70 



THE VEGETABLES OF NEW YORK 



size of the pods is considered: but the peas were probably 

 even better in quality tho no definite comparison was 

 made between the two strains. 



Napoleon. Refs. 27; Hovey Car. 1859; Hogg 

 Card. Yt. Bk 14:107. 1873. Napoleon, Climax, 

 and Pairhead Excelsior are regarded as identical, but 

 were probably of independent, tho nearly simultaneous, 

 origin by selection from Knight Dwarf Green Wrinkled 

 Marrow. Hogg gives Napoleon only as a synonym of 

 Climax. 



Napoleon and Eugenie, a similar but white-seeded 

 variety, said to have originated from seeds in the same 

 pod, were raised by Harrison, and announced in 1856 

 as superior to Unique and Masterpiece, varieties pre- 

 viously distributed by him. Napoleon was brought 

 to America in 1859 and said to be much earlier than 

 Champion of England, and a great bearer. It was about 

 3 feet tall. 



( Umax. Refs. 27; Hogg Gard. Yt. Bk. 11:107. 

 1873. Later in the same year, and in the same periodical 

 in which Napoleon was announced. Climax and Alli- 

 ance, a white wrinkled pea, were advertised as superior to 

 Perfection and Glory, Harrison's dimpled peas sold the 

 previous year. As no connection of Climax with 

 Napoleon is here mentioned, it is probable that these 

 two peas, with the similar white seeded varieties, Alliance 

 and Eugenie, and their predecessors. Unique and Master- 

 piece, as well as the dimpled peas, Perfection and Glory, 

 were all selections from the Knight peas, made within a 

 year or two. 



Climax reached America in 1861. both it and 



Napoleon being listed by the same firm and evidently 

 regarded as distinct, Climax being smaller than Napo- 

 leon, and early. Hogg condemns Climax because of its 

 poorly filled pods, many peas aborting. 



Fort) Fold. Refs. 29; Ann. Hort. 124. 1889. 

 Forty Fold, or Forty Fold Champion, originated with 

 Fairbeard, about 1864. Several American seedsmen 

 listed it between 1889 and 1907 and it was still cataloged 

 by more than dozen firms in 1901. It was a selection 

 from Champion of England and an improvement on 

 that variety. 



Shorter in stem, with larger pods, longer and considerably 

 curved, almost scimitar shaped, and better filled; peas of poor 

 color, of medium size, oval, sweet, juicy and well flavored; seeds 

 light green and very well wrinkled. The variety was late like 

 Champion of England, but more prolific and held freshness better. 



Free ll<;ir<-r i Ref. 34 i is a comparatively new pea 

 of the old Champion of England type, which originated 

 with Kelway before 1922. It was grown at the Idaho 

 Station, from which seed was secured for a test at this 

 Station. It is probably not known commercially in the 

 United States. 



It proved to be dwarf, 2 J 2 feet tall, with only a few basal 

 branches; foliage abundant dark green, frequently with 6 leaflets 

 as in Improved Champion; flowers very free from the 14th node; 

 pods rarely paired, 3 to 3 •' » inches long, rather narrow but very 

 plump, very slightly curved, well filled, with rounded to blunt ends 

 and often with rather large tips; peas very uniform in the pods, 

 smooth, round or slightly indented, oval, medium in size and color, 

 seeds very small, 170 to the ounce, much flattened, often almost 

 cylindrical, well wrinkled and light green, greenish or bluish cream 

 and cream in color. The season was the same as that of Champion; 

 and crop very good. 



NE PLUS ULTRA GROUP 



This old group is another with indefinite limits. 

 The crossing of types which has lead to the introduction 

 of most wrinkled pea varieties has grouped characteris- 

 tics in very diverse combinations; parents outside a 

 group may have progeny which can be classed in the 

 group only, if the leading group characteristics are con- 

 sidered; or parents, both unmistakably showing group 

 characters, fail to transmit these but carry recessive 

 factors that place some descendant in a group of entirely 

 different types. 



The variety Ne Plus Ultra is not, and never has 

 been, very widely known in America; and may not 

 bring to mind as clear a picture to represent its group 

 as Senator, Little Gem, or Telephone do of theirs; but, 

 unfortunately, few other varieties of the group are much 

 better known here, peas of the type or types here col- 

 lected not being very popular or very successful in 

 America, tho filling an important place in English and 

 European pea culture. Thos. Laxton is probably the 

 best known member of the group; but this is a compara- 

 tively recent addition and rather short -stemmed to be 

 typical. Ne Plus Ultra is more than 80 years old; but 

 is still listed and grown in England; and an improved 

 type of it is becoming prominent in Sweden. The 

 varieties of the group, within wide limits in many direc- 

 tions, have tall stems, round and slender at the base, 

 enlarged and angular above, with long internodes, occa- 



sional medial branches, and abundant, light green foliage; 

 pods single or paired, from about the middle of the stem 

 on long, slender stalks, medium to fairly large, broad, 

 hardly plump, straight or slightly curved, with rounded 

 to blunt, or rarely square ends, with small tips; peas 

 3 to 7, large, rather oblong, of fine quality; seeds medium 

 sized, finely wrinkled, cream, greenish cream or light 

 green. The Ne Plus Ultra varieties are essentially 

 blunt-ended, plump-podded correlatives of members of 

 the Telephone group. 



The type variety, Ne Plus Ultra, was preceded by 

 one of somewhat similar type, the old Magnum Bonum, 

 which is first discussed. The history and characters, 

 in considerable detail, of Ne Plus Ultra are next given; 

 after which the other varieties of the group are described 

 by those characters which connect them with the type 

 variety or separate them from it. 



Magnum Bonum. Refs. 1, 2; Hogg Gard. Yt. 

 Bk. 11:103. 1873. The name Magnum Bonum is 

 very old in English pea literature, but references ally it 

 so closely with Ne Plus Ultra that it may be only the 

 name for a portion of the old stock of peas of this type 

 grown without name for many years at Berkhempstead. 

 Hogg says Ne Plus Ultra was selected from that stock 

 by Brownlees after it had been locally known for many 

 years. Hogg does not mention Magnum Bonum, but 

 gives Cullingford's Champion as a synonym of Ne Plus 





