THE PLANT WORLD. 
I 72 
of the farm. The crop of pea seed in 1903 was short and the 
reliable supplies were secured by the regular dealers, through 
their contracts with their growers. This left only the unknown 
seed for the other seed merchants, and in one case at least em¬ 
phasized the commercial value of a good strain of vigorous 
Fig. 36. Longitudinal section of tip and two nodes to show relation of 
growth units. stipules; G. P., growing point; P, petiole. 
plants. When seed is scarce and the prices high it is the more 
important to buy from reliable seedsmen than when good seed 
is available to anyone, as they will have supplies of known quality 
in preference to the occasional or speculative dealer. 
The appearance of the affected fields, as first seen, was of 
extreme uniformity, as if the plants had been cut to a uniform 
height and had then bloomed. The flowers were confined almost 
