Solving Puzzles in Peas—aporpn xrvn 
New 
» York 
[Epitors’ NoTE.—This is the third article in a series devoted to the most popular vegetables, answering the questions, 
“Which varieties, and why?” 
The point of view is always that of the home garden, where quality is the first consideration. 
An effort is also made to emphasize the importance of thinking of “types” rather than of isolated variety names. | 
F YOU follow this article you can 
have peas of highest quality over 
the longest season. Few vegetables 
present as many perplexing prob- 
lems as peas. The reason is two-fold. 
In the first place, the majority of our 
peas, either new or old, originally came 
from England. A certain group of 
seedsmen there seems to concentrate its 
efforts on the production of pea novel- 
ties. Sutton’s and Hurst’s, Carter’s and 
Laxton’s So-and-So, ete., are familiar 
names to us. Hardly a year but that 
every one of these firms introduces one 
or more new kinds and all seemingly 
grown for special distribution in Uncle 
Sam’s domain. 
Secondly, peas show an unusual tend- 
ency to change their principal charac- 
teristics in adapting themselves to new 
climatic and soil conditions. Thus we 
find that, after being cultivated here for 
a few years, some English peas grad- 
ually change their style of vine, the size 
and color of their pods, etc., and, after 
a reasonable time, presto, we have a 
new American pea, acclimated and 
ready to be distributed under a new 
name, which the grower feels perfectly 
justified in giving. 
This is no argument for or against 
these conditions but merely rather an 
explanation. After several years of 
study I have come to the conclusion that 
the only safe thing for the home gar- 
dener is to hold on to all the old sorts 
that are good and try, alongside of them, 
every year, a few of the most promising 
novelties. This will bring about a grad- 
ual readjustment in the valuation of 
different new and old sorts. In the end, 
every home gardener will have to make 
his own choice. But, as a basis, I sub- 
mit a list of sorts which, after three 
years of experimenting under various 
soils and climatic conditions, I like to 
call “the hundred pointers.” 
THE POINTS THAT COUNT 
What are the essential requirements? Keep- 
ing in mind the desires of every amateur, I 
have made flavor the first requirement, which 
explains why many otherwise excellent sorts 
Alderman is one form of the Telephone type, always 
grows in pairs 
did not find a place among the elect few. Take, 
for instance, the new English pea Laxton’s 
Superb. It will outyield, under identical soil 
and weather conditions, such American stand- 
ards as Thomas Laxton and Sutton’s Excelsior 
by nearly one third and will yield handsome 
ods, of larger size, fully as early as these two. 
But the peas are positively tasteless as com- 
ared with our acclimated American sorts, and 
while Laxton’s Superb will prove a winner 
with market gardeners, it will not find favor 
among home gardeners of more discriminating 
tastes. 
The second determining factor in my selec- 
tion is yield of pods per row. In the home gar- 
den, where space is limited, it matters a whole 
Some good early wrinkled kinds, left to right, Thomas 
Laxton, Sutton’s Excelsior, Gradus 
Three later peas of proved merit, left to right, Quite 
Content, Royal Salute, Potlach 
lot whether a row yields seven quarts or ten. 
It also matters whether these ten quarts are 
ready within a short time or stretched over a 
long period, and also whether it comes early or 
late. Sorts of too long or too late a bearing 
period are impractical. If a very late variety 
does not produce its crop within a short time, 
it makes the space which it occupies unavail- 
able for later crops. 
The third factor is the number of peas to the 
pod. The rows may yield ever so many quarts 
of the best looking pods you ever saw; but 
would this profit you if those fine four and 
one half ined pods contain only on an average 
four or five sizeable peas with three or four 
dried up baby peas which failed to develop? 
A striking example of sorts of this kind is 
Sutton’s Discovery. Early in June, this prom- 
ised to be a record breaker, bearing plenty 
of large fine pods. In July it proved a dismal 
failure because its four and one half inch pods 
rarely contained more than four peas where 
there should have been seven or eight. Home 
gardeners cannot afford to take risks of this 
kind with so expensive a crop as peas. 
What makes peas expensive? The space they 
occupy, the work required, and the time it 
takes to pick the pods. To grow them and to 
eat them are pleasures but to pick and shell 
enough for a family or six before ten o’clock 
on Sunday morning 
162 
. 25th. 
HOW TO PLANT THEM 
But, to our subject! For best development, 
peas should be planted in rows not less than 
2 feet apart for the dwarfs, and 3 feet apart 
for the tall sorts. To produce enough pods to 
give you a fair taste during their season, at 
least six 15-foot rows are required. That 
means, a space of 15 by 15 feet will be occupied 
from the middle of April until the end of July, 
if sorts here recommended are used. That same 
space, devoted to other vegetables, would yield 
more per square foot, but—you wouldn't have 
peas ! 
My system of intensive cultivation is this: 
Just as soon as 75 per cent. of the crop of the 
extra early sorts is picked, I pull up the vines 
and plant other crops. For instance, Prolific 
Kxtra Early made room for fall beets on June 
Little Marvel, Sutton’s Excelsior and 
Thomas Laxton capitulate shortly before the 
middle of July in favor of beans which bear 
just before frost. And the space occupied by 
the mid-season sorts is used for crops like let- 
tuce and celery with which I take a chance, 
since they may or may not reach full size be- 
fore cold weather stops gardening operations. 
To be profitable, peas require some care and 
attention. All sorts, even the dwarfest, appre- 
ciate some support. Brush affords peas the 
ideal chance to keep off the ground, but it also 
makes it easy for the birds to get your first 
early pods. However, I found that the dwarf 
sorts especially do much better on brush than 
if allowed to spread on the ground or if sup- 
ported by wire or twine. It was a rather pe- 
culiar coincidence that the sparrows left alone 
entirely those rows that were supported by 
twine trellis. 
One more point proven to my complete satis- 
faction last season is: On rather poor soil 
peas do much better when grown in a crowded 
row than in a “sparse” row. To be crowded 
and to form regular “mats” of vines, six inches 
wide and growing to regular height seemed to 
be the peas’ happy habit. Half a pint of seed 
to the 15-foot row proved just about right for 
the extra early sorts and even the tall, later 
kinds did not do so well in thin rows as their 
brothers in crowded quarters. Nor did the 
yield of the individual plant seem to be affected 
in any way by the crowded conditions in the 
row. 
Let it be said in connection with these trials 
that the results recorded were favored by 
nearly ideal soil and almost perfect weather 
conditions; toward the end, too much rain, 
which to some extent prolonged the bearing 
period. But the early sorts acted splendidly 
and offered many surprises. I am frank to 
confess that I changed my mind in connection 
with the extra early smooth seeded peas. Three 
years ago I advocated Pedigree Extra Harly as 
Dwarf Champion proved itself to be a high quality 
late kind 
