CHAPTER V
LEADING VARIETIES OF PEACHES
ADMIRAL DEWEY
=1.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:232. 1898. =2.= _Mich. Sta. Sp. Bul._ =30=:14. 1905. =3.= Albertson-Hobbs _Cat._ 29. 1906.
_Admiral._ =4.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:335. 1903.
_Dewey._ =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1909. =6.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 201. 1913.
Perhaps the peach most of all desired nowadays by peach-growers is a very early, yellow-fleshed freestone. For years Admiral Dewey and Triumph, both seedlings of Alexander, have been grown to fill this place and both, in the main, fail. Admiral Dewey, while early, yellow in flesh and good in quality, is not always a freestone and has several other defects which make it nearly worthless as a commercial fruit. Thus, though the trees are very productive, the peaches run small, are so heavily pubescent as to be unattractive, are very susceptible to brown-rot and are often disfigured with the peach-scab. The trees, too, suffer much from leaf-curl. With Alexander as the parent, the trees should be hardy, and from behavior elsewhere, must be so rated; but they have not proved exceptionally so on our grounds. While nowhere largely planted, Admiral Dewey is often set, as no doubt it should be, for an early peach in the home orchard. Of the two early sorts, this variety stands shipment rather better than Triumph. The varieties are of about the same season, both coming a week or thereabouts later than the well-known Alexander.
Admiral Dewey was grown from a seed of Alexander by J. D. Husted, Vineyard, Georgia, in the latter part of the Nineteenth Century. It was introduced in 1899 by Mr. Husted and has since been grown commercially east and west, north and south. The American Pomological Society placed the variety on its fruit-list in 1909 as Dewey but the full name bestowed to commemorate the great Admiral should, we think, be retained.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, very productive; trunk thick, smooth; branches stocky, reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets slender, long, olive-green overspread with dark red, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous lenticels, raised near the base.
Leaves six inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thin; upper surface olive-green, smooth except near the midrib; lower surface light grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole one-fourth inch long, with one to seven large, reniform, greenish-yellow glands variable in position.
Flower-buds small, short, conical, pubescent, plump, free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers pink, one and one-half inches across, well distributed, usually in twos; pedicels short, thick, glabrous, green; calyx-tube dull reddish-green, orange-colored within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, broad, obtuse, glabrous within, slightly pubescent without; petals round-ovate, tapering to short, broad claws red at the base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures early; two and one-fourth inches long, two and one-half inches wide, round-oblate, slightly compressed; cavity deep, wide, abrupt, with tender skin; suture shallow, becoming deeper at the extremities; apex roundish or flattened, with mucronate tip variable in size; color deep orange-yellow, blushed with dark red, indistinctly splashed and mottled; pubescence heavy; skin thin, tender, adherent to the pulp; flesh yellow, tinged with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender, melting, sweet but sprightly; good in quality; stone semi-free to free, one and one-fourth inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, oval to obovate, flattened at the base, tapering to a short point, with grooved surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved along the sides, wide; dorsal suture a deep, wide groove.
ALEXANDER
=1.= _Cult. & Count. Gent._ =38=:598. 1873. =2.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 263, 264. 1874. =3.= _Gard. Mon._ =17=:367, 368. 1875. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 28. 1877. =5.= _Gard. Mon._ =19=:147, 303. 1877. =6.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 436. 1884. =7.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 424. 1886. =8.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:809, figs. 5 & 9. 1896. =9.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =6=:21 fig. 1899. =10.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 173. 1908. =11.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 198. 1913. =12.= _U. S. D. A. Plant Immigrants_ =117=:958. 1916.
_Alexander's Early._ =13.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 75, 76. 1873. =14.= _Horticulturist_ =28=:224. 1873.
For nearly a half-century Alexander has been one of the notable early peaches on this continent, hardiness and vigor of tree contributing with earliness to make the variety popular. Unfortunately, there are few fruit-characters to commend Alexander; the peaches run small, the flesh clings to the stone and is so tender that the two can be separated only with difficulty, and the quality is poor. Added to the defects of the fruit the trees have the grave fault of being unproductive. The fruits, too, are very susceptible to brown-rot but to offset this weakness, the trees are more resistant to leaf-curl than those of the average variety. Alexander has been more or less grown in every peach-region on this continent, sometimes attaining considerable commercial importance, but is now widely cultivated only on the Pacific Slope, and even here it is evidently destined to pass out before many years in the competition with newer and better sorts. It is often confused with Amsden though the two are quite distinct.
Alexander originated soon after the Civil War on the farm of O. A. Alexander, Mount Pulaski, Illinois. Since 1877 it has been on the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society. It has been the parent of a score or more of meritorious extra-early peaches.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, unproductive; trunk stocky, smooth; branches reddish-brown overlaid with light ash-gray; branchlets medium to long, olive-green overlaid on the sunny side with dark red, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, large, raised lenticels.
Leaves six inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward, oval-lanceolate, thin, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface light grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with dark red glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to four small, usually globose, greenish-yellow glands tipped with red, variable in position.
Flower-buds oblong-conic, pubescent, usually free; blooming season early; flowers pale pink, one and seven-sixteenths inches across, in well-distributed clusters; pedicels very short, thick, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube dull green, light yellowish within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, broad, acute, glabrous within, slightly pubescent without; petals roundish, often broadly notched near the base, tapering to short, broad claws marked with red; filaments nearly one-half inch long; pistil pubescent at the ovary, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures very early; two and one-eighth inches long, two and one-fourth inches wide, round, slightly compressed, with sides nearly equal; cavity deep, abrupt or slightly flaring; suture shallow; apex depressed, ending in a mucronate or small, mamelon, recurved tip; color greenish-white becoming creamy-white, blushed and blotched with dark red, mottled; pubescence short; skin separates readily from the pulp; flesh greenish-white, juicy, stringy, sweet, very mild; fair to good in quality; stone clinging, one and one-fourth inches long, five-eighths inch thick, oval, plump, faintly winged, abruptly pointed at the apex, with slightly pitted surfaces and with a few grooves; ventral suture deeply grooved along the sides, bulged; dorsal suture deeply furrowed, faintly winged.
ALTON
=1.= _Ill. Hort Soc. Rpt._ 181. 1898. =2.= _Rural N. Y._ =60=:726, 774. 1901. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 35. 1909. =4.= _N. Y. State Fr. Gr. Assoc. Rpt._ 21. 1912.
_Minnie._ =5.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =118=:30. 1895. =6.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:813. 1896. =7.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 53. 1896. =8.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:220. 1899. =9.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:351, 352. 1903.
Alton is everywhere held in high esteem as an early mid-season, white-fleshed, semi-free peach. It merits the esteem bestowed upon it by virtue of large size, handsome appearance and high quality of the peaches and hardiness and productiveness in the trees. It ripens a little earlier than Champion, long the favorite white-fleshed peach of its season, does not rot so readily when brown-rot is rife and hangs longer on the tree in good condition. It is not, however, quite so choicely good in quality as Champion, nor, on the Station grounds at least, are the trees quite as productive. Other faults of Alton are that leaf-curl takes heavy toll on unsprayed trees, the blossoms open so early as often to be caught by spring frosts, and the peaches show great variation in size and shape and even in texture and flavor. The accompanying cut shows the beauty of the outside but unfortunately on the grounds of this Station the variety is almost a clingstone so that the stone could not be separated to permit photographing the creamy-white flesh, red at pit, and, all in all, most tempting to the eye. Alton seems to be most at home in the Middle West and South and is not a familiar inhabitant of eastern orchards as a commercial product.
