58 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



Ac-nnt; n.-dr foliage abundant, rather dark green with 



whitish veins and whitened areas, most noticeable on the stipules; 



leaflets large, regular in shape, usually in -Is, almost bloomless, 



stipules only slightly larger than the leaflets, clasping the stem 



deeply, sharp-tipped, serrate to above the middle and distinctly 



glau* rs white, about the 8th node, only occasionally 



paired, on short, rather stocky peduncles; pods rarely paired. 



medium green in color, quite uniform. 2* . to 3 inches long within 



vfakh limits all figures given by others f.ill . quite broad, plump. 



having a cross section Ix-twcen round and oval, quite regular in 



!. surfaced, and usually well filled, both to the edge 



and to the end. which is rounded and bears a rather large prolongs 



frequently ending in a slender, curved point; peas 4 to 



6. occasionally 7. rather irregular, medium sized, round or oblong, 



rcssed or indented, medium green, of very good quality. 



The season is early or very early for wrinkled peas, the first 



!<ing ready in 5-' to 56 days from late sowings or 57 to 60 



days from sowings made as soon as is advisable for wrinkled peas. 



The pickings extend over nearly two weeks. In recent years, at 



least. Little Gem has not been very productive, the crops ranking 



as only fair to good. 



American Wonder. Refs. 4, 5; Card. Chron. 

 IK:507. 1882; Denaiffc L. P. P. 39. 1906. American 

 Wonder originated about 1875 or 1876 with Arnold as 

 a Little Gem x Champion of England cross, and was 

 introduced by Bliss in 1878. This was the first real 

 competitor of Little Gem, which had held the field for 

 15 years: but American Wonder became fully as popular, 

 if not more so. It reached Australia in two years, Eng- 

 land in three, and like Little Gem. soon found a place in 

 most if not all Continental pea-growing countries. It 

 is probably the most widely known American pea. Its 

 earliness, small size, prolificness and fine quality gave 

 it a place in the garden of practically every American 

 pea lover ; and the forceful advertising of its introducers 

 brought it to the attention of foreign growers, who soon 

 recognized its merits. 



Seeds slightly larger than those of Little Gem, more nearly 

 round from hilum to tip. rather thicker, with more of the " cylinder- 

 section " appearance, and usually with a slightly greater percentage 

 I f the cream-colored type, more blue ior white in the green of the 

 skin, and more cream in the cotyledon color; plants more dwarf, 

 3 1 to 1 foot tall in our tests, with others' limits, } ■> foot and 1 ' 4 feet; 

 stems stout, only slightly angled, internodes correspondingly shorter; 

 branches rather fewer; foliage somewhat finer than that of Little 

 Gem. and so clustered by the short internodes that stems and pod 

 stalks are almost hidden, of the same color but slightly less whitened; 

 with smaller leaflets and stipules, the latter being more often rounded 

 at the tip One observer says leaves are borne mainly on one side 

 of the stalk, but this peculiarity was not noticeable on our stock. 

 The flowers do not differ from those of Little Gem, but are borne, 

 singly, starting at about the 6th node; pods medium green in color, 

 uniform, slightly shorter than those of Little Gem, scant 3 inches, 

 with us and as noted by others' somewhat broader, giving a dis- 

 tinctly short, plump, " stocky " appearance, almost cylindrical, 

 with blunt ends, and short, straight tips, quite unlike those of 

 Gem, exceptionally well filled, averaging one pea more than Little 

 Gem; peas S to 7, occasionally 8. larger because of the greater 

 breadth and plumpness of the pods, but equally indented, rather 

 better in color. The season is slightly earlier than that of Little 

 Gem, rather shorter, and the yield much better. 



The French improvement on this variety, American 

 der Long-pod. was distinctly taller in plant and with 

 pods often in pairs, of the same length as the original, 

 or when single possibly a quarter of an inch longer. 



Premium Gem. Refs. 7 11. The exact date of 

 origination of Premium Gem is uncertain ; but it was 



probably very shortly before 1877. when the variety was 

 mentioned in an American periodical, in a note apparently 

 copied from an English source. It was introduced by 

 Carter and seems to be a selection from Little Gem 

 without crossing. It is very like Little Gem, rather 

 taller, reaching 2 feet, with pods longer by one-eighth of 

 an inch, and somewhat better filled with slightly larger 

 peas. Pickings begin at the same time but continue 

 rather longer and the crops are decidedly better. Extra 

 Early Premium Gem was considered merely a synonym 

 in the early history of the variety; but in our tests the 

 strain bearing that name was about two days earlier, 

 coming with American Wonder, and a rather better 

 producer. 



Another strain is Darling Gem. which, being grown 

 farther north, is taller, occasionally has 6 leaflets, flowers 

 at 11th node, has longer, slenderer, more blunt-ended 

 pods, occasionally slightly curved at the tip, often with 

 one more pea to the pod, but of poorer color; is later 

 and hardly as good a producer under our central New 

 York conditions. Magnificent, of the Berry Seed Co., 

 Clarinda, Iowa, is a rather large-podded, productive 

 strain of Premium Gem. 



William Hurst. Refs. 12 14; Gard. Mo. 26:112. 

 1884. William Hurst was listed by Hurst in 1882, 

 presumably on its introduction. It probably originated 

 with Laxton. It resembles American Wonder and may 

 be a selection from that variety, tho some plant characters 

 are more like those of Little Gem. 



As grown at this Station in 1884 it was fully as 

 dwarf as American Wonder, rarely branched, with lighter 

 colored foliage and smaller leaflets, stipules more 

 whitened, with pods less uniform in size, often small, 

 and frequently curved toward the tips. It was very 

 prolific, rather early and ripened slowly. 



Seeds for our recent tests came from Holland, were much 

 smaller than those of American Wonder, as were the peas, better 

 green with only slight admixture of cream seeds, and almost as finely 

 wrinkled as Premium Gem. The plants were taller than those of 

 American Wonder, and straggling like those of Little Gem, as was 

 also noted by some other authorities. As in the older tests there 

 were many small pods, especially when paired, as they were quite 

 often, being, in this respect, like Little Gem, or better. The pods 

 were of the broad, round-ended American Wonder type, differing 

 from those described by Goff. They were borne on the 7th or 

 8th nodes, were well filled, and produced abundantly over a long 

 season, as in 1884, making very good crops. The small peas were 

 crowded in the pod, showed wrinkling while still edible, were of 

 light, shining, medium green to light green color and splendid quality. 

 It appears to be one of the best of the older varieties of the group, 

 and is still listed and grown. It is later than either Gem or Wonder. 



Station. Refs. 15; N. Y. Sta. Rpt. 3:236. 1885; 

 Gregory Car. 1895; Thorburn Car. 1895. The Sta- 

 tion pea resulted from a cross between American Wonder 

 and Earliest of All, made at this Station in 1883 by 

 Prof. E. S. Goff. 



It preceded Gregory Surprise by several years, but 

 the two varieties were almost inseparable, the later one 

 was better advertised and the name Surprise won for 

 the merged stock of the two, Station becoming obso- 

 lete or only a synonym. True stock of it no longer 

 exists. 



