22 



Notes on Forage Crops. 



[Apr., 



have been taken to improve the garden pea, because of its value 

 as a human vegetable food, but comparatively little has been 

 attempted in the way of improving the field pea in England, 

 although new varieties have been introduced by the Svalof 

 Plant Breeding Station, and by the experiment stations of the 

 Department of Agriculture of the Dominion of Canada. If, 

 however, the wild pea which Mr. Sutton brought from 

 Palestine is the ancestor of the field pea, unrecorded but 

 very successful efforts must have been made in the past 

 to improve it. As in the case of the common vetch, the 

 cultivated varieties of peas are immeasurably more productive 

 than the wild ancestor. 



Meridelian Experiments. — In the tests made at the Harper 

 Adams College it was shown that the varieties in general cultiva- 

 tion in England are the best at present obtainable, and as these 

 leave much to be desired as fodder crops, a series of hybrids was 

 made with the most luxuriant growers am.ong the garden peas. 

 A Mendel ian scheme was planned but the F2 generation was 

 too complex for the original scheme to be followed up with any 

 hope of immediate success. The results are interesting. 

 To give an example, a cross of the Gladstone garden pea with 

 the maple field pea yielded green, blue and yellow seeded peas, 

 both round and wrinkled in each case, all of w^hich have been 

 fixed. As regards vegetative characters, both the parents being 

 tall, the appearance of a considerable percentage of dwarf 

 plants was a surprise. The object of the experiment, was, 

 however, to breed an improved Soiling Pea in the shortest 

 possible time, and for this purpose fourteen of the most 

 luxuriant plants were selected, and tested, those possessing 

 unstable characters or showing weaknesses were eliminated. 

 The tjipe finally selected has m.uch more foliage and stem, is 

 a more rapid grower, and is less woody than the field pea. 

 Attempts made to improve the pea as a soiling crop" revealed 

 the possibility of improving the plant as a seed crop. Owing 

 to long and persistent efforts the pods of the garden pea have 

 been increased in size, while those of the field pea have 

 remained comparatively small. By crossing with the garden 

 pea, and making selections, it has been found quite easy to 

 increase the size of the pod without reducing the number of 

 [)ods per plant, and types have been established especially 

 suited to growing in mixture with oats to be harvested for 

 seed. 



Mixed Pea and Oat Crops. — Tt has for long been a practice 

 in the neighbourhood of Market Drayton to mix peas with the 



