382 The Principles of Vegetable- Oar dening 



casted they are not tilled. Better results are secured by 

 sowing in drills and giving two or three tillings. 



Peas are usually sown in two rows that stand 6-8 inches 

 apart. If tall varieties are grown, one row of brush or chicken- 

 wire (the wire is better) will answer for both rows; if the dwarf 

 kinds are grown, one row will help to support the other. Between 

 each two pairs of rows a space should be left wide enough for con- 

 venient tillage. The plants should stand 3-4 inches apart in the 

 row. One pint of seed of the small -seeded varieties will sow 

 100-125 feet of single drill. In drills, 1-2 bushels will sow an 

 acre; broadcast, 2-3 bushels. 



Peas are of two kinds : the seed wrinkled and the seed smooth. 

 The wrinkled are the better in quality, but the seeds are more 

 liable to decay when planted very early. There are dwarf and 

 tall varieties of both the wrinkled and smooth types. For very 

 early there are many popular strains, as First-of-All, Philadel- 

 phia, Daniel O'Rourke, American Wonder, McLean Little Gem, 

 Blue Peter. For late, Marrowfat, Champion of England, Tele- 

 phone, Telegraph, and Stratagem are popular names. 



A race of peas with edible pods, comparable to string beans, 

 is considerably grown abroad but is little known here. These are 

 known as edible -podded, or sugar peas. These are of the same 

 species as the common pea, Pisum sativum. 



The field pea, with purple -and -white flowers and gray angular 

 seeds, is probably only a modified form of Pisum sativum. It is 

 known as P. sativum variety arvense. The pea is native to south- 

 west Europe. It has been cultivated 2,000 years and more. For 

 history, see Sturtevant, Amer. Nat., Feb., 1890, pp. 144-149. 



In 1889 (Annals Hort.), American seedsmen catalogued 154 

 names of peas. Goff (in 3d Kept. N. Y. State Exp. Sta., pp. 

 228-283) fully describes 98 varieties. The main points of his 

 classificatory scheme are as follows: 



A. Plant exceeding 4 feet in height. 



B. Seeds cream- colored or white, 

 c. Smooth peas. 



D. Pod straight. 

 Dr>. Pod recurved. 



