THE FIELD AND GARDEN VEGETABLES OF AMERICA TEXT

FAIRBEARD'S CHAMPION OF ENGLAND. _Cot. Gard._ Champion of England. Plant of strong and luxuriant habit of growth, with a stem from five to six feet in height, which is often undivided, but also frequently branching. The laterals are produced within about eighteen inches of the ground, and sometimes assume a vigorous growth, and attain as great a height as the main stem. They produce pods at the first joint above the lateral, and are continued at every succeeding joint to the greatest extremity of the plant. The pods are generally single, but frequently in pairs, about three inches and a half long, slightly curved, and terminate abruptly at the point; the surface is quite smooth, and the color light-green till maturity, when they become paler and shrivelled. They contain six or seven quite large peas, which are closely packed together and compressed. The ripe seed is wrinkled, and of a pale olive-green. Sown the 1st of May, the plants were in flower June 25, and pods were gathered for use the 12th of July. This variety was originated in England, by Mr. William Fairbeard, in 1843; and, with the Early Surprise, came out of the same pod,--the produce of a plant found in a crop of the Dwarf White Knight's Marrows, to which class it properly belongs. It is, without doubt, one of the most valuable acquisitions which have been obtained for many years; being remarkably tender and sugary, and, in all respects, of first-rate excellence. The rapid progress of its popularity, and its universal cultivation, are, however, the best indications of its superiority. The variety was introduced into this country soon after it was originated, and was first sold at five dollars per quart. FAIRBEARD'S NONPAREIL. _Cot. Gard._ Stem branching, three and a half to four feet high, with a habit of growth and vigor similar to the Early Frames. The pods are full and plump, but do not become thick-backed and fleshy as they ripen, like those of the Frames. They contain from six to eight peas, which are close together, much compressed, and of that sweet flavor which is peculiar to the Knight's Marrows. The ripe seed is small and wrinkled, and of the same color as the other white, wrinkled pease. The variety was originated by Mr. William Fairbeard, who also raised the Champion of England. It is earlier than the last-named sort, nearly as early as the Frames, and a most valuable acquisition. FAIRBEARD'S SURPRISE. _Cot. Gard._ Early Surprise. Surprise. The plant of this variety is of a free but not robust habit of growth, and always with a simple stem, which is about four feet high. The pods are produced at every joint, beginning at about two feet and a half from the ground. They are generally single, but sometimes in pairs, three inches long, slightly curved, but not quite so much as those of the Champion of England. They contain from six to seven peas, which are of good size, but not so sweet as those of the last-named sort. The ripe seed is somewhat oval, and of a pale, olive-green color. The variety is a day or two earlier than the Champion of England. It originated from the Dwarf White Knight's Marrow, and was taken from the pod in which was found the Champion of England. FLACK'S IMPERIAL. _Cot. Gard._ Flack's Victory. Flack's Victoria. Flack's New Large Victoria. The plant is of a robust habit of growth, with a stem which is always branching, and generally about three feet in height; the pods are numerous, varying from twelve to eighteen on a plant, generally produced in pairs, but often singly, three inches and a half long, three-fourths of an inch broad, and considerably curved,--terminating abruptly at the point, where they are somewhat broader than at any other part. Each pod contains from six to eight very large peas, which are of an ovate shape, half an inch long, seven-twentieths of an inch broad, and the same in thickness. The ripe seed is blue. Plants from seed sown May 1 will blossom June 28, and supply the table July 15. It is one of the most prolific peas in cultivation; grows to a convenient height; and, whether considered for private gardens or for market supplies, is one of the most valuable varieties which has been introduced for years. GENERAL WYNDHAM. _Cot. Gard._ The plant is of a robust habit, six to seven feet high, and frequently branched; the foliage is dark-green and blotched; the pods are either single or in pairs, and number from ten to fourteen on each plant,--they contain eight very large peas, which are of the deep, dull-green color of the Early Green Marrow. The ripe seed is white and olive mixed. This is a valuable acquisition, and was evidently procured from the Ne Plus Ultra; but it is a more robust grower, and produces much larger pods. The plant continues growing, blooming, and podding till very late in the season; and, when this is in the full vigor of growth, the Ne Plus Ultra is ripening off. The pease, when cooked, are of a