366 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



including Princess Royal, followed a few years later by Little 

 Gem, and these continued to be favourites for a quarter of a 

 century. This was the commencement of a period of activity 

 which has extended with increased vigour to the present day — 

 the skilful hand of the hybridiser, in conjunction with the keen 

 eye of the expert, producing such Peas as Her Majesty's gardener 

 never dreamt of in 1837. Here I may remark that the work of 

 selecting is in no degree less important than that of hybridising. 

 This will be better understood when I explain that a seedling 

 Pea is now generally the result of so much interbreeding that 

 very many distinct types will often be represented in the 

 ultimate cross. This cross will give a pod containing from six 

 to ten or more seeds, and at this point the work of the hybridist 

 ceases and that of the selector commences, but it is only a 

 commencement. 



When sown the following year these seeds will in all 

 probability produce as many distinct seedling Peas, some par- 

 taking of the character of the parents and some not ; but the 

 difficulty increases when we find that seed saved from each of 

 these plants very frequently varies in each case to such an 

 extent that the greatest patience is required in order to secure 

 any fixed type at all. Let me make my meaning still clearer 

 if possible. 



The first year we start with, say, six seeds in the one pod. 



The second year we have six seedling plants. 



The third year we have six rows, short or long, the produce 

 of the six plants of the preceding year ; but we may also find in 

 each of these six rows Peas of all types, some tall, some dwarf; 

 some early, others later ; large and small podded ; some pale green 

 in colour, some dark ; some curved in the pod, some straight ; 

 some pointed at the ends, and some square (this difference alone 

 being sufficient in some cases to distinguish two popular garden 

 varieties) ; and last, but not least, some may be round-seeded 

 and some wrinkled-seeded. It is clear the selector must recom- 

 mence with the most promising plant in each row, and endeavour 

 to build up a seedling Pea which will reproduce itself from seed 

 without variation — a task often extending over many years. In 

 scarcely any instance known to me has a seedling Pea been put 

 on the market without such selection as I have alluded to. 



Between 186f> and 18S0 many varieties raised by Dr. McLean 



