42 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



square; but in other characteristics it is so close to 

 Alaska that it stems best placed here. 



It was introduced about 1910 or 1911 by Hurst 

 and came to America very soon thereafter. The plants, 

 as described in the above and other references and as 

 grown here for three seasons, are slightly taller than 

 those of Alaska, often branched from the base, bear 



pods of fine green color, sometimes in pairs, which are 

 slightly longer than the average for Alaska, largely due 

 to the pointed tip, but are not ready for picking quite 

 as soon. The peas and seeds are but little larger than 

 those of Alaska, and the seeds are usually smooth, but 

 occasionally somewhat dimpled. 



SCIMITAR GROUP 



This group of smooth-seeded peas includes both 

 cream and green types, and some varieties in which 

 the seeds are mixed in color; tho this mixed color is 

 far less frequent in smooth seeded types than in dimpled 

 and wrinkled groups. 



The distinguishing characteristic of the group is 

 the long, slender, curving pods, shown by the well- 

 known Petit Pois or French Canner peas, and repre- 

 sented in the wrinkled peas by varieties like Senator, 

 Lincoln, and Rice No. 13. 



The type is an old one, in England dating back to 

 Sickle, listed in the Fuller. Tracy, Blackwell catalog of 

 1688. Peas of this type are much more popular in 

 France and elsewhere on the continent than in England 

 and America; and it is probable that the history could 

 be traced much further back if the pea literature of 

 continental Europe were studied. 



Several varieties of this type have been grown at 

 the Station from French and German seed; but as there 

 is no likelihood that such varieties will ever become 

 popular here, these are not described. A few varieties 

 included in the group do not, strictly, belong in it, 

 the pods being too little curved ; but these are not numer- 

 ous enough to warrant separate grouping. Other 

 varieties, also, are of this type and were once considered 

 garden peas: but are of such poor quality or so viny 

 that they are now grown, if at all, under field culture. 



MAJOR VARIETIES IN SCIMITAR GROUP 

 CREAM SEEDED SECTION 



While Sickle. Refs. 1,2. White Sickle is prob- 

 ably the same as Sickle, listed a century and a half 

 before it, but we lack any description of the old variety. 

 White Sickle was said to be 3 to 4 feet tall, prolific, late, 

 with pods rather shorter and more bent than those of 

 Scimitar, rather larger and similar in color to those of 

 White Prussian. No record was found of this pea in 

 America. 



kuvergne. Refs. 7 20. This old French pea 

 was sent to England in 1833 or 1834 by M. de Vilmorin 

 of Paris, and may have originated with him a year or 

 two previously, as it was fully described in 1832, presum- 

 ably as new, in a French gardening annual. Unlike 

 most smooth -seeded peas, it found favor in England 

 and spread widely, under various names, as the peas, 

 especially when picked early, are small, delicate and of 

 very good flavor. As thus picked, or as sifted from 

 this and similar varieties to remove the larger, harder 

 peas, canned peas of this type, " Petit Pois," " French 

 Canners." " French Sifted " or " Delicatesse," command 



fancy prices both in France and in America. Peas of 

 this kind first came to America under the name Scimitar, 

 variously spelled, but have been better known by other 

 names. 



They were grown at this Statior. in 1884 under the 

 old name, Auvergne, and in our recent tests both as 

 Scimitar and as Petit Pois. The Scimitar seeds, 

 however, from British Columbia, did not give a satis- 

 factory test, little information being secured except the 

 time of maturing, midseason. Good data were secured 

 later, however, from Giant White Scimitar grown 

 from seed sent from McMillan, Mich. The plants 

 grown in 1884, those of Petit Pois, and those of Giant 

 White Scimitar differed very little, nor was the season 

 changed; but there has been a decided improvement 

 in the type in the direction of better pods, those of Petit 

 Pois being longer than those of Auvergne and of Giant 

 White Scimitar than of Petit Pois. 



Height 3 to 3 3 t feet; stems stout, rarely branched; foliage 

 abundant, medium green, not whitened and with little bloom, 

 consisting of 4 or 5, occasionally 6, large leaflets, and slightly to 

 much larger stipules, with large, sharp teeth half way to the tip; 

 flowers large, begin about the 13th node, and except in the Petit 

 Pois, not paired; longest in Petit Pois; pod stalks longer than flower 

 stalks. Pods medium green in color, from 2 to 3 ' ■> inches long 

 with Auvergne, 3 to 3 J 2 with Petit Pois and 3} 2 to 4'| inches 

 with Giant Scimitar, medium to narrow, slender, plump, much 

 curved, pointed or rounded at the ends, with small tips, and filled 

 to the edges but not to the ends with from 5 to 8 round, smooth, 

 medium green peas; seeds of medium size, very smooth. All 

 varieties were ready in midseason or slightly past it; none gave 

 better than good crops. 



It is probably that Giant White Scimitar is Vil- 

 morin's Long-podded Improved Scimitar. Serpette 

 Ameliore, as grown at the Station from French seed, 

 not Vilmorin's, was smaller-podded, with better filled 

 pods and more prolific than Giant White Scimitar. 



Karlv Somerset 1 Ref. 35) was introduced before 

 1919 by Kelway and seed of it came to us from the 

 Idaho Station in 1922. 



It was dwarf. 1 Vi 1 ' 1 feet much taller in England , unbranched, 

 with medium to abundant, medium to dark yellowish green foliage. 

 with small, broad leaflets and very much larger stipules, little 

 whitened. The pods were borne singly 1 paired under best con- 

 ditions! from about the 7th node, and were straight or slightly 

 curved, blunt-pointed, rarely 3 inches long, but very plump, very 

 pale green in color, and well filled with 4-5 '6-8 in England 1 

 moderately large, fairly well -colored peas. The pods soon lost 

 color. It was among the earliest of the curved-podded, smooth 

 seeded peas, and yielded fairly well. 



GREEN SEEDED SECTION 

 Blue Scimitar. Refs. 3 6; Hovey Cat. 1859. 

 Blue Scimitar was first described, with White Sickle. 