fine, bright-green color, and unlike those of any other variety. HAIR'S DWARF MAMMOTH. Plant strong and vigorous, from three to three feet and a half high, branching, with short joints; pods single or in pairs, broad, comparatively flat, containing about six very large peas, which are sugary, tender, and excellent. The ripe seeds are shrivelled, and vary in color; some being cream-white, and others bluish-green. Sown May 1, the plants will blossom July 1, and the pods will be ready for use the 15th of the same month. Very prolific, and deserving of cultivation. HARRISON'S GLORY. _Trans._ Plant three feet high, of a bushy, robust habit of growth; pods rather short, nearly straight, and flattish, containing five or six medium-sized peas, of good quality: when ripe, the seeds are light-olive, mixed with white, and also slightly indented. If planted May 1, the variety will flower June 23, and the pods will be fit for gathering about the 10th of July. A good variety; but, like Harrison's Glory, the pods are frequently not well filled. HARRISON'S PERFECTION. _Trans._ Plant three feet in height, of vigorous habit; pods small, straight, containing five peas of good size and quality. Sown the 1st of May, the variety will flower June 23, and the pods will be fit for plucking about the 12th of July. The only defect in this variety is, that the pods are often not well filled. When growing, it is scarcely distinguishable from Harrison's Glory; but, in the mature state, the seeds of the former are smooth and white, while those of the latter are indented, and of an olive-color. KING OF THE MARROWS. Plant six feet in height, stocky, and of remarkably vigorous habit; pods single or in pairs, containing five or six large seeds, which, when ripe, are yellowish-green, and much shrivelled and indented, like those of the Champion of England. If planted May 1, the variety will blossom the last of June, and pods for the table may be plucked about the 15th of July. Though comparatively late, it is one of the best of the more recently introduced sorts, and well deserving of general cultivation. When the pods are gathered as fast as they become fit for use, the plants will continue to put forth new blossoms, and form new pods for an extraordinary length of time; in favorable seasons, often supplying the table for five or six weeks. It is very tender and sugary, and little, if at all, inferior to the Champion of England. In common with most of the colored pease, the ripe seeds, when grown in this country, are much paler than those of foreign production; and, when long cultivated in the climate of the United States, the blue or green is frequently changed to pale-blue or yellowish-green, and often ultimately becomes nearly cream-white. KNIGHT'S DWARF BLUE MARROW. A dwarfish sub-variety of Knight's Marrows, with wrinkled, blue seeds. KNIGHT'S DWARF GREEN MARROW. Knight's Dwarf Green Wrinkled. Plant about three feet high; pods in pairs, three inches long, three-fourths of an inch wide, flattish, and slightly bent. The ripe pease are of a light bluish-green color. It differs from the foregoing principally in the height of the plant, but also to some extent in the form of the pods. KNIGHT'S DWARF WHITE MARROW. _Law._ Knight's Dwarf White Wrinkled Marrow. Plant three feet high; pods in pairs, three inches long, three-fourths of an inch wide, straight, or nearly so, well filled, and terminating abruptly at both ends; pea, on an average, about three-eighths of an inch in diameter, flattened, and very much wrinkled; color white, and sometimes of a greenish tinge. It is a few days earlier than the Dwarf Green. KNIGHT'S TALL BLUE MARROW. A sub-variety of Knight's Tall Marrows, with blue, wrinkled, and indented seeds. It resembles the Tall White and Tall Green Marrows. KNIGHT'S TALL GREEN MARROW. _Law._ _Thomp._ Plant from six to seven feet in height, of strong growth; pods large, broad, and well filled; the seed, when ripe, is green, and much wrinkled or indented. If planted the first of May, the variety will blossom towards the last of June, and supply the table the middle of July. The peas are exceedingly tender and sugary; the skin also is very thin. "From their remarkably wrinkled appearance, together with the peculiar sweetness which they all possess, Knight's Marrows may be said to form a distinct class of garden-pease; possessing qualities which, together with their general productiveness, render them a valuable acquisition, both to cultivators and consumers." If planted not less than six feet apart, these pease will bear most abundantly from the ground to the top: they also yield their pods in succession, and are the best for late crops. KNIGHT'S TALL WHITE MARROW. Knight's Tall White Wrinkled Marrow. Height and general character of the plant similar to Knight's Tall Green Marrow. Pods in pairs. The ripe seed is white. Very productive and excellent. MATCHLESS MARROW. _Cot. Gard._ This is a good marrow-pea, but