This variety originated with T. V. Munson, Denison, Texas, a quarter-century ago and was introduced by him under the name Minnie. By some it is supposed to have come from Alton, Illinois, and to have been introduced as Emma but this is an error. Munson's Minnie was tested at the Illinois Experiment Station from which place Stark Brothers Nursery Company, Louisiana, Missouri, received it and propagated it under the name Alton. In 1909 the American Pomological Society placed the variety upon its list of fruits as Alton, a name which usage makes preferable to the first one, Minnie.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, hardy, medium in productiveness; trunk very stocky; branches thick, reddish-bronze overlaid with light ash-gray; branchlets slender, long, olive-green mingled with dull red, smooth, glabrous, with many small, inconspicuous lenticels.
Leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, oval-lanceolate, broad; upper surface dark green, rugose at the base; lower surface light grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with dark glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with two to four reniform glands, greenish-yellow, tipped with dull red, variable in position.
Flower-buds small, short, conical, usually appressed, heavily pubescent; season of bloom early; flowers pale pink, nearly two inches across; borne usually singly; pedicels very short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube dull reddish-green, tinged with greenish-yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes acute to slightly obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals roundish-oval, with blunt apex, frequently notched near the base, tapering to narrow claws; filaments one-half inch long; pistil pubescent at the ovary, as long as the stamens.
Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and five-sixteenths inches long, two and five-eighths inches thick, round-oblate, slightly compressed, with unequal halves; cavity abrupt or slightly flaring; suture of medium depth; apex roundish, mucronate; color creamy-white overspread with dull red, dotted and splashed with carmine; pubescence thin, short; skin tough, adhering slightly to the pulp; flesh white, juicy, stringy, tender, pleasantly subacid; fair in quality; stone semi-cling, one and three-eighths inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, obovate, plump at the apex, winged near the base, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved along the sides, narrow; dorsal suture deeply grooved.
ARP
=1.= _N. Y. State Fr. Gr. Assoc. Rpt._ 24. 1913.
_Arp Beauty._ =2.= _N. J. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 100. 1911. =3.= _N. Y. State Fr. Gr. Assoc. Rpt._ 213. 1913. =4.= _N. Y. Sta. Bul._ =364=:183. 1913.
Arp is the earliest good yellow peach. This is the chief reason for its cultivation though it has other good characters beside earliness to give it a place among yellow peaches. At this Station the trees are healthy, vigorous, productive and hardier in bud than the average, the buds having withstood the cold of two test winters. The round-oval shape and shallow suture give it a pleasing appearance of rotundity. To its shapeliness, add a skin creamy-yellow, heavily blushed with red and covered with short, thick pubescence with the sheen of velvet, and you have a beautiful peach--well shown in the color-plate. The flesh is light yellow, firm, juicy, sweet, rich, and of excellent quality, but unfortunately clings rather tenaciously to the stone. The season of Arp is from a month to five weeks earlier than Elberta and for so early a peach is remarkably long. It is somewhat susceptible to brown-rot. We do not know from experience how the fruit will ship but believe it will stand the wear and tear of transportation and markets as well as any of the standard peaches. Arp ought to be in every home orchard. Attention is called to the fact that the June Elberta in the hands of some growers is Arp.
Arp originated with C. P. Orr, Arp, Texas, about 1897. Elberta is supposed to have been one of the parents while the other may have been a peach of the Indian type. The variety was introduced by the originator about 1902.
Tree rather large, vigorous, spreading, hardy, productive; trunk stocky, intermediate in smoothness; branches thick, smooth, reddish-bronze overlaid with light ash-gray; branchlets with internodes intermediate in length, pinkish-red mingled with green, smooth, glabrous, with many smallish lenticels.
Leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward, oval-lanceolate, sometimes inclined to obovate, thin, somewhat leathery; upper surface dark green; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with one to three large, reniform, greenish-yellow or reddish-brown glands usually at the base of the leaf.
Flower-buds intermediate in size and length, plump, oblong-conic, pubescent, appressed; blossoms opening in mid-season; flowers light pink, one and three-fourths inches across; borne seldom in twos; pedicels short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube dark reddish-green, dull orange within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes long, medium in width, obtuse to acute, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals round-obovate, usually broadly notched on each side of the base, tapering to short, narrow claws; filaments one-half inch long; pistil glabrous, pubescent at the ovary, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures early; two and one-sixteenth inches long, two and one-eighth inches wide, oval to round, compressed, the halves unequal; cavity medium to deep, wide, abrupt; suture shallow, deeper at the base; apex roundish or depressed, with a mucronate tip; color greenish-yellow changing to deep yellow, heavily blushed with red, indistinctly striped, with conspicuous, large dots; pubescence short, stiff, thick; skin thick, tough, adhering to the pulp; flesh light yellow mingled with faint stripes of red radiating from the pit, juicy, stringy, tender, sweet, highly flavored; very good in quality; stone clinging, one and three-sixteenths inches long, three-fourths inch wide, narrow-oval, plump, with short, acute apex, the surfaces pitted and with few short grooves; ventral suture slightly winged, rather widely furrowed; dorsal suture a deep, narrow groove.
BELLE
=1.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:233. 1898. =2.= _Am. Gard._ =21=:852. 1900. =3.= _Ga. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:308. 1900. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 35. 1909.
_Belle of Georgia._ =5.= _Am. Gard._ =17=:67. 1896. =6.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =170=:172, 173 fig. 1906.
_Georgia._ =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 33. 1899. =8.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:99, 100 fig. 5. 1901.
Belle elicits praise from all who know it because of the great beauty of its fruits. At its best it is one of the glories of the peach-orchard, the fruits being large, trim in contour, creamy-white, with a beautiful crimson cheek--truly voluptuous in form and color. The color-plate--made in a poor season--falls far short of doing the fruits justice in size and art cannot depict the soft tints of red and cream which make Belle so beautiful. The fruits are as enticing to the eye inwardly as outwardly, the white flesh being delicately marbled, tinted with red at the pit and the flesh and pit usually part cleanly. Unfortunately, appearance misrepresents quality; for the variety, while good, falls short in flavor, and the flesh is stringy so that it must be rated as not above the average for its type. The trees are large, open-headed, a little straggling, fast-growing and hardy, though, like most of its type, easy prey to leaf-curl. Belle prefers a southern climate and in the South is often a good commercial sort but in New York is grown only for local markets and home use, hardly equalling Champion as a white-fleshed peach for distant markets.
Belle came from a seed of Chinese Cling planted in 1870 by L. A. Rumph, Marshallville, Georgia. The other parent is unknown but it is supposed to have been Oldmixon Free, a tree of which stood near the Chinese Cling tree. The variety came to notice about the same time as Elberta and has been thought by some to be a seedling of Elberta. The American Pomological Society listed Belle in its catalog in 1899 as Georgia but in 1909 changed the name to Belle and it is so designated in horticultural treatises but popularly it is "Belle of Georgia."
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, hardy, very productive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown covered with light ash-gray; branchlets thick, medium to long, olive-green overlaid with dark red, smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, rather small lenticels.
Leaves five and one-half inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward, oblong-lanceolate, somewhat leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface light grayish-green; margin coarsely serrate, tipped with dark red glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with two to six large, reniform or globose, greenish-yellow glands variable in position.
Flower-buds large, long, oval, very plump, strongly pubescent, usually appressed; blooming season early; flowers pale pink but deeper in color along the edges, one and three-eighths inches across, often in twos; pedicels long, thick; calyx-tube dull reddish-green, yellowish within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes medium in length and width, acute to obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals roundish-oval, tapering to short, broad claws red at the base; filaments nearly one-half inch long; pistil pubescent at the ovary, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-sixteenth inches long, two and one-eighth inches wide, roundish-oval, often bulged near the apex, somewhat compressed, with halves nearly equal; cavity abrupt or somewhat flaring, red, with tender skin; suture shallow, deepening toward the apex; apex roundish to slightly pointed, with a mucronate tip; color greenish-white changing to creamy-white, blushed with red, with faint stripes and splashes of darker red, mottled; pubescence short, fine, rather thick; skin thin, tender, adherent to the pulp; flesh white, tinged with red at the pit and with radiating rays of red, juicy, stringy, tender, sweet, mild; good in quality; stone semi-free to free, one and one-eighth inches long, thirteen-sixteenths inch wide, oval, bulged near the apex, blunt at the base, with short, sharp point at the apex, with deeply-pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the sides, wide; dorsal suture a narrow groove.
