DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIETIES 



79 



In most cases, also, the pods are much wider and flatter 

 than those of other peas, loment-like, that is, constricted 

 between the peas, similar to pods of the honey -locust, 

 and usually more or less curved laterally, twisted and 

 distorted. The peas are found near one edge of the pod, 

 often extending only half or less of the width of the pod, 

 the halves of the pod beyond the pea being in contact 

 but rarely adherent. In consequence one border of the 

 pod is plump or nearly so, the other almost flat. This 



is especially true of the larger-podded types, these char- 

 acteristics being decreasingly less marked in smaller- 

 podded kinds. In the so-called " butter " peas, thicken- 

 ing or " fleshiness " of the wall, with lack of parchment 

 lining, only, separates the pods from those of other peas, 

 the constrictions between the peas and the flat margins 

 disappearing almost completely, as well as the tendency to 

 distortion ; so that such pods are straight or slightly curved, 

 and plump, cylindrical, or even thicker than broad. 



VARIETIES IN EDIBLE-PODDED GROUP 



WHITE-FLOWERED, CREAM SEEDED SECTION 

 Very Dwarf White Sugar. Refs. 1122. The 

 peas in this first sub-section might be still further sepa- 

 rated by classing a few as " extremely dwarf " or " Tom 

 Thumb " Sugar peas, which would include the Early 

 Dwarf Dutch, or Very Dwarf Dutch Frame of 

 Vilmorin, the Very Dwarf White Sugar of Henderson, 

 the Very Early Dwarf (Edible Pod) of this Station, and 

 the Extra Early Very Dwarf Edible Pod of Gregory, 

 all of which, if more than one variety, were less than 

 one foot tall as grown in the United States. These 

 varieties were connected by interlocking synonyms with 

 others in this sub-group and even with those in groups 

 generally very much taller. 



The descriptions of these very dwarf varieties agree as to stocky, 

 very short -jointed, zigzag stems, branched at the base and occasion- 

 ally above, with rather scanty, deep green foliage, paired or single 

 pods from the 8th to 10th node and above, which are 2 to 2 3 4 inches 

 long, rarely 3 inches, narrow, only slightly constricted or loment- 

 like, margined, and whitish green in color. All were very early or 

 early, and apparently varied in productivity. 



Of varieties 1 to 2 feet tall, the following may be 

 named as grown or known in the United States, but not 

 definitely separable: Very Dwarf White Sugar of 

 Stumpp 8b Walter; Common Dwarf Crooked Sugar 

 of Lawson; Early Dwarf Dutch Sugar or Early Dwarf 

 Dc Grace, and Common Dwarf Sugar or Dwarf 

 Crooked Podded Sugar of Burr; Dwarf Royal Edible 

 Pod and Edible Podded Dwarf of this Station; Dwarf 

 White Blossom Sugar of Landreth; Dwarf White 

 Sugar of this Station, Dreer and Brown, and Swiss 

 of Pacific Coast seedsmen. 



Vines taller than of those varieties listed in the first paragraph 

 mark all of those in this group, with pods of same size or even 

 smaller, rarely larger, and apparently loment-like for all except 

 Edible Podded Dwarf. 



Dwarf Capucin, a variety from the Netherlands, 

 Belgium or northern France, belongs in the group, and 

 apparently maintains its identity. 



It appears most to resemble Edible-podded Dwarf, but has 

 shorter stalks and pods, and the latter are constricted, rather 

 strongly recurved, and with long-rounded rather than blunt ends. 



Dwarf White Sugars. Refs. 23-35, 40. In gen- 

 eral, the varieties in this sub-section are from 2 to 3 feet 

 tall, but may vary decidedly, in either direction, under 

 differing conditions. The leading names are Dwarf 

 White Sugar of Thorburn and Rice; Prince Bismarck, 

 Nippon Saya, Extra Early Dwarf Brittany, Dwarf 

 Sugar of Sinclair (1826) and Hovey (1859); Ledman's 



Dwarf; Dwarf Early Sugar of Thorburn; and Dwarf 

 Debarbieux. 



Dwarf White Sugar of Thorburn, grown at the 

 Station in 1882 and that of Rice, grown recently, were 

 similar in height, and not unlike in pod length. 



Height about 2'^ to lYi feet; pods of the Thorburn strain 

 2 l /2 to 3 inches long and of the Rice strain 2 )-£ to 2 3 ± inches, but those 

 of the older strain were quite irregular, often much constricted, 

 contorted and pointed, thoon some plants straight and blunt-ended; 

 while those of the Rice strain were all straight, constricted and blunt. 



Prince Bismarck was grown here in 1887 and again 

 in recent tests. 



Exceedingly early, very small podded, especially in the later 

 tests, but productive; pods straight, slightly constricted, plump, of 

 fine flavor and texture when cooked. It was about 2J4 feet tall. 



Nippon Saya is a Japanese variety of which seed 

 came to us from the U. S. Department of Agriculture 

 plats at McMillan, Michigan. 



Height lYi feet tall, with much longer pods, 3 to 3j/£ inches, 

 broad, with wide wing, laterally curved and pointed at the ends. 



Extra Early Dwarf Brittany was one of the better 

 dwarf sugar peas as grown here in 1885, and is still a 

 favorite in northwestern Europe. 



It is quite similar to Prince Bismarck in season, productivity 

 and size of pods, but with more rigid stems and twining tendrils 

 which interlace and hold plants erect. The pods are only moder- 

 ately fleshy, but abundant and of good quality. 



Ledman's Dwarf was a favorite English variety, 

 unknown here except as a synonym of Dwarf Sugar. 



It was somewhat taller than the preceding varieties, sometimes 

 3 feet, and said by McMahon (1806) to be perhaps the most pro- 

 lific and profitable of the whole family, and very delicious. 



Dwarf Early Sugar according to Thorburn's 

 catalog: 



White-seeded, very early and of fine quality; but Paxton's 

 description of 1834 makes it a variety of medium height or below, 

 remarkably slender, long-jointed, with scanty, small, pale, yellowish 

 green leaflets on long petioles, having small tendrils, small flowers, 

 and rather small pods on long stalks. The pods were " roundish," 

 well filled with very small peas. It was a second early and " an 

 excellent bearer." 



Dwarf Debarbieux was apparently much like Dwarf 

 Brittany ; but was not well described in the American 

 reference. 



In France it was 3 feet tall, with stocky branches and rather 

 heavy stems supporting each other by intertwining tendrils, and 

 bearing the top of the plant long, slightly curved, somewhat dis- 

 torted, broad, winged pods with large white seeds. It was rather 

 late, but productive. 



Medium and Tall White Sugars. Refs. 36-39, 



41-74. Among the very numerous edible-pod peas that 



