60 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



receiving two or more Awards of Merit from the Royal I 

 Horticultural Soc 



two here it is from 1 j _• to 1 ' i feet tall, like Little Gem 



in stem and branches but rather more erect, with rather smaller 



leaflets only slightly whitened and with stipules clasping the stem 



light! B«nt tendrils, flowers large, from near the 



groun 3rd node; pods paired as well as single, on short. 



thick stalks, pods almost identical with those of Little Gem. shorter 



when paired, heavier, and with longer, pointed ends and the typical 



irve.l tips of Little Gem; much darker in color than those of 



Gem; peas somewhat larger: seeds much larger, even exceeding 



Vncrican Wonder, but much more wrinkled. It should 



be said that Sutton's and Carter's illustrations of Little Marvel 



" stockier " pods with blunter ends than we have been able 



to secure in our tests; and some American descriptions make the 



pods blunt ended. The pea has been almost as early as American 



-r. and exceedingly productive. Little Marvel is among the 



f the peas of this group. Laxton's Little Marvel Improved 



i Roy. Hort. Soc. Jour. .">2:lo7 19J7 j s a mixed stock, with 



broader podded and curved-podded types. 



Rivenhall Wonder. Refs. 48; Maule Cat. 1905. 

 Rivenhall Wonder received an Award of Merit from the 

 Royal Horticultural Society in 1903, when sent by 

 Cooper -Taber and seed of it was secured for American 

 distribution in 1905 when it was probably first sold in 

 England. It is said by various authorities to be " of 

 the Gem class," " an improved American Wonder," 

 and " an improved Witham Wonder." As Witham 

 Wonder was also a Cooper-Taber pea, Rivenhall Wonder 

 is probably a selection from it. Seed of it sent here 

 from British Columbia gave a very poor stand, so 

 original plant descriptions were not secured. 



In England. Height 2} ■> feet; stem very robust, dark green; 

 foliage and pods dark green. In America " 10 inches tall " or " 4 

 to 5 inches taller than American Wonder," with short internodes 

 and dense foliage. 



As we grew them, pods 3 to 3 3 , inches long, broad, moderately 

 plump, straight, with long-rounded ends without tips, medium to 

 deep green in color, not always well filled; peas averaged 5 or 6, 

 large, light green, seeds of British Wonder type but more compressed 

 and thinner, making them weigh one-tenth less, much larger than 

 those of Witham Wonder, and more wrinkled than those of American 

 Wonder. It is decidedly later than most of the class, a midseason 

 or even late midseason variety, but said to be very productive. 



Karlv Excelsior. Ref. 50. Excelsior, or Early 

 Excelsior, as Gregory named it in 1906, is undoubtedly 

 an English pea, as the introducer compares it with Nott 

 Excelsior, " its American cousin; " but we have been 

 unable to ascertain its English source. It is not Sutton 

 Excelsior. We have grown Excelsior from British 

 Columbia seeds and Early Excelsior from the introducer's 

 stock, and find them essentially identical. 



The variety is like Nott Excelsior, but earlier, 47 to 50 days 

 from late May sowing, or 36 days from earlier planting: with larger 

 pods and peas, 3 to 3 ' ( inches instead of 2 ' j to 2 ' ., and 45 to the 

 ounce rather than 70. with stouter vines 3 t to 1 foot tall: and a better 

 producer giving better than good and very good crops. The seeds 



LARGE PODDED 

 This group of garden peas is of comparatively recent 

 origin. The oldest varieties in it, and these not quite 

 typical of the group, are less than 50 years old; and 

 more than three-fourths of all have originated during 

 this century, in response to the modern demand for 

 the combination in single varieties of all desirable pea 



weigh 105 to the ounce. 30 less than Nott Excelsior, and are very 

 similar in color and shape to those of British Wonder. 



Richard Seddon. Refs. 54; and letter of J. A. 

 Campbell, Director of Horticulture, N. Z. Department of 

 Agr., May 18, 1926. Richard Seddon originated with 

 F. Cooper, Wellington, N. Z., about 1912 and was named 

 for the representative there of the British Government. 

 It appeared in several American catalogs in 1913, and 

 was at one time in considerable favor here and in Canada. 



As grown here, of Little Gem type of branches and foliage, 

 with a stouter, less angular stem 1 1', feet tall, flowering at the 

 7th node and producing single pods on short, stocky stalks, of 

 Wonder, rather than Gem type. 2"* to 3' | inches long, but uneven, 

 with many small pods only 2 ' _> inches long, slightly curved, with 

 pointed to rounded ends and distinct straight tips, wrinkling early, 

 not always well filled, but when perfect with 6 to 8 medium sized, 

 oblong, indented peas, dark green in color and of fine quality. 

 The seeds are of Gem type, but remarkable for the " cylinder 

 section " appearance. The variety was fully midseason in maturing 

 pods, and not productive. It is evident that marked strain dif- 

 ferences exist, as some, particularly the originator, found it as early 

 as American Wonder, others a few days later than the Gems. 



Duke Delighl iRef. 56) was introduced by Rout- 

 ledge in 1918, coming originally from New Zealand. It 

 was named for one of the firm whose " nickname " was 

 " Duke." It is very similar to American Wonder, not 

 quite as early but maturing more uniformly. It was 

 the most productive pea, for the size of the plants, of 

 any in the group; and one of the best table peas in color 

 and quality. 



It varies somewhat in height, from 5 6 to 1 ' .[ feet, these limits 

 being noted in different seasons; flowers from the 7th or 8th 

 node, and bears both single and paired pods. These varied, in the 

 two seasons, 2 ;i ,to3', inches long in 1926, 2", to 3 ' , in 1924, but 

 were uniform in each season, very plump or " stocky," occasionally 

 saddle-backed, straight, blunt to square at the end with a small, 

 straight tip, slightly wrinkled when ready to pick, good green in 

 color, and averaging 6 or 7 very large, oval, indented dark green 

 peas of the best quality. The seeds are practically those of Little 

 Gem enlarged one-fifth and noticeably of " cylinder section " shape 

 from compression in the pod. 



Canners' Gem (Ref. 57) originated with Allan 

 probably about 1920. 



It isof Little Gem type of stem, considerably taller, 2'. i to 2 ' 2 

 feet, with strong basal branches; foliage less whitened, sometimes 

 with 6 leaflets, and with more round-tipped stipules; tendrils are quite 

 prominent, long and slender: flowers begin well up the stem, 14th 

 node: pods borne toward top of plants, in pairs and singly, on long, 

 quite heavy stalks, much longer than those of Little Gem, 2 ' s to 

 3 ' j inches, appear more slender but are plump, perfectly straight 

 and with parallel sides, blunt at the ends and with small straight 

 tips, more like Wonder than Gem in these last characteristics, light 

 green in color, almost always well filled; peas 5 8, small or medium 

 sized, oval, indented, light green to medium green, of fine quality; 

 seeds smaller than those of Little Gem and often of decided cylinder 

 section shape. The season is later than that of Little Gem and the 

 yield not high, but it grades well for canning. It is not a good gar- 

 den variety, because of the poor distribution of pods and short season. 



DWARF GROUP 



qualities: Ease and economy of handling in both cultiva- 

 tion and picking; heavy yields; early and continuous 

 production; or, for canning peas, nearly simultaneous 

 readiness of most of the crop; large, attractive and well- 

 filled pods; and peas of the highest quality. 



The varieties of the group have resulted from crosses; 