BEQUETTE FREE
=1.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =118=:32. 1895. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 35. 1909.
_Bequett Free._ =3.= _U. S. D. A. Pom. Rpt._ 41. 1895. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 32. 1899. =5.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:337. 1903.
_Becquette Free._ =6.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:806. 1896. =7.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:91. 1901.
As it grows at this Station, Bequette Free makes a favorable impression because of the flavor and attractive appearance of the fruit. It is not a new variety, however, and the fact that it seems to have been rather widely and well tested without receiving general commendation except on the Pacific Slope is against its having a place in the list of desirable peaches for the Eastern States. The trees are fast-growing, very vigorous, hardy and densely clothed with foliage but cannot be called fruitful and are, possibly, a little too susceptible to leaf-curl. The color-plate shows the fruit to be a little more irregular than it is in nature.
This variety originated about 1860 in a seedling orchard of Benjamin Bequette, Visalia, California. J. H. Thomas of the same place named the sort and first propagated it about 1877. In 1899 the American Pomological Society added the variety to its list of fruits under the name Bequett Free but in 1909 corrected the spelling to Bequette Free.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, hardy, rather unproductive; trunk thick, smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets slender, long, olive-green mingled with dark red, smooth, glabrous, with numerous large and small, inconspicuous, raised lenticels.
Leaves very numerous, six and three-fourths inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, oval-lanceolate inclined to broad-obovate, leathery; upper surface very dark green, smooth or slightly rugose; lower surface light grayish-green; margin coarsely serrate, tipped with dark glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with two to five large, reniform, greenish-yellow glands variable in position.
Flower-buds large, long, oblong-conic, plump, pointed, heavily pubescent, usually appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers light to dark pink, nearly one and one-fourth inches across, borne in ones and twos; pedicels short, thick, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, light yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes rather short, medium to narrow, nearly acute, pubescent within, heavily pubescent without; petals roundish-oval, slightly notched near the base, tapering to short, narrow claws tinged with red at the base; filaments nearly one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil heavily pubescent at the ovary, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-half inches long, two and three-eighths inches wide, round-oval, compressed, often with unequal sides; cavity small, deep, abrupt or flaring, often tinged with red; suture shallow, deepening toward the apex; apex roundish, depressed at the center, with a small, recurved, mamelon tip; color greenish-white mingled with yellow, blushed, splashed and blotched with dark red; pubescence thick, long, coarse; skin thin, tough, separates readily from the pulp; flesh white, slightly tinged with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender and melting, pleasantly flavored, sprightly; good to very good in quality; stone nearly free, one and three-eighths inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, oval, with a short-pointed apex, medium in plumpness, with deeply pitted and slightly grooved surfaces; ventral suture slightly bulged near the apex, deeply furrowed along the edges, narrow; dorsal suture grooved.
BERENICE
=1.= _La. Sta. Bul._ =3=:44. 1890. =2.= _Ibid._ =27=:941. 1894. =3.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:806. 1896. =4.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ 4=2=:233. 1898. =5.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:92. 1901. =6.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =194=:45. 1901. =7.= Berckmans _Cat._ 10. 1912-13.
When at its best Berenice is hardly surpassed in quality by any other peach but it seems capricious, in the North at least, and this, with the fact that it is none too attractive in coloring, is probably the reason why the variety is not more grown. The trees are about all that could be desired, falling short chiefly in not being as productive as several other peaches of its season and in being a little susceptible to leaf-curl. The variety has been offered to fruit-growers a sufficient length of time to have had its merits well tried as a commercial peach and the fact that it is not now largely grown is presumptive evidence that it has little commercial value. Its high quality makes the variety a good sort for the home collection at least.
Berenice originated some thirty or more years ago with the late Dr. L. E. Berckmans of Augusta, Georgia. It is supposed to have sprung from the pit of a General Lee tree which grew in one of Mr. Berckmans' test orchards. In the Berckmans nursery catalog it is stated of Berenice that after thirty years' trial "there is nothing equal to it in the same season."
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, hardy, medium to productive; trunk stocky; branches thick, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets with short internodes, dark red overlaid with olive-green, smooth, glabrous, with numerous large and small lenticels raised at the base.
Leaves six inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface light grayish-green; margin coarsely serrate, tipped with dark glands; petiole one-fourth inch long, with two to ten large, reniform, yellowish-green glands variable in position.
Flower-buds large, oblong, slightly pointed, heavily pubescent, usually appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers one and three-sixteenths inches across, pale pink, tinged darker along the edges, well distributed; pedicels short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube red mingled with dull, dark green, orange-colored within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes often broad, acute to obtuse, glabrous within, slightly pubescent or heavily pubescent without; petals round-ovate, broadly notched, tapering to short claws red at base; filaments three-eighths inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and five-eighths inches long, two and one-half inches wide, round-oval, with halves often unequal; cavity deep, medium to wide, contracted around the sides, with tender skin, often blushed with red; suture shallow, deepening toward the apex; apex roundish or depressed, with a mucronate or mamelon tip; color greenish-yellow, blushed and splashed with red; pubescence short, medium fine; skin tough, separates from the pulp; flesh yellow, faintly tinted with red near the pit, stringy, tender and melting, sweet, mild, pleasant flavored; good in quality; stone nearly free, one and three-eighths inches long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, oval, plump, drawn out at the ends, usually with pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the edges; dorsal suture deeply grooved, with sides slightly wing-like.
BLOOD CLING
=1.= Bridgeman _Gard. Ass't_ Pt. =3=:109. 1857. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 21. 1897. =3.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 199. 1913.
_Blood Clingstone_. =4.= Prince _Treat. Fr. Trees_ 17. 1820. =5.= Floy _Am. Fruits_ 411. 1825. =6.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 493, 494. 1845. =7.= _Ibid._ 601. 1869. =8.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 201. 1908.
_Blood Peach_. =9.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 197. 1841.
_Indian Blood Cling._ =10.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 18. 1871.
_Indian Blood._ =11.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:237. 1898.
Blood Cling is the favorite curiosity of the peach-orchard and as such we accord it a color-plate and a full description in _The Peaches of New York_. Unfortunately, the beet-red color of the flesh could not be reproduced with sufficient accuracy to make the attempt satisfactory. It is a pleasant peach to eat out of hand and is much used for pickling and preserving, for which purposes it has real merit. The round-headed, compact tree might make the variety a desirable parent in breeding new peaches.
This peach is an American seedling raised many years ago from the Blood Clingstone of the French. The fruit is much larger than that of the parent sort but otherwise is much the same. The Blood Free raised by John M. Ives of Salem, Massachusetts, while somewhat of the nature of Blood Cling, is, nevertheless, a different sort. The American Pomological Society listed Blood Cling in its catalog in 1871 under the name Indian Blood Cling. In 1897 this name was changed to Blood Cling.
Tree large, vigorous, round, compact, hardy, unproductive; trunk thick; branches stocky, reddish-bronze, with a light ash-gray tinge; branchlets slender, long, with short internodes, olive-green overlaid with dark red, smooth, glabrous, with numerous usually small, inconspicuous lenticels.
Leaves five and three-fourths inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward, oval-lanceolate; leaves thin, somewhat leathery; upper surface dark green, varying from smooth to rugose; lower surface light grayish-green; margin finely serrate, with dark brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with two to five reniform, light or dark green glands variable in position.
