44 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



distinctly separated by areas of smooth surface, these 

 surface depressions usually covering somewhat similar 

 indentations of the cotyledons — dimples rather than 

 pits. 



On the other hand, if the seeds are compressed 

 from the round shape into one more or less square, 

 oblong, oval, or cylindrical, even if the surface is hardly 

 more than pitted, it has been thought best to include 

 the variety in this group, altho it probably represents 

 only a transition stage between the true round-seeded 

 peas and the varieties more characteristic of the 

 " dimpled " group. Many of the older varieties included 

 here, those originating before or in the second quarter 

 of the last century, have seeds approaching the round- 

 ness and smoothness of the Alaska, Tom Thumb, White 

 Marrowfat and Extra Early types; and should, probably, 

 be considered as forming a sub-group; as the large, rather 

 irregular -shaped seeds are pitted and slightly wrinkled, 

 rather than dimpled; but the seeds pass so gradually 

 from the type of the sub-group to that of the true dimpled 

 peas that it would be impossible to fix limits for a sub- 

 group. At the other extreme in the group are many 

 varieties, often classed by some authorities as wrinkled 

 peas, in which the dimpling is subordinated to an 

 apparent wrinkling of the seed coat. These " dimpled- 

 wrinkled " peas, however, usually carry, also, the thick, 

 tough skins of the larger round peas, like the American 

 Marrowfats, and of the oval, oblong or angular char- 

 acteristically dimpled seeds. Such peas, though they 

 would be called wrinkled on casual inspection, differ so 

 markedly, in skin texture and in coarseness of wrinkling, 

 from the seeds of the " Sweet-wrinkled " types with 

 thin, tender skins and more delicate, finer creasing and 

 ridging of the seed coat, that they must be placed in this 

 group rather than in any of the wrinkled pea groups. 



It should be remembered, also, that the basal 

 characters of peas in the semi -smooth -seeded group vary 

 widely under different conditions. Not only does the 

 same variety behave differently in different localities 

 on different soils and in different seasons, but the crop 

 seed may differ markedly from the seed sown. In one 

 season of much and well -distributed rainfall during our 

 Station pea trials, nearly all of the typically dimpled- 

 seeded peas sown gave crop seeds that approached very 

 closely to wrinkled peas, with a marked increase in 

 green pigment. Pure cream seeds sown gave crops of 

 quite evenly divided cream and green seeds; and the 

 heterozygous, cream and green-seeded varieties gave 

 crops of all green seeds. 



It is very fortunate that Mendel's pea experiments 

 were confined to restricted areas, and probably quite 

 uniform seasonal conditions; for if he had been faced 

 by such changes as were shown by parent and uncrossed 

 progeny in the season of 1922 at this Station, he might 

 have had good reason to doubt the fundamental quality 

 of some of his pea characters. It should also be said 

 that, in this particular season, similar changes in sur- 

 face and color of the seed coats were shown in many 

 other peas than those in this group. In practically all 

 cases increased roughness of seed coats and more or 



darker green pigmentation were found in the harvested 

 seeds than in those sown. 



The group, because of these diversities, allows no 

 summation of characteristics such as was possible with 

 the Extra Earlies, Tom Thumbs and Alaskas; nor can 

 any strict chronological or genet ical history of it be 

 given. It does not trace back, except in very small 

 part, to ancestors mentioned by early writers on the pea; 

 but is made up of smaller groups of different and usually 

 quite recent origin, the earliest of the most typical 

 varieties dating about the middle of the last century. 

 The sub-groups, not adaptable to strict limitation, 

 appear to have originated in quite diverse, even opposed 

 methods. Some arise from the development of smooth 

 peas into larger-seeded types in which crowding in the 

 pod induced denting of the peas; others from rever- 

 sion to a smoother seed coat of some of the larger peas 

 resulting from Knight's segregation of wrinkled-seeded 

 types, or from similar behavior of later wrinkled peas 

 under varying conditions or through crossing; still 

 others from accentuation of the tendency to dimpling 

 found in some af the American Marrowfats; and prob- 

 ably, in a few cases, from true sporting in other types. 



The group permits of division into a cream-seeded 

 section and one in which the seeds are mixed cream 

 and green, olive-green, bluish green, or light to medium 

 green. In very few cases do the ripe seeds show as dark 

 green as characterizes some other sections of peas. The 

 division between the two sections is not a definite or 

 positive one; for as explained previously, these dimpled- 

 seeded varieties are more subject than any other type 

 to variations in roughness of seed coat and depth of 

 pigmentation. 



MAJOR VARIETIES OF DIMPLED SEEDED 



GROUP 



WHITE OR CREAM-SEEDED 



Dickson Favorite. Refs. 32; Burr Fid. Gard. 

 Veg. 531. 1863; U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt. (Agr.) 1865. 

 Dickson Favorite, introduced in 1854 by Dickson (1), 

 was then considered a form of Auvergne, but the deep 

 pitting, indenting and occasional dimpling of the peas 

 would seem to place the variety in this group, notwith- 

 standing the small size of the seeds, especially as the 

 pods, as now grown, show little curving and are too 

 broad for the Scimitar type. 



As grown here it was l}^ to l?.i feet tall, slender-stemmed, 

 unbranched, with light green foliage, considerably whitened, and 

 with sharp-tipped stipules; the single and paired pods were borne 

 from the 7th node up, were 2 to 2|<j inches long, plump, square- 

 ended with distinct tip and well-filled with 5 to 7 medium-sized, 

 oval, slightly indented, medium green peas. It was an early, mid- 

 season variety, and only a fair bearer. 



Harrison Perfection! Refs. 33; Cor. Gard. 

 2.">:1861; Country Gent. 17:143. 1861. This, first 

 of the white-seeded, truly semi-smooth, or dimpled 

 peas, originated with Harrison (I) about 1855; and 

 reached America about 1861. It was a typical member 

 of the group, though less well known than Harrison 

 Glory, of the green-seeded class. 



