OA&DBN PEAS. 



210 



I think that we may assume that before the introduction of 

 the Wrinkled Pea, which I shall shortly touch upon, the culti- 

 vated Peas of commerce formed two distinct classes, viz. such 

 as have white flowers, with white or sometimes bluish-coloured 

 seeds, commonly called Garden Peas, all included under the name 

 " Pisum sativum"; and such as have coloured flowers and 

 generally dun, grey, or speckled seeds : these are known as Field 

 Peas, or Pisum arvense, which botanical authorities now regard 

 as a varietal form of Pisum sativum. I would here remark that 

 while rapid and wonderful strides have been made in horticulture 

 during the Victorian era, and notably in the introduction of 

 culinary vegetables, fruits, and flowers, the great attention and 

 labour given to the work by gardeners and others is more clearly 

 exemplified, in the vast improvement in Peas — greater, perhaps, 

 than in the case of any other culinary vegetable, numbers of 

 new varieties having fallen into oblivion through lack of merit, 

 while the fittest have survived the test of time. 



Our earliest garden Peas were for a number of years the 

 round white-seeded varieties, such as the Early Charlton or 

 Fulham, which is regarded as the parent of the Early varieties 

 subsequently introduced. It had been in cultivation for years 

 previously to the beginning of the present century, and up to 

 within the last fifty years was extensively cultivated and esteemed 

 as the best Early Pea for garden purposes in commerce. Most 

 of the subsequent improvements were only the Charlton, con- 

 siderably modified in character by selection. This may appear 

 to some a startling statement, yet when we consider the clearly 

 ascertained effects and changes which result from cultivation, it 

 is not improbable, especially as the Pea is susceptible of marked 

 variation. The Early Charlton or any other variety, if sown 

 for several years, and the very earliest on the one hand and the 

 latest on the other being selected for seed-bearing each season, 

 the difference in the time of ripening between the two will 

 ultimately become so great as to constitute two distinct varieties ; 

 and by sowing the early type on warm light lands the difference 

 will be materially increased, not only in the time of ripening, but 

 also in the habit of growth. 



I now come to a most important period in the improvement 

 of the Pea, viz. the introduction of the Wrinkled type. It is to 

 Mr. T, A. Knight, of Elton, near Ludlow, that horticulture is 