Flower-buds large, long, plump, oblong-conic, pubescent, free; flowers open in mid-season; blossoms pink, one and three-eighths inches across; pedicels short, glabrous, pale green; calyx-tube dull, speckled, greenish-red, light greenish-yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes long, narrow, acute, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals oval to ovate, crenate near the base, tapering to short, narrow claws white at the base; filaments three-eighths inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent, seven-sixteenths inch long, equal to or shorter than the stamens.
Fruit matures very late; one and three-fourths inches long, one and seven-eighths inches thick, compressed, with unequal halves often giving a lopsided appearance; cavity narrow, abrupt, usually white; suture shallow; apex round, with a mucronate tip; color dull greenish-white, entirely overspread with dingy pink mingled with splashes and stripes of darker, clouded red, mottled; pubescence long, coarse; skin tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh red, becoming lighter colored next the stone, juicy, coarse, stringy, tough and meaty, brisk, pleasantly flavored; fair in quality; stone clinging, one and one-fourth inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, oval to slightly obovate, short-pointed, strongly bulged near the apex, with grooved and pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed at the sides, narrow; dorsal suture deep, medium in width.
BLOOD LEAF
=1.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =118=:33. 1895.
_Blood-leaved Peach._ =2.= _Gard. Mon._ =13=:206. 1871. =3.= _Ibid._ =14=:316, Pl. 1872. =4.= _Ibid._ =15=:142, 183. 1873. =5.= _Horticulturist_ =28=:155. 1873. =6.= _Gard. Mon._ =17=:58, 59. 1875.
Blood Leaf is a handsome ornamental. Its beet-red leaves in early spring and its pink blossoms, borne in great profusion, entitle it to esteem for both foliage and flowers. It is worth growing as well for its fruits. The color-plate opposite page 78 shows the flowers and the accompanying illustration depicts the fruit-characters. The peaches are in no way remarkable and yet they please some as a dessert fruit. Seedlings springing up under two trees of this variety in the Station orchard in 1913, furnished interesting data on the inheritance of the blood-red color in the leaves of this peach. Out of 252 young trees, 189 were red-leaved and 63 green-leaved--an exact three-to-one ratio to show that the green color is carried as a recessive.
Several stories are told of the origin of this peach. One is that on the battlefield of Fort Donelson, Kentucky, a southern general, fatally wounded, sucked the juice of a peach and threw the stone into the little pool of blood which flowed from his side. From this pit in its bloody seed-bed sprang the tree with its blood-red leaves. John L. Hebron, in a letter published in _Gardener's Monthly_, 1873, tells a different tale. According to Hebron the variety was found by P. I. Connor in 1866 at Champion Hills, Mississippi, on the battlefield where General Tilghman was killed, a tree having sprung up close to the spot where the General died. The variety is sometimes called the General Tilghman peach. Leaving fable and coming to facts, we find that the variety originated in Mississippi in the sixties and was introduced to the trade in 1871.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, willowy in growth, open-topped, hardy, unproductive; trunk thick, rough; branches smooth, reddish-bronze overspread with light ash-gray; branchlets slender, long, with short internodes, dull green overlaid with dark red, smooth, glabrous, with numerous small, inconspicuous lenticels.
Leaves four and three-fourths inches long, one and one-fourth inches wide, folded upward, oval-lanceolate with tendency to obovate, thin; upper surface when young purplish-red but changing to green, smooth or rugose; lower surface purplish-olive; margin finely serrate, tipped with small, dark glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with two to five small, reniform, greenish-yellow, red-tipped glands variable in position.
Flower-buds large, oblong-conic, plump, pubescent, appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers one and one-half inches across, pale pink, occasionally in twos; pedicels nearly sessile, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube dark, dull red mingled with green, yellowish within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes long, narrow, acute, glabrous within, slightly pubescent to heavily pubescent without; petals oval, slightly contracted toward the apex, tapering to short claws; filaments three-eighths inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures very late; one and five-eighths inches long, nearly one and five-eighths inches wide, roundish-oval, slightly compressed, with unequal sides, with prominent bulge near the apex; cavity deep, narrow, abrupt, contracted about the sides, marked with narrow, radiating stripes of pale red; suture very shallow, becoming deeper toward the apex; apex roundish or slightly depressed, with a small, mucronate or recurved, mamelon tip; color greenish-white and pale yellow, lightly washed with dull pink which changes to dull brown, in some cases deepening to a reddish blush; pubescence thick, short, fine; skin thin, tender, adherent to the pulp; flesh white to the pit, juicy, coarse, meaty but tender, sweetish, with some astringency; poor in quality; stone clinging, over one inch long, three-fourths inch wide, oval, very plump, tapering to a short, blunt point at the apex, with grooved surfaces; ventral suture lightly furrowed along the sides, rather wide; dorsal suture with narrow groove, slightly winged.
BRIGDON
=1.= _Am. Gard._ =11=:244, 378. 1890. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 32. 1899. =3.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:340. 1903. =4.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 199. 1913.
_Garfield._ =5.= _Can. Hort._ =26=:441, fig. 2665. 1903.
Brigdon is a local variety which possibly local pride puts too much in evidence in assigning it a place among the major varieties in _The Peaches of New York_. Still, it belongs with the Crawfords, aristocrats among peaches, and this is enough to give it standing in a home collection at least. In tree and fruit it is similar to and a worthy rival of Early Crawford and has the same two fatal faults to bar it from commercial plantations--the trees are capricious as to soils and are often unproductive. On the other hand, a character of the tree to commend it to the amateur is that it is one of the least susceptible of all peach-trees to leaf-curl. The variety is well known only in western New York and is going out in this region.
Brigdon originated more than a quarter-century ago in Cayuga County, New York, and has been grown since more or less extensively on the shores of Seneca Lake. The name Garfield was given to this peach by some one but why or when does not appear. The variety was added to the American Pomological Society's recommended list of fruits in 1899, a distinction it has since held.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, hardy, unproductive; trunk thick; branches stocky, rather smooth, reddish-brown overlaid with light ash-gray; branchlets slender, with tendency to branch, long, olive-green overlaid with dark red, smooth, glabrous, with numerous large and small, inconspicuous, irregularly shaped and often raised lenticels, the expansion of which causes a cracking of the bark.
Leaves five and seven-eighths inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thin; upper surface dark green, rugose; lower surface light grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with dark glands; petiole nearly one-half inch long, glandless or with one to four small, globose, greenish-yellow glands variable in position.
Flower-buds oblong-conic, pubescent, somewhat shrunken, usually free; blossoms open in mid-season.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-half inches long, two and three-fourths inches wide, round-oval to cordate, compressed, bulged beak-like near the apex; cavity deep, medium to wide, abrupt or flaring, often colored with red; suture shallow, becoming deep near the apex; apex roundish, with a pointed or recurved, mamelon tip; color greenish-yellow changing to pale orange-yellow, speckled and splashed with dull red which often extends over nearly the whole surface; pubescence long, thick, woolly; skin thin, somewhat tough, separates from the pulp only when fully ripe; flesh yellow, juicy, coarse, firm, tender, sweet, mild, pleasant flavored; very good in quality; stone semi-free to free, one and one-fourth inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, oval, decidedly bulged on one side, with a rather long and slightly curved point, with pitted and grooved surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the edges, medium in width; dorsal suture grooved, slightly winged.
CANADA
=1.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =118=:33. 1895.
_Early Canada._ =2.= _Gard. Mon._ =20=:237. 1878. =3.= _Ibid._ =27=:144, 145. 1885. =4.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 80. 1897. =5.= Bogue _Cat._ 25. 1905.
_Canadische Frühpfirsich._ =6.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 391. 1889.
