54 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



this pea and its improvements are among the leading 

 canning peas of the country, being grown for this pur- 

 pose much more widely than in gardens, where they are 

 surpassed by shorter-vined peas of the same pod size 

 or by taller peas with larger pods. 



Admiral is quite similar to Alaska in vine tho taller, and with 

 heavier and darker foliage, and in pod shape, but the peaa art- 

 larger, lighter in color, more crowded in tin pod, 6 to 8 in number, 

 often indented, light green in color, with delicate skins and far bettl C 

 in quality. The seeds are \ . I j small for wrinkled peas, cylindrical 

 or square, indented, compressed and finely wrinkled, of even deep 

 cream color. The Admirals give splendid crops about 10 days or 

 two weeks later than those of Alaska, for the canners' harvest 

 altho in the garden edible peas can be picked much earlier. 



White Admiral and Yellow Admiral are evidently 

 strains of the old Admiral pea, which differ from each 

 other, if at all, only in slight but seemingly constant 

 differences in the tint of foliage and in the shade of 

 cream color of the seeds, and from the old Admiral in 

 shorter vines, greater productiveness and more uni- 

 formity of pods, and in time of ripening. 



Green Idmiral. Refs. 50; Seed World 17:No. 

 13:18. 1925. Green Admiral, since its seeds are green, 

 does not really belong in this group, but is included 

 here for convenience in description. It was developed 

 from the cream-colored form by Rogers and differs from 

 the other types in being a day or two later in our tests, 

 at least, slightly darker in foliage, shorter or at least 

 less erect in earlier stages of growth, and having light 

 green instead of cream seeds. The peas are generally 

 considered of better quality than those of White or 

 Yellow Admiral. Green Admiral ranks next to Advancer 

 in yield for canning, and gives a larger proportion of 

 peas in higher priced grades than does Advancer. It is 

 not quite of the best quality. 



Gradus (Refs. 58 61) is probably one of the best 

 known peas in American gardens; but seems never to 

 have become so popular in England where it originated. 

 It is a Laxton pea, said to have received a First Class 

 Certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society in 

 1887, but according to another reference, was not yet 

 introduced in 1890. It also was awarded Highly Com- 

 mended in 1925 tests of the Society. It came to America 

 in 1897; and was called " Prosperity " as the result of a 

 prize name contest by a leading American seedsman, and 

 is still carried under that name by that firm and others, 

 but was listed the next year by several seedsmen in this 

 country under its true English name. As introduced in 

 England it was said to be as early as William the First, 

 to have pods of the same size and as well filled as those 

 of Duke of Albany, with large peas of as good quality 

 as those of Ne Plus Ultra. As grown at this Station 

 from seed from various sources, it has been somewhat 

 disappointing, being taller, rather later and not setting 

 as heavily as was expected. It seems to be hard to 

 keep down to medium height, as early English references 

 speak of it as 2 1 2 to 3 feet tall; but those after 1910, 

 of which several record official tests, speak more often 

 of 4, 4 1 •_, or even 5 feet than of shorter plants, and these 

 figures correspond quite closely with those secured on 

 Station grounds, where peas usually grow shorter, rather 



than taller, than in many localities. Even when sown 

 late, Gradus here requires about 60 days to first pods, 

 making it a full midseason variety. 



Height 4 to 4 ' j feet; rather slender stems, often branched at 

 the base; foliage abundant to dense, medium green, decidedly 

 blotched or marbled with white and comparatively free from bloom; 

 leaflets usually 4 in number, small and regular in shape, and stipules 

 very much larger, clasping the stem deeply, with rounded tips and 

 shallow teeth; flowers abundant, large, white, beginning from the 

 9th to the 11th node, single; pod stalks very long, thick, often 

 leafy; pods 3'.| to3\ inches long, broad, rather long oval in sec- 

 tion, straight or slightly curved, with pointed or long rounded ends, 

 no distinct tips; peas 5 to 8, large, oblong, somewhat indented thru 

 crowding in the pod; seeds usually clear bright cream in color or in 

 some strains with nearly one-third green seeds and well wrinkled. 

 The peas are of fine quality and crops good; but the variety is 

 exceeded in both respects by newer varieties of the Thomas Laxton, 

 Laxtonian, and Gem types. 



Gradus is generally classed with Blue Bantam, 

 Dwarf Telephone, Laxtonian and others of the pointed- 

 pod section of the Large-podded dwarf group; but color 

 of seeds of the old type places it here. Length of vines 

 would also exclude it from groups of dwarf peas. 



A Dwarf Gradus is referred to in both England and 

 America, with plants described as from 1 ' | to 2 feet tall, 

 but strains of these secured from the Pacific slope have 

 been considerably taller, tho somewhat shorter than the 

 regular strains of Gradus. They have also been some- 

 what earlier; but this has probably been due to late 

 seeding and dry warm seasons. 



Late Gradus is not included here, as the selection 

 seems to have resulted in a green -seeded, tall pea of the 

 Telephone type. 



illiance (Ref. 62) is generally called a synonym of 

 Eugenie, next described; but according to the reference 

 given it appears to have been a very similar but inferior 

 pea, introduced the previous year by Harrison ll) as 

 superior to his Glory which originated a year earlier 

 still. 



Eugenie (Refs. 62-66), a white wrinkled marrow, 

 and Napoleon, green-seeded, are said to have originated 

 from two peas in the same pod, the plants being grown 

 about 1855 by Harrison ( 1 ). The varieties were identical 

 except for the color of the seeds. Eugenie and Alliance, 

 and similarly Napoleon and Climax, if once distinct, 

 soon became inseparably mixed, both in England and 

 America, each of the first pair of names referring to one 

 white-seeded variety, and of the latter pair to the same 

 green-seeded one. Eugenie reached America within 5 or 

 6 years after its English introduction, became widely dis- 

 tributed here and was still listed at least as late as 1913. 



Grown at the Station in 1884 and 1886: Height 2j^ to 2 l A 

 feet; stem slender, rarely branched; foliage deep green, of which the 

 stipules, toward the base of the plants, were glaucous and washed 

 with white; pods starting low on the stems, 5th or 6th node, single 

 below and often paired above, on short stalks, tapering gradually 

 to tip, variable in filling, being very poor below, often with only 

 1 pea, while above they may have 7 or 8, broad and rather flat, 

 pale green in color. French references say the pods were slightly 

 curved and ends rounded; and confirm poor filling of lower pods. 

 The peas were of fine quality and quite large, the dried seeds 

 averaging about 85 to the ounce, the crop very good, ready rather 

 late and maturing very slowly. 