now surpassed by the improved varieties of the Early Green Marrow. It possesses no qualities superior to that variety, and is not so early. The plant grows from five to six feet in height; and the pods contain about seven large peas, which are closely compressed together. MILFORD MARROW. _Cot. Gard._ The plant is of a strong and robust habit of growth, always with a single stem, attaining the height of four and a half or five feet, and producing from twelve to sixteen pods, which are almost always in pairs, three inches and three-quarters long, and three-quarters of an inch wide. They do not become broad-backed, thick, or fleshy, but rather shrivelled, and contain from six to seven very large peas, which are roundish and somewhat compressed, half an inch long, nearly the same broad, and nine-twentieths thick. Its season is near that of Bellamy's Early Green Marrow; if planted May 1, blossoming June 28, and being fit for plucking about the middle of July. MISSOURI MARROW. Missouri Marrowfat. Plant three feet and a half or four feet high, strong and vigorous, generally simple, but sometimes divided into branches; pods single and in pairs, three inches long, wrinkled on the surface as they ripen, nearly straight, and containing about six peas, rather closely set together. When ripe, the pea is similar to the Dwarf Marrow in form, but is larger, paler, more wrinkled, and much more regular in size. Plants from seed sown May 1 were in blossom the 30th of June, and pods were gathered for use the 14th of July. It is a few days later than Fairbeard's Champion of England, and nearly of the season of the Dwarf Marrowfat, of which it is probably but an improved or sub-variety. It is of American origin, very productive, of good quality, and well deserving of cultivation. NE PLUS ULTRA. _Cot. Gard._ Jay's Conqueror. This is comparatively a recent variety. It belongs to the wrinkled class of pease; is as early as Bellamy's Green Marrow; and possesses, both in pod and pea, the same fine, deep, olive-green color. The plant is of strong and robust habit of growth, six to seven feet high, with a branching stem. It begins to produce pods at two or two and a half feet from the ground; and the number, in all, is from twelve to eighteen. The pods are generally in pairs, three inches and a half long, three-fourths of an inch wide, very plump and full, almost round, slightly curved, and terminate abruptly at the end. Their color is deep, bright-green, and the surface smooth. They contain seven very large peas, each of which is half an inch long, nearly the same broad; and, although they are not so closely packed as to compress each other, they fill the pods well. When sown the first of May, the variety will blossom the last of June, and afford peas for use the 15th of July. It is one of the best tall Marrows in cultivation. The ripe seed is mixed white and olive. NOBLE'S EARLY GREEN MARROW. _Cot. Gard._ A sub-variety of Bellamy's Early Green Marrow. It is a much more abundant bearer; producing from eighteen to twenty pods on a plant, which are singularly regular in their size and form. PRINCE ALBERT. Early Prince Albert. Early May. Early Kent. Plant from two and a half to three feet in height, usually without branches; pods generally in pairs, two inches and a half in length, half an inch broad, tapering abruptly at both ends, slightly bent backwards, and well filled; pea, when fully ripe, round, cream-colored, approaching to white about the eye and at the line of the division of the lobes, and measuring about a fourth of an inch in diameter. Sown May 1, the plants blossomed June 15, and pods were plucked for use July 6. The Prince Albert was, at one period, the most popular of all the early varieties, and was cultivated in almost every part of the United States. As now found in the garden, the variety is not distinguishable from some forms of the Early Frame; and it is everywhere giving place to the Early Dan O'Rourke, Dillistone's Early, and other more recent and superior sorts. QUEEN OF THE DWARFS. _Cot. Gard._ A very dwarfish variety, from six to nine inches high. Stem thick and succulent; foliage dark bluish-green. Each plant produces from four to six pods, which are of a curious, elliptic form, and contain three or four large peas. Ripe seed white, of medium size, egg-shaped, unevenly compressed. The plants are tender; the pods do not fill freely; and the variety cannot be recommended for cultivation. RINGWOOD MARROW. Flanagan's Early. Early Ringwood. _Cot. Gard._ Beck's Gem. Plant three and a half to four feet high, usually simple, but sometimes sending out shoots near the ground. The pods are single and in pairs; and, as they ripen, become thick and fleshy, with a rough, pitted, and shrivelled surface: they contain from six to seven large peas, which are nearly round, and about seven-tenths of an inch in diameter in the green state. The ripe seed is white. The variety is comparatively early. If