Since its introduction some twenty-five years ago, Canada has been a standard early peach in the northern states and more particularly in the peach-growing region along Lake Ontario in Canada where it originated. The variety has few characters to commend it excepting earliness and hardiness though the trees often load themselves with fruit. The peaches, though small, are attractive in color which is bright red on a light background. The red is well shown in the color-plate though the fruits illustrated are rather smaller than usual. Canada is about the poorest of all peaches in flavor. The fruits are firm and ship well for a white-fleshed peach making, so many maintain, a better commercial variety than its rival, Alexander. On our grounds Canada is freer from rot than Alexander and the flesh does not cling as tightly. All agree that the tree is very hardy. However, there ought to be but small place in the peach-lists of nowadays for a variety so poor in quality and with fruits of such inferior size as those of Canada.
The variety originated as a chance seedling more than a quarter-century ago with A. H. High, Jordan, Ontario, Canada. It is often known as Early Canada and is not infrequently confounded with Amsden and Alexander, varieties of the same season.
Tree large, upright-spreading, open-topped, hardy, productive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown overspread with light ash-gray; branchlets with internodes medium in length, dark red, with a slight tinge of green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, slightly curving, with numerous conspicuous, large, raised lenticels.
Leaves folded upward, six inches long, one and one-fourth inches wide, oval to obovate-lanceolate, medium in thickness; upper surface pale olive-green, smooth or rugose; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole one-fourth inch long, with one to four small, globose, greenish-yellow glands variable in position.
Flower-buds small, short, narrow, pointed, not very plump, dark colored, appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers dark pink at the center, bordered with lighter pink, one and one-half inches across; pedicels very short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, lemon-yellow within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, obtuse, glabrous within, slightly or heavily pubescent without; petals roundish-ovate, widely notched at the base, tapering to long, broad claws red at the base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures very early; two inches long, two and one-fourth inches wide, round-oblate, slightly compressed, with unequal sides; cavity wide, flaring; suture shallow to deep; apex ending in a mucronate, recurved tip; color creamy white, blushed with red and mottled and splashed with darker red; pubescence short, thick; skin thin, tender, separates from the pulp; flesh white, juicy, fine-grained, meaty but tender, sweet yet sprightly; fair in quality; stone semi-clinging, one and one-eighth inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, round-oval to elliptical, plump, abruptly pointed, with small grooves in the surfaces; ventral suture very deeply grooved along the sides, narrow; dorsal suture deeply grooved.
CAPTAIN EDE
=1.= Lovett _Cat._ 29. 1897. =2.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 12. 1907.
_Ede._ =3.= _Ohio Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 183. 1888-89. =4.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:212. 1899. =5.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:96. 1900. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1909.
Though Captain Ede has been under cultivation forty-six years it has but recently come into prominence and seems now to find favor quite generally as a money-making peach. Those who recommend it say that the trees are vigorous, heavy bearers and that the crop is uniform and always fair, smooth and without culls. The crop matures in a short time, ships well and is in demand in the markets either as a dessert peach or for culinary purposes. On the Station grounds, Captain Ede comes up to the reputation given it in all respects excepting productiveness--here it is a shy bearer. The peaches, as the color-plate shows, are beautiful, the flavor is subacid but rich, with a distinct smack of the almond. Captain Ede ripens with Early Crawford, a week or ten days before Elberta. The tree, as it grows here, can hardly be distinguished from that of Elberta. We should unhesitatingly recommend Captain Ede to New York peach-growers, were it not for the fear that it does not accommodate itself to a diversity of soils and climates. It does rather better farther south.
Captain Ede originated in 1870 as a seedling in the door-yard of Captain Henry Ede, Cobden, Illinois. Later, it was introduced by George Gould and Son, Villa Ridge, Illinois. The parentage of the variety is unknown. By some, Chinese Cling is supposed to have been one of the parents and others give the same credit to Honest John. The American Pomological Society added Captain Ede to its fruit-list in 1909.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, not always productive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown overspread with very light ash-gray; branchlets slender, olive-green more or less overspread with dark red, smooth, glabrous, with numerous large or very small, inconspicuous lenticels.
Leaves five and three-fourths inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate-lanceolate; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface light grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with dark red glands; petiole one-fourth inch long, with two to six, reniform, greenish-yellow glands medium in size and variable in position.
Flower-buds large, long, oblong-conic, plump, usually appressed; blossoms open very late; flowers three-fourths inch across, dark pink; pedicels short, glabrous, pale green; calyx-tube dull, dotted reddish-green, orange-red within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, broad, obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals roundish-ovate, notched near the base, tapering to short, narrow, white claws; filaments one-fourth inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent toward the base, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures in mid-season; about two and one-fourth inches in diameter, roundish-cordate to somewhat oval, very slightly compressed, with nearly equal halves, bulged near the apex; cavity wide, abrupt or flaring, often tinged with red and with tender skin; suture variable in depth, extending more than half-way around; apex roundish, with a prolonged, recurved, mamelon tip; color orange-yellow, with specks and splashes of red, blushed with darker red; pubescence thick, short, variable in coarseness; skin tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh yellow, stained red at the pit, dry, stringy, tender, somewhat meaty, strongly aromatic, pleasantly flavored; good in quality; stone free, one and one-fourth inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, oval, bulged along the ventral suture, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the edges, narrow; dorsal suture grooved, somewhat flattened.
CARMAN
=1.= _U. S. D. A. Pom. Rpt._ 25. 1894. =2.= _Rural N. Y._ =54=:235, 619. 1895. =3.= _Ga. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:308. 1900. =4.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:92, 93 fig. 3. 1901. =5.= _U. S. D. A. Yearbook_ 385, 386, Pl. XLVIII. 1901. =6.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 11. 1907. =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1909.
Among the many white-fleshed peaches of recent introduction, few hold a more conspicuous place than Carman. Possibly its chief asset is a constitution which enables it to withstand trying climates, both north and south, and to accommodate itself to a great variety of soils. Thus, we find Carman a very general favorite in nearly every peach-region on this continent. Besides its cosmopolitan constitution, there is much merit in the fruits especially for a peach ripening so early. While of but medium size (the color-plate does not do justice in showing the size of Carman) the peaches are most pleasing in appearance. The color is a brilliant red splashed with darker red on a creamy-white background. The shape is nearly round and the trimness and symmetry of the contour make the variety, especially when packed in box or basket, one scarcely surpassed in attractiveness of form. Carman is rated as very good in quality for a peach of its season though a smack of bitterness in its mild, sweet flavor condemns it for some. The habit of growth is excellent, peaches are borne abundantly, brown-rot takes comparatively little toll and in tree or bud the variety is remarkably hardy. All in all, Carman is one of the most useful peaches of its class and season for either home or commercial planting.
Carman grew from a seed planted in 1889 by J. W. Stubenrauch, Mexia, Texas. The tree fruited in 1892 and its earliness and freedom from rot so pleased Mr. Stubenrauch that he at once began propagating the new variety, naming it Pride of Texas. Later, in 1894, the name was changed to Carman in honor of the late E. S. Carman, long editor of the _Rural New Yorker_. In 1909 the American Pomological Society added Carman to its list of fruits as one of its recommended varieties.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading or somewhat upright, open-topped, hardy, very productive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, bright red overspread with ash-gray; branchlets long, olive-green overspread with dark red, glabrous, smooth, glossy, with numerous small, inconspicuous lenticels.
Leaves five and seven-eighths inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate-lanceolate; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface light grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with dark red glands; petiole one-fourth inch long, with three to five reniform glands medium in size and variable in position and color.
Flower-buds oval, pointed, plump, heavily pubescent, appressed; blossoms open in mid-season; flowers one and one-fourth inches across, pink; pedicels short, glabrous, pale green; calyx-tube dull reddish-green, speckled, yellowish-green within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, acute to obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals oval to ovate, with distinct notches near the base, tapering to narrow, white claws of medium length; filaments three-eighths inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent near the base, shorter than the stamens.
