GARDEN PEAS* 



251 



same moment the offspring of each could be readily distin- 

 guished. 



" My first experiment was not altogether successful, for the 

 offspring of five pods (the only ones which escaped the birds) 

 received their colour from the coloured male. There was, how- 

 ever, a strong resemblance to the other male in the growth and 

 character on more than one of the plants, and the seeds of 

 several closely resembled it in everything but colour. In this 

 experiment I used the farina of a White Pea, which possessed the 

 remarkable property of shrivelling excessively when ripe ; and in 

 the second year I obtained white seeds from grey ones, above 

 mentioned, perfectly similar to it. I am strongly disposed to 

 believe that the seeds were here of common parentage. 



" Again I prepared blossoms of the little Early Frame Pea. 

 I introduced its own farina, and immediately afterwards that of 

 a very large and late grey kind, and I sowed the seeds thus 

 obtained. Many of them retained the colour and character of 

 the small Early Pea, not in the slightest degree altered, and 

 blossomed before they were 18 in. high, whilst others (taken 

 from the same pods), whose colour was changed, grew to the 

 height of more than 4 ft., and were killed by the frost before any 

 flowers appeared." In this way were obtained Knight's Green 

 and White Wrinkled Marrow Peas. 



In the "Transactions of the Horticultural Society," 1817, 

 appears on page 87 another paper, On the Prevention of Mildew, 

 by the President, Mr. Thomas Andrew Knight, in the course of 

 which he says : — 



" This led me to the following method of cultivating the Pea 

 late in autumn, by which my table has always been well supplied 

 in September and October as in June and July, and my plants 

 nearly as free from mildew. 



" The Pea, which I have always planted for autumnal crops, 

 is a very large kind, of which the seeds are much shrivelled, and 

 which grows very high : it is now very common in the shops of 

 London, and my name has, I believe, been generally attached to 

 it. I prefer this variety because it is more saccharine than any 

 other, and retains its flavour late into the autumn." This was 

 undoubtedly Knight's Tall Wrinkled Pea, afterwards sent out as 

 British Queen. 



Some experiments were also made by Mr. John Goss, bearing 

 date October 15, 1822. 