planted May 1, it will blossom about the 25th of June, and the pods will be ready to pluck about the 10th of July. A very valuable sort, producing a large, well-filled pod, and is a most abundant bearer. It has, however, a peculiarity, which by many is considered an objection,--the pod is white, instead of green, and presents, when only full grown, the appearance of over-maturity. This objection is chiefly made by those who grow it for markets, and who find it difficult to convince their customers, that, notwithstanding the pod is white, it is still in its highest perfection. So far from being soon out of season, it retains its tender and marrowy character longer than many other varieties. A new sort, called the "Lincoln Green," is said to possess all the excellences of the Ringwood Marrow, without the objectionable white pod. ROYAL DWARF OR WHITE PRUSSIAN. _Cot. Gard._ Dwarf Prolific. Poor Man's Profit. Plant of medium growth, with an erect stem, which is three feet high, generally simple, but occasionally branching. The pods are usually single, but sometimes in pairs, nearly three inches long, half an inch broad, almost straight, and somewhat tapering towards the point. The surface is quite smooth, and the color bright-green. They are generally well filled, and contain from five to six peas, which are ovate, not compressed, four-tenths of an inch long, a third of an inch broad, and the same in thickness. The ripe seed is white. Plants from seed sown the 1st of May will blossom June 25, and supply the table about the middle of July. The crop will ripen the 25th of the same month. This is an old and prolific variety, well adapted for field culture, and long a favorite in gardens, but now, to a great extent, superseded. SEBASTOPOL. Plant of rather slender habit, three feet and a half in height; pods usually single, two inches and three quarters in length, containing from five to seven peas, which, when ripe, are nearly round and smooth, cream-colored, and scarcely distinguishable, in their size, form, or color, from the Early Frame and kindred kinds. If planted May 1, the variety will blossom June 16, afford pods of sufficient size for shelling about July 7, and ripen the 20th of the same month. It is early, very productive, of superior quality, and an excellent sort for growing for market, or in small gardens for family use. In an experimental cultivation of the variety, it proved one of the most prolific of all the early sorts. SHILLINGS GROTTO. _Cot. Gard._ Plant with a simple stem, four feet and a half to five feet high; the pods are generally single, but frequently in pairs, three inches and a half long, about half an inch wide, slightly curved, and, when fully matured, assuming a thick-backed and somewhat quadrangular form. Each pod contains, on an average, seven large peas. The ripe seed is white. A great objection to this variety is the tardiness with which it fills; the pods being fully grown, and apparently filled, when the peas are quite small and only half grown. Though considered a standard sort, it is not superior to the Champion of England; and will probably soon give place to it, or some other of the more recent varieties. SPANISH DWARF. _Cot. Gard._ Early Spanish Dwarf. Dwarf Fan. Strawberry. Plant about a foot high, branching on each side in the manner of a fan; and hence often called the "Dwarf Fan." The pods are sometimes single, but generally in pairs, two inches and a half long, half an inch broad, terminate rather abruptly at the point, and contain from five to six rather large peas. The ripe seed is cream-white. Sown May 1, the plants were in blossom June 26, and pods were plucked for use July 14. The Spanish Dwarf is an old variety, and still maintains its position as an Early Dwarf for small gardens, though it can hardly be considered equal to Burbridge's Eclipse or Bishop's Long-podded. There is a variety of this which is called the Improved Spanish Dwarf, and grows fully nine inches taller than the old variety; but it possesses no particular merit to recommend it. TALL WHITE MARROW. Large Carolina. Tall Marrowfat. Plant six to seven feet in height, seldom branched; pods three to three inches and a half long, three-fourths of an inch broad, more bluntly pointed than those of the Dwarf variety, and containing six or seven peas. When ripe, the pea is nearly of the color of the Dwarf Marrow, but is more perfectly spherical, less wrinkled, and, when compared in bulk, has a smoother, harder, and more glossy appearance. Planted May 1, the variety will blossom near the 1st of July, and will come to the table from the 15th to the 20th of the same month. It is a few days later than the Dwarf. In this country, it has been longer cultivated than any other sort; and, in some of the forms of its very numerous sub-varieties, is now to be found in almost every garden. It is hardy, abundant, long-continued in its yield, and of excellent quality. In England, the variety is