36 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



of Little Gem), Multum in Parvo, William Hurst, and Chelsea 

 Gem, all excellent early dwarf wrinkled sorts, and Blue Peter, a 

 good round blue dwarf variety. Laxton's No. 1 (the wrinkled 

 form of Harbinger), Alpha, and Dr. Hogg, as good quality half- 

 dwarf wrinkled earlies, preceding most of the old round early 

 white Peas ; but, although possessing higher quality, combining 

 more tender constitutions, a defect which seems almost insepar- 

 able when high quality is sought to be coupled with precocity ; 

 these early wrinkled Peas having also, during our cold-protracted 

 springs, to contend with slugs, snails, birds, and insects, who all 

 appear able to distinguish between these and the round varieties, 

 and to single out the more tender and sweeter plants of the 

 wrinkled forms. We have, however, in William the First, and 

 especially in its recently re- selected earlier and originally dwarfer 

 form, a decided advance in quality, fertility, and beauty of pod, 

 combined with a good constitution and in earliness approaching 

 Earliest of All, and the earliest round white varieties, the ripe 

 seeds of William the First being of an indented or semi-wrinkled 

 character. I might mention that this Pea, originally 2h feet in 

 height, had in some trade stocks become fully 2 feet higher, and 

 probably it will ever require constant and continuous selection. 

 Other promising and larger-podded and larger-seeded early sorts, 

 including Gradus, will doubtless soon be forthcoming, but as 

 such are not actually in commerce, time alone can justify 

 their adoption into the Horticultural Studbook. It is, how- 

 ever, in the second early and main-crop varieties that so much 

 has undoubtedly been achieved in increased size and beauty 

 of pod. 



To Mr. Culverwell we are largely indebted for these. In 

 Telegraph he gave us a decided improvement in size and beauty 

 of pod and a good and useful Pea. From this would appear to 

 have been selected the fine large-podded dwarfer varieties, 

 Stratagem and Pride of the Market, which in some seasons are 

 unapproachable as half-dwarf, large-podded main-crop varieties. 

 Telephone and Duke of Albany seem also to be results selected 

 from the same cross, each of which are material gains on Tele- 

 graph, Telephone being a wrinkled form of that variety with a 

 paler pod, and Duke of Albany wrinkled with a dark-green pod. 

 This Pea in most respects approaches nearly the highest standard 



