DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIETIES 



61 



but unfortunately modern breeders, unless with decidedly 

 scientific leanings, have not generally given the parentage 

 of the varieties originated; and the histories in this 

 group are more lacking in accurate breeding data than 

 those in many other groups. With innumerable varieties 

 to work with, each showing many characteristics, and 

 few of them purified from Mendelian recessives, several 

 combinations of parents, of the comparatively few known, 

 have appeared quite unlike in character groupings, yet 

 have resulted in new varieties sufficiently alike to come 

 well within the limits of the group, and in some cases 

 to be very similar. This diversity in parentage, known 

 and unknown, makes any genetic grouping of the vari- 

 eties impossible; so that the group, in its three sections, 

 is merely a collection of varieties similar in general 

 appearance and horticulturally useful characteristics, 

 all having wrinkled seeds, usually mixed in color. The 

 first section includes the comparatively low-growing, 

 semi-dwarf or dwarf types, with pods above medium in 

 length, generally straight, but occasionally slightly 

 curved, broad, seldom very plump, and with ends long 

 rounded or pointed, having small tips or none. The 

 pods are quite similar to those of the Telephone group, 

 usually shorter and relatively broader, but in a few 

 sorts, longer and appearing more slender. The second 

 section is very similar to the first, but with pods rounded, 

 blunt or square at the ends, usually with distinct tips, 

 and often more plump than those of the first group. 

 The third section is separated from the others by vine 

 characters mainly, being decidedly more dwarf in early 

 stages and showing a " bunchy " or clustered appearance 

 due to the slow lengthening of the upper internodes 

 before flowering which masses the rather heavy foliage 

 and developing pods at the top of the stem. 



Of the first group, Dwarf Telephone (incorrectly 

 used as a synonym of Daisy), World Record, Lax- 

 tonian, and Peter Pan, are among the best known, and 

 are described in detail, the characters of the others 

 being indicated more briefly as showing differences or 

 resemblances of these varieties to one or the other of 

 those more fully described. 



POINTED POD SECTION 



Dwarf Telephone. Refs. 6-10. The true Dwarf 

 Telephone originated in 1888 from a Stratagem x Tele- 

 phone cross, made " by one of the most careful propa- 

 gators in the United States," apparently not a member 

 of the Allan firm, by whom it was introduced. Later 

 the cross was said to be between Improved Stratagem 

 and Improved Telephone. Carter Daisy is usually 

 regarded as identical with Dwarf Telephone, but the two 

 varieties originated on opposite sides of the Atlantic 

 in different years and from different parentage. Strata- 

 gem was common to the two, but the other parent of 

 Dwarf Telephone was Telephone; and of Daisy, a seed- 

 ling from a second Stratagem cross. The seeds of Dwarf 

 Telephone are mixed cream and green, those of Daisy 

 clear dark cream, with an almost brownish shade. 



As grown here Dwarf Telephone was 2*4 feet tall; stems 

 moderately stout, internodes short, making support unnecessary, 



but allowing the upper part of the plants to droop or trail; usually 

 branched both at the base and near the middle of the stalk; foliage 

 abundant, medium green, not whitened nor noticeably glaucous, 

 made up of small, regular leaflets in 4s and stipules only slightly 

 larger than the leaflets, lightly clasping the stem, sharp-tipped and 

 with shallow teeth to above the middle. The plants did not show 

 the clustered effect of the upper leaves and buds so characteristic 

 of Daisy. Pods began somewhat irregularly, from the 7th to the 

 12th node, being lower on unbranched stems, almost always single 

 with us, but occasionally paired elsewhere, 3} 4 to 3 3 4 inches long, 

 in other tests 4 or 4}/2 inches, medium or greater in breadth, quite 

 plump, oval in cross section, smooth or finely wrinkled at picking 

 time, straight or slightly curved, with ventrum less arched than 

 that of Daisy, filled to the tip and nearly to the edge, rounded to 

 long rounded at the end, which bears a large, straight tip; only 

 medium green in color and the walls rather too thin to hold fresh- 

 ness well; peas 5 or 6, occasionally more, medium to large in size, 

 quite uniform in the pod, smooth, round or slightly indented, oval 

 to oblong vertically, between light green and medium green in 

 color, of excellent quality. The season was decidedly earlier than 

 that of Telephone; but the yield was not as good. 



Early Morn. Refs. 15, 16; S. Dak. Sta. Bui. 

 91:5. 1905; Dreer Cat. 1905. Early Morn was intro- 

 duced by Carter in 1897, received an Award of Merit 

 from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1899, was tested 

 by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1904, 

 and was commercially introduced in the United States 

 the next year. It has been quite widely grown in 

 England, and to some extent in this country. 



Early Morn was grown here from the introducer's 

 seed and from American grown seed. The domestic 

 strain was much inferior to that from English seed, so 

 the description is based on the latter alone. 



Of Dwarf Telephone type, it was much taller, 3 feet ; stem much 

 more slender making support necessary for best results, less branched; 

 foliage less abundant, both leaflets and stipules considerably whitened 

 or tinted with yellow, stipules larger than those of Dwarf Telephone, 

 somewhat glaucous, very deeply clasping and rounded at the tips; 

 tendrils less prominent; flowers cream colored, small and few in 

 number at any particular time, borne singly, beginning at the 8th 

 node; pods average shorter, more uneven in length, broader, 

 straighter, not so well filled, and with more pointed ends, frequently 

 showing a dorsal slant to the point, as well as ventral, light to 

 medium green in color, with little bloom; peas slightly larger, more 

 oblong, of rather poor color and with a tendency to wrinkling while 

 at the picking stage, making it necessary to pick early before the 

 pods were fully filled, if the quality is to be retained; seeds larger 

 and more wrinkled, mixed cream and green. Crop ready a full 

 week before that of Dwarf Telephone but yields only fair. 



World Record. Refs. 32; Leonard Cat. 1913. 

 World Record originated with Sutton before 1907, when 

 first listed, from a cross between Harbinger and Early 

 Giant. It reached the United States in 1913 or earlier. 

 It became quite well known in this country but is not 

 now as popular as some other varieties of the group; 

 since it seems somewhat irregular in behavior, succeeding 

 well in some seasons or some localities and poorly in 

 others. Tho grown from three seed sources and in 

 different years at the Station, we succeeded in getting 

 only one fairly representative crop; and even with this 

 the pods were small. The description here given, there- 

 fore, is to some extent compiled, especially with respect 

 to dimensions. 



Height 2 '4 to 2J^ feet, occasionally more; stem short -jointed 

 but rather slender, with occasional basal branches only; foliage 