Fruit matures early; about two and one-fourth inches in diameter, round-oval, compressed, with unequal sides, bulged near the apex; cavity abrupt or flaring, tinged with pink and with tender skin; suture shallow, becoming deeper at the cavity; apex roundish or depressed, with a somewhat pointed or mucronate tip; color creamy-white more or less overspread with light red, with splashes of darker red; pubescence very thick, short; skin thin, tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh white, red at the pit, juicy, tender, sweet, mild, pleasant flavored; very good in quality; stone nearly free, about one and one-half inches long, one inch wide, oval, plump, with thickly-pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved along the edges, thick, furrowed and winged; dorsal suture deeply grooved.
CHAIRS
=1.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:209. 1899. =2.= _Rural N. Y._ =59=:642 fig. 236. 1900. =3.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:340. 1903.
_Chairs' Choice._ =4.= _N. C. Sta. Rpt._ =11=:108. 1889. =5.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 200. 1913.
_Chair's Choice._ =6.= _Col. O. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 151. 1893. =7.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 166. 1895. =8.= _Ibid._ 26. 1899.
_Chair Choice._ =9.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 44. 1891.
Chairs is a select fruit in the Crawford group, in its turn the most select of the several groups of peaches. In quality Chairs is unapproachable by varieties outside of its own family and is not surpassed by any within its group. The variety was at one time a standard late, yellow-fleshed, freestone, market peach competing in popularity with Late Crawford over which it often held ascendency because less subject to brown-rot. The coming of the showier and more productive but less well-flavored varieties of the Elberta type has driven the Crawford group from the markets and Chairs is now known only in collections where it will long be treasured for its delectable quality. Unproductiveness and capriciousness in soil and climate, faults of all Crawford-like peaches, are marked in Chairs. The fruits are usually larger than the specimens shown in the accompanying illustration.
Chairs originated about 1880 in the orchard of Franklin Chairs, Anne Arundel County, Maryland. First called Chairs' Choice, the apostrophe was dropped in 1891 by the American Pomological Society and still later the same organization shortened the name to Chairs. Its horticultural value was early appreciated by all pomologists and it has long been a prime favorite.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, unproductive; trunk stocky; branches thick, smooth, reddish-brown covered with light ash-gray; branchlets inclined to rebranch, short, with long internodes, olive-green overlaid with dark red, smooth, glabrous, with numerous large and small, raised lenticels.
Leaves five and three-fourths inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thin; upper surface dark green, smooth or somewhat rugose; lower surface light grayish-green; margin coarsely serrate, often in two series, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole one-fourth inch long, with two to six small, globose, greenish-yellow glands variable in position.
Flower-buds large, oblong-obtuse, very plump, usually free; season of bloom late; flowers dark pink fading toward the whitish centers, three-fourths inch across; pedicels short, glabrous, pale green; calyx-tube dull, dotted reddish-green, orange-red within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals oval or ovate, nearly entire, often notched near the base, tapering to claws of medium width, white at the base; filaments one-fourth inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent near the ovary, usually longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in late mid-season; two and three-fourths inches long, two and seven-eighths inches thick, roundish-oval, irregular, bulged beak-like along one side toward the apex, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity deep, wide, abrupt or flaring; suture shallow, deepening toward the apex and extending slightly beyond; apex roundish, with a mucronate or small, recurved, mamelon tip; color golden-yellow, blushed and splashed with dull red; pubescence short, fine; skin thin, tough, free; flesh yellow, faintly stained with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender, subacid or sprightly, pleasantly flavored; very good in quality; stone free, one and three-fourths inches long, one and three-eighths inches wide, large, broadly oval, bulged along one side, plump, with surfaces deeply pitted and with short grooves; ventral suture wide, deeply furrowed along the sides, winged; dorsal suture a deep, wide groove inclined to wing.
CHAMPION
=1.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 392. 1891. =2.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =118=:33. 1895. =3.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =2=:57. 1895. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 21. 1897. =5.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:233. 1898. =6.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:209, 210. 1899. =7.= _Kan. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 48. 1901. =8.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 112. 1903. =9.= _Can. Hort._ =27=:97, 98, fig. 2746. 1904. =10.= _U. S. D. A. Yearbook_ 478, 479, Pl. XLV. 1908. =11.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 200. 1913.
Champion is the white-fleshed peach _par excellence_ in quality--rightly used as the standard to gauge the quality of all other white-fleshed peaches. The fruits are nearly as attractive to the eye as to the palate but unfortunately run small and off color in all but choicely good peach-soils. The peaches are not only very good in the characters that make up quality--tender flesh, juiciness, pleasant flavor--but there is a peculiar honeyed sweetness possessed by few other peaches which gives the Champion individuality. The color, barring a slight excess in yellow, is well shown in the color-plate but the size as shown is small. The tree of Champion is almost perfect from the ground up, few other varieties surpassing it in height and girt and none, on the Station grounds at least, equalling it in the quantity and the luxuriant green of its foliage. A Champion tree is known by its foliage as far as the eye can distinguish color. As would be expected from the tree-characters given, in soils to which it is suited, Champion rejoices in vigor and health as do few other varieties. The variety surpasses most of its orchard-associates in productiveness but the peaches are inviting prey to brown-rot and the trees are sometimes defoliated with leaf-curl so that, with its capriciousness as to soils, it has grave faults as a commercial variety. Because of high quality of the fruit and the beauty of the tree, Champion should have a conspicuous place in the orchard of the amateur.
Champion is a seedling of Oldmixon Free supposedly fertilized by Early York. The original seed was planted about 1880 by I. G. Hubbard, Nokomis, Illinois, and the variety was introduced by him and by the Dayton Star Nurseries in 1890. In the early years of its dissemination Champion was confused with an early, semi-cling variety which originated in western Michigan and which was locally sold for a time under the same name. The American Pomological Society added Champion to its fruit-list in 1897.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, very productive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown covered with ash-gray; branchlets thick, very long, with short internodes, olive-green overspread with dull red, smooth, glabrous, with numerous large lenticels, inconspicuous except toward the base.
Leaves five and one-fourth inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate-lanceolate; upper surface dark green, rugose along the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with dark red glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with two to five small, globose, greenish-yellow glands variable in position.
Flower-buds large, medium in length, plump, conical, pubescent, free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers pink, less than one inch across, well distributed; pedicels short, glabrous, pale green; calyx-tube dark, mottled reddish-green, greenish-yellow within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, broad, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without, slightly reflexed; petals round-oval to ovate, tapering to narrow, short, white claws; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent about the ovary, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and one-fourth inches long, two and three-eighths inches wide, round or round-oval, somewhat truncate, with halves usually equal; cavity shallow, narrow, abrupt or flaring, contracted; suture shallow; apex roundish, usually with a slightly recurved, mucronate tip; color pale green changing to creamy-white, with splashes of carmine mingled with a blush of darker red; pubescence short, thick; skin tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh white, tinged red at the pit, very juicy, markedly tender, sweet, pleasant flavored; very good; stone semi-free to free, one and one-half inches long, about one inch wide, oval, long-pointed, with deeply grooved surfaces; ventral suture furrowed deeply along the sides, wide; dorsal suture deeply furrowed, rather wide, with sides slightly wing-like.
CHILI
=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 21. 1897. =2.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:340. 1903.
_Hill's Chili_ =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 184, 211. 1856. =4.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 298. 1859. =5.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 2nd App. 142, 143. 1872. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 28. 1873. =7.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 483, 484. 1873.
_Sugar._ =8.= _Gard. Mon._ =11=:148. 1869.
_Stanley Late._ =9.= _Ibid._ =14=:347. 1872. =10.= _Mich. Sta. Sp. Bul._ =44=:62. 1910.
_Jenny Lind._ =11.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 116. 1872.
_Cass._ =12.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 14, 15. 1899.
