DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIETIES 



75 



large, round oval, smooth surfaced, medium green, of very good, 

 but not quite best quality. When sown on May 11th the first 

 Telephone pods were ready to pick in 65 days, earlier sowings 

 requiring about a week longer and later sowings, which brought 

 ripening into hot weather, needed 10 days less. In no case were 

 our crops better than " good," an average yield for peas of this 

 type: but different strains varied somewhat in yield. Improved 

 Telephone and Improved Dark-podded Telephone differed from 

 the name-strains in slightly more uniform and darker colored pods 

 and better colored peas. 



Tall Telephone (seed from British Columbia) proved 

 true to the name, the stems being 6 feet long; but the 

 pods began much higher on the vine (21st node), were 

 much smaller, more like those of Advancer, and were 

 nearly a week later in maturing. The Tall Telephone 

 of Aggeler 8b Musser is apparently only Telephone, in 

 distinction from Dwarf Telephone, which they also list. 



Duke of Albany. Refs. 14-17; Rural N. Y. 

 l.'i: 544. 1884. Duke of Albany traces, as does Tele- 

 phone, to Telegraph, being the result of a cross between 

 that variety and Hallamshire Hero (unknown in Amer- 

 ica*, made before 1882 by Abbott. It soon gained a 

 prominent place in England, reached the United States 

 in two years and became well known under its own 

 name or that of America Champion; and it also met 

 some favor in France. It is still known in all three 

 countries, but is being superseded by other varieties 

 that are more productive. It received an Award of 

 Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1901 

 and 1916 but was not given one in 1921. 



As grown here it is exceedingly like Telephone, but rather 

 shorter-stemmed; the pods average larger and are much more 

 uniform: and the peas and seeds are very large, the latter running 

 84 to the ounce which number measures 44.5 cubic centimeters 

 as compared with 104 to the ounce measuring 41 cubic centimeters 

 for Telephone. Both pods and peas are slightly better colored 

 than the ordinary, or old, Telephone. The season is the same and 

 the yield no better, if as good. 



Admiral Dewey. Refs. 19; Gregory Car. 1904. 

 Admiral Dewey originated with Allan, who had two 

 or three vines of it in 1884, the original plant, according 

 to Gregory, a friend of Allan, having been found as a 

 chance seedling among a lot of peas received from Eng- 

 land. The marked resemblance of the pea to Telephone 

 would indicate that this find was a variant specimen of 

 that variety from which a strain was developed very 

 free from sports, rather shorter-stemmed than Tele- 

 phone, and with longer and greener pods and greener 

 peas and seeds. 



In our tests Admiral Dewey (not from the originator's seed) 

 appears to have degenerated to some extent, being taller than when 

 introduced 5 ! 2 feeti and taller than Telephone, and with shorter, 

 rather than longer pods, and pods and peas of the same or lighter 

 color. The stem was more branched than that of Telephone, 

 having occasional long medial branches, and the pods were some- 

 times in pairs making Admiral Dewey decidedly the better cropper 

 of the two. 



Victory. Refs. 20-22; Landreth Cat. 1897; letter 

 from J. Bolgiano Seed Co., Jan. 27, 1927. Sharpe 

 Victory received a First Class Certificate from the 

 Royal Horticultural Society in 1886, which was probably 

 shortly before its introduction. It apparently was slow 

 in coming to America, our first reference to it being 10 



years later but it was considerably grown for a time. 

 One reference says it was of the Shropshire Hero class, 

 but earlier and better sources speak of pods whose 

 size and shape ally the variety with Telephone, although 

 much shorter and stouter in stem and with many 

 branches. The pods were evidently fully as long and as 

 broad as those of Telephone, and long-rounded ends, 

 and were bright green. It was a late midseason pea. 



In 1918, Hurst sent to the Royal Horticultural 

 Society for testing a Victory pea, quite different from 

 Sharpe Victory, and corresponding much more closely 

 with Telephone in vine and pod. Hurst does not list 

 a Victory in his catalogs of 1919 or more recent ones nor 

 have we found any other English reference to a Victory 

 of this type. 



In 1920, J. Bolgiano announced as a new creation 

 a pea bearing this name, which came from a few vines 

 found among the crops of one of the late tall-growing 

 varieties of English origin. As grown here, this corre- 

 sponds almost perfectly to the Victory first noted ; altho 

 said to have no connection with that variety. 



It is rather later than Telephone, with slightly shorter stems 

 and decidedly shorter joints, more often branched, pods begin 

 higher on stem ( 1 7th node I , are nearly half an inch longer than those 

 of Telephone and more uniform, often slightly curved at the points, 

 with thicker walls and rougher surface, rounded rather than pointed 

 ends, rather better in color and with peas decidedly greener. The 

 crops varied somewhat but in the last season of testing the yield 

 was much better than that of Telephone. 



Alderman. Refs. 29-32; Burpee Cat. 1901. 

 Alderman was introduced by Laxton about 1891, and 

 is probably a selection from Duke of Albany, with more 

 branched plants, larger and better colored, and better 

 filled pods and greener peas. It was introduced to the 

 United States by Burpee before 1901, and is still listed 

 by several seedsmen. As grown here, it was better 

 than Telephone, excelling it in the points mentioned 

 above, and yielded much better than Duke of Albany, 

 although the pods of the strain we grew were no larger. 

 Pods and peas were both decidedly darker in color. 



Duke of York. Refs. 35, 36. Cooper-Taber 

 introduced Duke of York in 1892. It is probably a 

 selection, without crossing, from Duke of Albany. It 

 received a First Class Certificate from the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society in 1892 and an Award of Merit in 1893, 

 but was not considered worthy of an award when shown 

 in 1918. It reached the United States about 5 years 

 after its introduction and was listed by several seedsmen, 

 but did not win a permanent place, as it was not found 

 in 1922 catalogs and so was not grown here. 



It was said to be about a week earlier and much dwarfer than 

 Telephone, 2j^-4 feet, flowered from 14th node and above, with 

 pods much like those of Telephone, no better in color but with peas 

 of higher quality. It was said, in England, not to run to small 

 pods or to suffer from drouth as did Telephone and Duke of Albany; 

 but by at least one large grower in America was found to sport 

 badly. 



It is apparently repeated, with some improved 

 characteristics, in Admiral Beatty. 



Boston Unrivalled. Refs. 44; S. Dak. Sta. Bui. 

 85:4. 1900; Burpee Car. 1904. This pea was named 



