DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIETIES 



77 



sometimes nearly cylindrical, with obscure radicles, and yellowish 

 green or green cotyledons; plants vigorous, 2}i to 3 feet tall; stems 

 slender, trailing stout and more erect in improved strain I, angular; 

 foliage abundant, medium to dark green, consisting of even colored, 

 non-characteristic leaflets in 4s (sometimes 2s) and large, deeply 

 clasping, glaucous, whitened stipules with sharp tips and teeth 

 from base well toward tip; flowers from 9th node, or above, white, 

 not specially characteristic, on rigid stalks of medium length and 

 thickness, usually single, but occasionally in pairs; pods single or 

 paired, 3 ' 2 to 4 inches long, of medium width, plump, moderately 

 to much curved, with long-rounded points and very small tips or 

 none, medium to dark green in color, usually well filled; peas 6 to 

 8, very' large, smooth, round or slightly indented, oblong from hilum 

 to tip, of good medium green color. The season of Senator with 

 us was fully as early as that of Advancer, if not earlier, but it is 

 usually considered somewhat later. 



Shropshire Hero. Refs. 7; Gregory Cat. 1890. 

 Shropshire Hero originated with Eckford before 1885, 

 and reached the United States in 1890, where it has, 

 from printed records at least, been more widely and 

 more favorably known than in England or in France. 

 From general similarity, it appears either a selection 

 from Yorkshire Hero or the result of a cross with that 

 variety as a parent. It differs from Yorkshire Hero 

 in having more or less curved pods, so resembles Senator ; 

 tho the pods are more blunt at the ends than others of 

 the group. When grown at the Station in 1893, Shrop- 

 shire Hero was pronounced a vigorous half-dwarf 

 variety giving heavy crops of large pods and good sized 

 peas of first quality. 



In recent tests, the variety differed from Senator in being 

 stouter stemmed, with darker, very glaucous foliage, long leaflets, 

 and proportionately smaller, less serrate and less whitened stipules; 

 pods shorter and broader, rounded to blunt at the ends; peas much 

 fewer and larger, more oval or oblong across the pod and more 

 flattened the othtr way; seeds distinctly indented, flattened, very 

 large, weighing 87 to the ounce. It was ready with Senator and 

 gave good crops. 



Heroine. Refs. 8; Gregory Car. 1890. Early 

 records of Heroine are almost identical with those of 

 Shropshire Hero: Originated with Eckford, but in 

 1889, reached America in 1890 and more popular here 

 than in England. It received more favorable notice in 

 France, however, than did Shropshire Hero. At this 

 Station, in 1893, it was said to be dwarf, and best of its 

 class. 



From printed descriptions, and as grown here recently, it is 

 about a foot shorter than Shropshire Hero, more often branched 

 at the base; foliage considerably lighter colored, with less numerous 

 and shorter leaflets, sometimes serrate along upper edges, and large 

 stipules having teeth to above the middle; pods single, from about 

 the 13th node, and, except for the slight curve that links them with 

 Senator, much like those of Telephone. It is later than Shropshire 

 Hero and decidedly later than Senator, and gave nearly as good 

 crops as the latter, which, with the larger size of the pods, makes it 

 E desirable variety. 



Eureka. Refs. 11, 12; Am. Gard. 19:202. 

 1898. Eureka resulted from an unknown cross made 

 by Culverwell some years before 1894 and improved by 

 selection previous to its introduction in that year by 

 Sutton. Reports in an American journal show that 

 Eureka was grown in this country in 1898, but we have 

 not found it regularly listed. It was grown at this 

 Station from the introducer's seed and from seed grown 

 at the Idaho Station. The English seeds were much 



larger, gave slightly taller vines and longer pods starting 

 higher up the stem; but other differences were very slight. 

 Later than Senator, 2j^ to 3 feet tall, pods single, from 11th 

 to 14th node, 3}4 to 4j^ inches long, broader than those of Senator, 

 less curved, of about the same color; peas 6-8, those from English 

 seed nearly one-fourth larger, but difference in size much less in 

 original seeds; pods sometimes deceptive, the plumpness shown 

 not always being due to the peas, as is the case with Senator. The 

 crops were not as good as those of Senator. 



Sutton's Best of All, introduced in 1900, is a dark- 

 podded form of Eureka, in which the pods are also 

 somewhat less curved. Sutton's Best of All was prob- 

 ably introduced in America about 1909; but as the name 

 is identical with that of a much older McLean pea (see 

 p. 61), known to have been in the United States for 

 many years, it is impossible to speak positively on this 

 point. The seed from which we grew the Sutton pea 

 came from British Columbia; and the variety, except in 

 the points mentioned, was very similar to Eureka grown 

 from English seed. 



Gladstone. Refs. 15; Burnett Car. 1913. Glad- 

 stone was raised by Holmes before 1896, when the Royal 

 Horticultural Society gave it most favorable notice and 

 again honored a selected strain of it in 1912. It was 

 probably this strain, or one still further selected, that 

 came to the United States in 1913. The variety seemed 

 exceedingly variant at first, as many references speak of 

 two or more types or strains, of which the true one had 

 curved pods that place it in the Senator group. As 

 grown here, it had changed somewhat from the true 

 type, as the pods were decidedly wider than those of 

 Senator with the slight curve mostly toward the tip. 



Plants rather taller than those of Senator, with stouter stems; 

 foliage slightly lighter colored, leaflets usually in 6s, rather larger 

 and broader, stipules proportionately smaller and less whitened; 

 pods rarely or never paired, decidedly broader, less curved, more 

 pointed, and with smoother surface; peas, when pods were ready to 

 pick, smaller, not filling the pods as well, but of better quality than 

 those of Senator, possibly because the appearance of the pods 

 induced comparatively earlier picking, although the season was 

 several days later; seeds somewhat larger. It was not as produc- 

 tive as Senator. 



Delicatesse (Petit Pois, wrinkled). Refs. 18-21. 



The origin of the wrinkled, green-seeded type of Petit 

 Pois peas is uncertain; but we first find it listed as Petit 

 Pois (Delicatesse) by Carter, about 1901 ; and what is 

 apparently the same pea came to us, indirectly, from 

 Holland, as Delicates, and from an American seedsman 

 as Petit Pois; while the Germans list Delicatesse Mark- 

 erbsen. Carter says Delicatesse is very popular in 

 Continental countries, and the name would indicate 

 French origin; but whether the wrinkled type of Petit 

 Pois originated in England and went to France, or 

 vice versa, is not clear. 



The Clark strain of Petit Pois, which we grew, was 

 developed from a trial ground sample grown from English 

 seed. 



The plants are of Senator type, rather shorter in 

 stem, with rather more and larger leaflets, and in the 

 Petit Pois strain more branched and with more paired 

 pods. The pods are shorter by nearly half an inch and 

 slenderer than those of Senator and the peas are as 