Chili, long familiar to the older generation of peach-growers as Hill's Chili, is now waning in popularity though for nearly a century it was one of the mainstays of peach-growing, having been widely and commonly planted in commercial orchards the country over. Chili, in its day, was one of the notable culinary peaches, being especially desirable for canning and curing because of its firm, dry, but well-flavored flesh, and, besides, it ripened late in the season when cool weather gave storage conditions and made culinary work more agreeable to housewives. The peaches are not at all attractive in size, color or shape, are quite too dry of flesh to eat with pleasure out of hand and are made even less agreeable to sight and taste by pubescence so heavy as to be woolly. The trees of Chili are about all that could be desired, for, while of but medium size, they are vigorous, very hardy, long-lived and, barring injury from cold or frost, are annually fruitful, though the variety has the fault of ripening its crop unevenly--an asset in home orchards, a liability in commercial plantings.
Chili came into cultivation early in the Nineteenth Century, the first tree probably having appeared in the orchard of Deacon Pitman Wilcox, Chili, Monroe County, New York. It comes almost true to seed and several seedlings have sprung up which are almost indistinguishable from it. Among these are Sugar, Stanley Late, Jenny Lind and Cass. Chili was mentioned by the American Pomological Society in 1856 as a worthy sort under the name "Hill's Chili"; placed under this name on the fruit list in 1873; and changed to Chili in 1897.
Tree medium in size, compact, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, productive; trunk thick, shaggy; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown covered with light ash-gray; branchlets unusually long, with spur-like branches near the tips, dark reddish-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, raised lenticels.
Leaves folded upward and recurved, six inches long, one and one-half inches wide, long-oval to obovate-lanceolate, thin; upper surface dark, dull olive-green, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with two to seven small, usually reniform, reddish-brown glands mostly on the petiole.
Flower-buds small, short, obtuse, plump, pubescent, nearly free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers pink, one and one-half inches across, well distributed; pedicels short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube red at the base, orange-colored within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, medium to broad, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval, faintly notched near the base, tapering to short claws of medium width, tinged with red at the base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent near the base, longer than the stamens.
Fruit late; two and one-half inches long, two and one-fourth inches wide, oblong-conic, somewhat angular, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity uneven, shallow, medium to wide, contracted, abrupt or flaring, the skin tender and tearing easily; suture shallow, sometimes extending beyond the apex; apex slightly pointed; color greenish-yellow changing to orange-yellow, with a dark red blush, splashed and mottled with red; pubescence long, thick, coarse; skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh stained red at the pit, yellowish, dry, stringy, firm but tender, mild but sprightly; good in quality; stone free, one and one-half inches long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, flattened wedge-like at the base, oval to obovate, winged, usually without bulge, long-pointed at the apex, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed, wide; dorsal suture deeply grooved.
CHINESE CLING
=1.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 636. 1857. =2.= _Horticulturist_ =14=:107. 1859. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 18. 1871. =4.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:85, 86, 95, 107, fig. 4. 1901.
_Shanghae._ =5.= _Mag. Hort._ =17=:464. 1851. =6.= _Gard. Chron._ 693. 1852. =7.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 641. 1857.
_Chinese Peach._ =8.= _Horticulturist_ N. S. =3=:286, 472. 1853.
_Shanghai._ =9.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 231. 1866.
_De Chang-Hai._ =10.= Mas _Le Verger_ =7=:211, 212, fig. 104. 1866-73.
Chinese Cling holds a high place in the esteem of American pomologists for its intrinsic value, because it was the first peach in one of the main stems of the peach-family to come to America, and because it is the parent, or one of the parents, of a great number of the best white-fleshed peaches grown in this country. The variety is not now remarkable for either fruit- or tree-characters, being surpassed in both by many of its offspring, except, possibly, in quality. The flavor is delicious, being finely balanced between sweetness and sourness, with sweet predominating, and with a most distinct, curious and pleasant taste of the almond. The fruits are too tender for shipment and very subject to brown-rot. The trees are weak-growers, shy-bearers, tender to cold and susceptible to leaf-curl. Chinese Cling created a sensation in pomology when it was brought to America because it was very different from any other peach then here and was superior to any other in several characters. Its seedlings quickly came into prominence with the result that possibly a hundred or more of the varieties named in _The Peaches of New York_ have descended from it. The attempt to hold it and its seedlings in a distinct group fails, as we have tried to show in discussing groups of peaches, because through hybridization they are hopelessly confused with other stocks. The color-plate is an excellent illustration of Chinese Cling.
Chinese Cling was found growing in the orchards south of the city of Shanghai, China, by Robert Fortune, the indefatigable English botanist, who was sent to China by the London Horticultural Society to collect useful and ornamental plants. Fortune sent the peach to England in 1844 under the name Shanghai, a name which it retains, with variable spellings, in Europe. Chinese Cling was imported as potted plants to America in 1850 by Charles Downing through a Mr. Winchester, British consul at Shanghai, China. Downing forwarded one of the trees to Henry Lyons, Laurel Park, Columbia, South Carolina, with whom the variety first fruited in America. Lyons called the new fruit "Chinese Peach." In 1871 the American Pomological Society placed Chinese Cling on its recommended list of varieties, a place it still holds.
Tree rather weak in growth, upright-spreading, round-topped, not very hardy, medium in productiveness; trunk thick; branches stocky, reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets with short internodes, olive-green more or less overlaid with dark red, smooth, glabrous, with numerous large and very small, inconspicuous lenticels.
Leaves seven and one-half inches long, two inches wide, folded upward, broad oval-lanceolate, thick, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth, becoming slightly rugose along the midrib; lower surface light grayish-green; margin coarsely crenate to finely serrate, tipped with dark red glands; petiole one-half inch long, with two to five reniform, greenish-yellow, dark-tipped glands variable in position.
Flower-buds large, long, obtuse, plump, very pubescent, somewhat appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers pink, one and one-half inches across, well distributed; pedicels short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green; calyx-lobes medium to broad, obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent near the outer edges; petals ovate, irregularly notched near the base, tapering to short, white claws; filaments one-fourth inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the base, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures late; two and five-eighths inches long, two and nine-sixteenths inches wide, round-oval, compressed; cavity deep, contracted, narrow, abrupt, faintly tinged with red; suture deep, extending beyond the apex; apex roundish or flattened, with a mucronate tip; color greenish-white changing to creamy-white, blushed on one side with lively red, splashed and marbled with duller red; pubescence thick; skin tough, adhering to the pulp; flesh white, tinged with red near the pit, juicy, meaty, tender, sweet but sprightly, aromatic; good in quality; stone clinging, one and three-eighths inches long, one inch wide, oval, conspicuously winged, bulged on one side, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the sides, rather narrow; dorsal suture large, deep, wide, winged.
CHINESE FREE
=1.= _Ala. Sta. Bul._ =11=:7, 11. 1890. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 44. 1891. =3.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:234. 1898. =4.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:95. 1901. =5.=_Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1909. =6.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 200. 1913.
Perhaps it is enough to say that Chinese Free is Chinese Cling with a free stone--at least it has been so heralded. On our grounds, however, leaves, flowers and fruits are all smaller and the quality of the fruit is not nearly as good while the tree runs a little better in most characters. This, perhaps, is a good example of many of the seedlings of Chinese Cling--the influence of another parent and the stimulus of hybridization are apparent. Chinese Free is surpassed by many other white-fleshed peaches of its season for both home and market. Doubt has arisen as to whether the tree on the Station grounds is the true Chinese Free, yet we think it is the variety now commonly going under this name.
This variety grew from a seed of Chinese Cling in the orchard of W. P. Robinson, Atlanta, Georgia, nearly forty years ago. Mr. Robinson first exhibited it before the Georgia Horticultural Society in 1881 as an unnamed seedling. Thereafter it was sometimes known locally as Robinson but commercially it has always been called Chinese Free. In 1891 the Georgia Horticultural Society formally adopted the latter name. The American Pomological Society listed Chinese Free on its fruit-list in 1891 but dropped it in 1897. In 1909, however, another change in heart caused the Society's officials again to list it in the catalog where it still remains.
