DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIETIES 



47 



is also connected with Beck Gem, progenitor of Tom 

 Thumb. It was probably first advertised in 1854, tho 

 grown prior to 1850, and was tested by the Royal 

 Horticultural Society in 1859-60, again in 1867 and 

 again in 1901. It came to America shortly after 1860 

 and was tested at this Station in 1884, and in Maine 

 in 1888. but does not seem to have been included in 

 Bailey's list of 1889. 



As grown here by Prof. Goff, it was a very prolific midseason 

 variety of medium height, 3 to 5 feet; stem rather slender; foliage 

 abundant, dark green washed with white and slightly glaucous; 

 leaflets and stipules rather large: only moderately plump, slightly 

 curved, rounded or blunt at the end when well filled; peas 5-8 

 i sometimes as many as 11), large, compressed, pale green; seeds 

 dull yellowish green or cream, roundish, indented, or irregular in 

 shape. 



Harrison Glory. Ref. 33. This, perhaps first of 

 the true dimpled peas with green seeds, originated 

 with Harrison 1 1 ) before 1855 when it was advertised 

 by Sutton. Except for the color of its seeds it was 

 considered identical with Harrison Perfection. As the 

 latter was not grown at the Station this similarity can- 

 not be confirmed ; so it is thought best to give a somewhat 

 detailed description of this green-seeded variety. It 

 came to America about 1861, was listed by Bailey in 

 1889 and was still grown in Canada as a field pea in 

 1901. It was grown here for three seasons, first from 

 seed sent us by the Idaho Station and later from har- 

 vested seed. 



It was comparatively short- vined, 2 to 2}-2 feet, erect, to droop- 

 ing, hardly needing support; stem quite stout, with very short inter- 

 nodes and no branches; foliage abundant to dense, dark green, 

 decidedly whitened and quite glaucous; leaflets varying from 4 to 6, 

 of medium size and rather long; stipules much larger than the leaf- 

 lets, clasping the stem deeply, with rounded tips and teeth about 

 one-third of the way up the margin; tendrils quite conspicuous, 

 stocky, much curled: flowers begin at the 14th node, generally paired, 

 on moderately long, stocky stalks; pods from 2J4 to 3}o inches 

 long, quite broad, moderately to very plump, oval in cross section 

 slightly curved, usually filled to the edge, but not to the end, which 

 is rounded to blunt, or even square when specially well filled, of good 

 color, only slightly lighter than the foliage; peas 4, 5 or, rarely, more, 

 large, oblong, flattened, medium-green; seeds medium or above in 

 size, about 100 to the ounce, square or flattened in shape, semi- 

 smooth with a few large shallow pits or dimples, cream and bluish 

 cream in color, becoming much better green, more dimpled and 

 larger under changed seasonal or soil conditions. As the cotyledon 

 color is generally green, even under a cream skin, the variety is 

 properly placed in this section. The pods were ready for use in 

 about 10 weeks after late sowing, requiring a week to 10 days longer 

 after early sowing. The crops were fair to good. 



Leader. Refs. 57; Ann. Hort. 194. 1891; Allan 

 Cat. 1914. There are evidently two Leader peas, 

 the first originating about 1868, said to be one of Lax- 

 ton's new crosses, from Veitch Perfection and Little 

 Gem, and much like the former, tho probably earlier. 

 This cross should give a wrinkled pea, but available 

 descriptions leave this point in doubt. A broken series 

 of references, many of them American, seems to con- 

 nect this pea with Johnson's Leader, called a " round- 

 seeded Gradus " and said to be a selection of the round 

 seeds of that variety; but we were unable to find time 

 or place of its origin. Several strains of Leader were 

 grown here recently, all much alike and all agreeing in 



general characteristics with those given for Johnson's 

 Leader, though rather more dwarf than indicated by the 

 varying figures for height found in different references. 

 Short, stout-vined; foliage dense, medium to dark green, 

 somewhat whitened and only slightly glaucous' flowers from the 

 9th node up; pods single, on very short, moderately heavy stalks. 

 3}^ to 4 inches long, broad, fairly plump, slightly curved, with 

 pointed or long-rounded, tipless ends, of good green color: peas few, 

 large, oval and flattened, dark green; seeds large, semi-smooth to 

 almost wrinkled, mixed green and cream, with tendency to increased 

 green and more wrinkling in favorable pea seasons. It is a second- 

 early in season and gave good to very good crops. It is apparently 

 a better pea than Pilot. The dimpled-seeded Leader grown at 

 Wisley in 1925 was 5 feet tall, but otherwise like the descriptions 

 above. (Roy. Hort. Soc. Jour. 52:109. 1927.) 



Blue Peter. Refs. 58, 59. Carter introduced Blue 

 Peter before 1872, when it was given a First Class 

 Certificate by the Royal Horticultural Society. It was 

 called a larger, better and earlier Tom Thumb with 

 " blue " seeds. As received here, from France, the 

 seeds are dull green, with some cream, more or less 

 angular or square and only slightly dented or dimpled. 



The variety came to America within ten years of 

 its introduction but seed of it could not be located 

 in this country for our recent tests. It was grown at 

 the Station from 1882 to 1884 and fully described in 

 1884. In a list of the peas grown at the Station (Bui. 69) 

 in 1893 for display at the World's Fair Blue Peter is 

 called McLean's, and said to be one of the best of its 

 class. Prof. Goff's descriptions do not differ in any 

 material way from those secured here later, altho he 

 mentions as characteristic a decrease in size of the leaves 

 toward the top of the stem, a point we did not observe, 

 nor is it spoken of by others. His plants were very 

 slightly taller and pods a little longer and perhaps 

 better filled than those we grew. 



Very dwarf, rarely over a foot in height, with some branches 

 both at base and above; foliage abundant to dense, very dark green 

 glaucous, but not whitened: leaflets and stipules small: tendrils 

 conspicuous slender, moderately curled; flowers begin at the 6tb 

 node: pods in pairs on short, heavy stalks, 2J4 to 2 3 4 inches long, 

 rather narrow, but moderately plump, straight, rounded at the end 

 with small tip. not quite as dark in color as the foliage' peas 5-7 

 rather large, indented, oval to almost cylindrical, medium to dark 

 green; seeds medium in size, about 130 to the ounce, smooth, semi 

 smooth or slightly dimpled, and dull green in color. The crops 

 were very good, and early for dimpled peas. 



Fillbasket. Refs. 60-63. Laxton raised this variety 

 before 1872 and it was sent in that year to the Royal 

 Horticultural Society gardens for testing under another 

 name, which, because the plants bore so very freely of 

 large pods, was changed by a Committee of the Society 

 to Fillbasket. It received a First Class Certificate. It 

 is said to be a Standard x Laxton Supreme cross. It 

 soon became popular, was grown in France, and reached 

 America about 1882, being grown in Station tests in 1883 

 and 1884. " Improved " strains of it have been dis- 

 tributed at various times, in both England and America, 

 one of the latter being Simon's Fillbasket, introduced in 

 1890 by Moore 8s Simon. As grown here recently this 

 seemed really an improvement, taller in vine and rather 

 later than the other strain tried. The crops were better 

 and the pods decidedly longer and broader, not quite as 



