The following is a description of spurious Alaska peas: They vary from the true Alaska variety in that the stocks are usually mixtures, with no well-marked type. All plants are later and larger growing. They do not begin to put blossoms until the tenth or twelfth joint and continue growth and flowering for an indefinite period if weather permits. All gradations from blossoms to fully ripe pods are to be found on the same plant. The leaves are larger and of a darker green color than those of the true Alaska variety. The stems are often branching and sometimes attain a height of 6 feet. Pods vary, but are usually straight. Blossoms white, or may be mixed. Seed not distinguishable from those of the Alaska variety, except those from the colored-flowered plants, which, when present, are often smaller than Alaska seed, angular, and very light greenish brown in color. In seas hey are from one to two weeks later than the Alaska variety. (See fig. 4, B.) IN IN NO OTHER CROP-GROWING INDUSTRY is confidence between the seedsmen and the growers of greater value than in that of growing canning peas. It is with the belief that an intelligent understanding of the difficulties of the situation is the only true basis of confidence that this bulletin is written. Whenever canners are getting unsatisfactory stocks of canning peas they should determine what methods the seedsmen are using who furnish them with seed. Occasionally unexplainably bad stocks occur that cause a loss to both seedsman and canner. However, methods of producing satisfactory stocks of seed are well known, and the cost of production is not prohibitive. It is therefore recommended that canners buy on the basis of low-rogue content. Seedsmen should not handle peas the stocks of which they do not control, and canners should buy only from seedsmen who control and carefully guard their seed stocks. When it is necessary for a seedsman to purchase from another seed company the transaction should be fully explained to the canner. Washington, D. C. Issued February 1922 SEED PEAS FOR THE CANNER By D. N. SHOEMAKER, formerly horticulturist; revised by B. L. WADE, senior geneticist, Division of Fruit and Vegetable Crops and Diseases, Bureau of Plant Industry PEAS, which are of European origin, were brought to North America by the first immigrants and are now grown practically everywhere in the United States as a home-garden crop; they are also important in market gardening, truck farming, and canning. For a while canning peas were of relatively much greater value than market-garden peas, but at present the value of green peas shipped in the pods and frozen shelled peas exceeds that of the canned product. Dry peas are either smooth or wrinkled, and for cultural and culinary purposes these groups vary in much the same way as corresponding groups of Indian corn. Under some conditions smoothseeded peas appear to be more hardy than wrinkled varieties. The popularity of smooth-seeded peas in spite of rather poor quality is probably due to the greater utility of one variety of smooth peas (Alaska), since they can be used for splitting (soup), forage, and green manure, as well as for canning. The wrinkled sorts spoken of by canners as "sweet peas", just as wrinkled corn is called "sweet corn." Most present-day varieties of peas have white blossoms, as do all garden sorts used for shelling. Some field varieties have blossoms of various shades of purple. Peas vary greatly in character of vine, from dwarf through semidwarf to tall. The shortest varieties are but little over a foot high, the mediums being from 2 to 3 feet, and the tall varieties reaching 10 feet under good culture. They differ also in the color of the split seed, some being green and others yellow. Field peas have been thought by some botanists to belong to a different species from garden peas and were called P. arvense, the garden pea being P. sativum. This distinction is now generally abandoned, and the latter name applies to all peas, whether used for field or garden purposes. FIELD PEAS A "field pea", as the term is here used, is a pea grown for use as human or animal food in its dry state, or grown either alone or with 104296-37-1 1 some other crop for forage or green manure. All the peas in the old botanical group of varieties called "field peas" bear colored flowers. There has been a decided tendency in this country to abandon the culture of colored-flowered sorts, so that at present but few are grown in the United States or Canada. The name "Canada field pea" is variously used in different regions, sometimes to indicate a specific variety, but often to include all field sorts. Dry peas are sold extensively in Europe as human food. Since about 1930 there has been a very great increase in the quantity of dry peas sold for human food in the United States. Most of such peas are used for soup prepared from split peas from which the seed coat has been removed. As the seed coat is difficult to remove from wrinkled peas they are never used for splitting. However, in some years there are rather extensive imports of dimpled peas (Harrison Glory) from the Orient for splitting. Most of the dry peas sold for splitting are green-seeded Alaskas, but there is a very inite demand for some yellow-seeded splits, such as First and Best. Split peas are graded according to size, and somewhat higher prices are received for large sizes. Blue Bell and White Marrow fat are the most popular large-seeded varieties, with green and yellow seeds, respectively. Although many white-flowered peas are grown for green manure and forage, the most popular variety for these purposes is the colored variety, Austrian Winter. Seed companies producing seed peas for canners have been attempting to eliminate colored-seeded varieties from various growing sections, because the admixture of even a few colored seeds in a strain of seed peas may result in serious difficulties for the canner. Fifteen years ago Bangalia peas were commonly found mixed with Alaskas grown in the Palouse area south of Spokane, but at present it is difficult to locate even a 50-seed sample of Bangalias. All purple-flowered peas have some color in the seed coat, and the flavor is distinctly strong as compared with common white-flowered peas with colorless seed coats. Several high-yielding dwarf, early strains of peas have been developed to take the place of Alaska, but these have not been generally successful, probably owing to difficulties in harvesting dwarf varieties on poor soil where vine development is slight. Surpluses of wrinkled varieties such as Admiral may be used for forage or greenmanure plantings. Blue Bell is the only common dwarf field pea. It is sufficiently late in season so that pods are borne high enough above the ground to cause no difficulty in harvesting on infertile soils. THE RELATION OF FIELD PEAS TO CANNING PEAS When a seedsman signs a contract with a canner, for example, for 20,000 pounds of Alaska peas and 80,000 pounds of Perfection, he usually does so with the unexpressed decision to plant propor tionally more Alaskas and less Perfections than the contract for seed indicates. The reason for this situation is complex. If the seedsman finds himself with a surplus of Alaska peas they are readily sold for splitting or other uses at a price sufficiently high so that he does not sustain a loss. On the other hand, if he has a surplus of wrinkled peas he will probably have to dispose of them as ground |