bui. 60:5. 1896; 

 Tait Car. 1913; and letter from Tait, Dec. 14, 1922. 

 Nonpareil has at least left its name in the Alaska group; 

 and if Blue Prussian is not its parent and so ancestor 

 of the later varieties of the group, that credit must be 

 given to Nonpareil, from the name alone, with Aber- 

 crombie's qualifying " green," for we have not a word 



of history or a description of the ancient variety. The 

 name recurs in connection with Woodford Green Mar- 

 row, which is undoubtedly in the line of descent of the 

 Alaska peas, and in successive later references, Non- 

 pareil was either name or synonym of varieties approach- 

 ing nearer and nearer to what Alaska is today. These 

 later Nonpareils are undoubtedly derived from Alaska 

 or its immediate predecessors, rather than from the old 

 Green Nonpareil, which has undoubtedly disappeared. 

 They are recommended by the seedsmen who handle 

 them as superior to Alaska in being earlier, longer podded 

 and more productive. 



Two strains of Nonpareil, one called Extra Early, were grown 

 in the Station garden for two seasons, in connection with these 

 trials: and one strain for two years in the field beside Alaska, for 

 testing as a canning pea. The small differences indicated greater 

 productivity for Nonpareil over some strains of Alaska; slightly 

 greater than the average of all the Alaska strains used, but not 

 above the best one or two strains. Pod lengths also showed similar 

 variations but not so great as between Alaska and Large-podded 

 and Long-podded Alaska. The seeds were usually smaller, ranging 

 from 165 to 185 to the ounce. 



The Nonpareils are now, therefore, merely good 

 strains of the Alaska type. Pres. Jas. T. Moreland of 

 Geo. Tait 85 Sons, Norfolk, Va., says their Nonpareil 

 was a selection made about 1897 from an old pea " Vic- 

 tor," which was itself selected from Laxton's Earliest 

 of All, thus confirming the supposition that the modern 

 Nonpareils are closely related to Alaska. 



Woodford Marrow. Refs. 4, 22-24, 26. By 

 the careful selection necessary to prevent its degenera- 

 tion into Blue Prussian, Woodford Marrow proves its 

 origin in that variety. This was probably shortly 

 before 1834. 



From the description given, it was 10 days later than the 

 parent variety and differed from it only in the better (dark bluish) 

 green color of foliage, pods, peas and seeds, the latter being deeper 

 in color than those of any variety then known. The plants often 

 bore medial branches, which Blue Prussian lacks, the pods were 

 broader and the peas too thick skinned to be palatable except when 

 very young. 



There seems, also, to have been a dwarf form a 

 foot or so shorter than the type variety. 



Woodford Marrow was listed in several American 

 catalogs before 1850; but soon disappeared from culti- 

 vation, altho listed by Burr, 1863. 



Flack Imperial. Refs. 27-31. Introduced about 

 1841 as Flack Victory, the name Imperial seems to 

 have been more common for this variety. Like Wood- 

 ford Marrow it is Blue Prussian in type, probably 

 descending from it indirectly through Bedman Impe- 

 rial, of which it was considered a great improvement. 



It soon ran back to Blue Prussian unless carefully selected. 

 It was earlier, robust in growth, more dwarf, more productive, and 

 with larger pods, peas and seeds than preceding varieties of the 

 group. The stems are always branched, the foliage dark green 

 but distinctly blotched grayish white. The seeds were large, irreg- 

 ularly oval and dark blue. The earliest American references 

 associate " Dwarf " with other names for the variety; but the 

 reduction in height from English grown plants is probably due to 

 changed climatic conditions. 



Burr included it in his book in 1863 but no later 

 references have been found, and it was not carried long 