Tree above medium in size, vigorous, spreading, the lower branches slightly drooping, open-topped, neither very hardy nor very productive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets slender, inclined to rebranch, long, dark red intermingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous large, conspicuous lenticels raised toward the base.
Leaves five and three-fourths inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, folded upward, oval-lanceolate, medium in thickness and toughness; upper surface dark green, rugose along the midrib; lower surface dull grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with dark red glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with two to six rather large, reniform, greenish-yellow, dark-tipped glands variable in position.
Flower-buds usually obtuse, plump, very pubescent, somewhat appressed; blooming season early; flowers pale pink, darker along the edges, one and one-fourth inches across, often in twos; pedicels short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube dull, dark reddish-green, light yellow within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval or ovate, tapering to small, narrow claws tinged with red at the base; filaments one-half inch long, usually shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, often longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-half inches long, two and three-fourths inches wide, roundish-oval, bulged at one side, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity narrow, abrupt, tinged with red, with tender skin; suture shallow but deepening at the apex; apex roundish or pointed, with a mucronate tip; color greenish-white changing to creamy-white, blushed with red, mottled and striped with darker red; pubescence very short, thin; skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh greenish-white or whitish, stained with red at the pit, juicy, tender, melting, subacid, sprightly; fair to possibly good in quality; stone free, one and one-fourth inches long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, oval, plump, abruptly pointed, with purplish-brown, pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the sides, winged near the base, rather wide; dorsal suture deeply grooved, wing-like.
CLIMAX
=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 44. 1891. =2.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:804. 1896. =3.= Glen St. Mary _Cat._ 11. 1900. =4.= _Fla. Sta. Bul._ =73=:143. 1904. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1909.
Climax is a honey-sweet, freestone peach supposedly adapted only to the far south. The trees on the grounds of this Station seem as hardy as the average and are as productive. Whether or not the peaches are as large and as attractive here as in Florida, where the variety is a commercial sort, we cannot say but certain it is, Climax has no commercial value in New York. The peaches are small, unattractive in color, drop badly, are disfigured by peach-scab and have only honeyed sweetness to recommend them. We figure and describe the variety in full only to show that honey-fleshed peaches can be grown this far north and to call attention to the possibility and desirability of using peaches of this stock in breeding to improve the quality or give new flavors to northern peaches. It would, too, give pleasant variety and add quality to the home orchard.
Climax is a seedling of Honey but neither the date of origin nor the name of the originator is known. The variety was introduced by G. L. Taber, Glen Saint Mary, Florida, in 1886. The American Pomological Society added Climax to its fruit-list in 1891 but dropped it in 1899. In 1909, however, the variety was replaced in the Society's catalog as a peach of merit for the South.
Tree small, vigorous, upright-spreading, round-topped, dense, productive; trunk roughish; branches roughened by the lenticels, reddish-brown covered with gray; branchlets very slender, long, with short internodes, olive-green overspread with darker red, smooth, glabrous, with very few small, inconspicuous, raised lenticels.
Leaves six inches long, one and three-eighths inches wide, flattened, lanceolate, thin, leathery; upper surface dull, medium green, smooth; lower surface olive-green; margin bluntly serrate, glandular; petiole three-eighths inch long, slender, glandless or with one to four small, reniform glands usually at the base of the leaf.
Flower-buds small and short, conical, plump, pubescent, appressed; blooming season late; flowers pale pink, one inch across; pedicels slender, glabrous, green; calyx-tube dotted reddish-green, greenish-yellow within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes acute or obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without, partly erect; petals ovate or oval, tapering to narrow claws whitish at the base; filaments shorter than the petals; pistil shorter than the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and three-eighths inches long, two and one-eighth inches thick, oval, but slightly compressed, with unequal sides; cavity usually shallow flaring, splashed with red; suture shallow, deepening toward the apex; apex conic, with a long, swollen, often recurved tip; color greenish-white or creamy-white, occasionally with a blush or faint mottlings of red toward the base; pubescence short, thick; skin thin, adherent to the pulp; flesh white, stained with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, melting, very sweet, mild; very good in quality; stone semi-free to free, one and one-fourth inches long, thirteen-sixteenths inch wide, oval, plump, bulged on one side, long-pointed at the apex, with pitted and grooved, reddish-brown surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the sides, narrow; dorsal suture grooved.
CROSBY
=1.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 391, Pl. VIII. 1891. =2.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =2=:58. 1895. =3.= _Minn. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 224 fig. 1896. =4.= _Ohio Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 58, 59. 1896-97. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 21. 1897. =6.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:211. 1899. =7.= _Can. Hort._ =23=:379. 1900.
_Excelsior._ =8.= _Am. Gard._ =12=:699. 1891. =9.= _Rural N. Y._ =50=:736. 1891. =10.= _Am. Gard._ =13=:47. 1892.
Of the several virtues which entitle Crosby to the esteem of fruit-growers, possibly the most notable is hardiness in tree and bud so marked that it is often called the "frost-proof" peach. It is doubtful, however, whether it is hardier than other peaches of its kind as Chili, Smock and Heath Cling. Besides hardiness, the trees have to recommend them vigor, health and productiveness, the latter character offset somewhat by small size. The quality of the fruit is excellent. The rich, yellow, freestone flesh is delicious to the taste either as a dessert or as a culinary fruit. In these days of showy fruits, however, Crosby falls far short in appearance, the peaches running small, being somewhat irregular and covered with dense tomentum. Still, at its best, in soils to which it is perfectly suited, the peaches are often handsome. But there lies another fault, the variety accommodates itself but poorly to trying soils and climates, failing especially in hungry soils and dark climates. The variety is noted for its willowy growth, small leaves, small flowers, small pits and, as has been said, hardiness. It is an ideal home sort.
Crosby was sent out about 1876 by a Mr. Crosby, a nurseryman of Billerica, Massachusetts. Later the Massachusetts Agricultural College propagated and distributed it in a small way in northern Massachusetts where it was known as Excelsior. The fact that there was another variety called Excelsior made a change necessary and the peach was renamed in honor of Mr. Crosby. The American Pomological Society placed Crosby on its list of recommended varieties in 1897.
Tree small, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, with lower branches slightly drooping, unusually hardy, very productive; trunk thick; branches of medium size, smooth, reddish-brown overspread with light ash-gray; branchlets slender, inclined to rebranch, long, olive-green almost overspread with dark red, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous large and small, conspicuous lenticels.
Leaves rather small and narrow, five and three-fourths inches long, one and one-fourth inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thin; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface light grayish-green; margin finely serrate or crenate, tipped with dark brownish-red glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with two to seven rather small, reniform, greenish-yellow glands variable in position.
Flower-buds small, short, conical, pubescent, appressed; flowers appear in mid-season; blossoms pale pink, darker near the edges, nearly one inch across, well distributed; pedicels very short, thick; calyx-tube dull reddish-green, orange-colored within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval, tapering to long, narrow claws often red at the base; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent at the ovary, equal to or sometimes longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures late; two and three-fourths inches long, two and three-eighths inches thick, roundish or roundish-oblate, slightly compressed, bulged near the apex, with unequal sides; cavity deep, abrupt or flaring, sometimes splashed with red; suture shallow, becoming deeper near the apex and extending beyond; apex roundish, with a sunken, mucronate tip; color orange-yellow, often blushed over much of the surface with dull red, splashed and striped with darker red; pubescence long, thick, coarse; skin thick, tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh deep yellow, stained with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, firm but tender, sweet, mild, pleasant flavored; very good in quality; stone free, one and five-sixteenths inches long, one inch wide, oval, plump, bulged near the apex, with pitted and grooved surfaces; ventral suture with shallow furrows along the sides; dorsal suture deeply grooved, winged.
DAVIDSON
=1.= Harrison & Sons _Cat._ 16. 1905. =2.= _Mo. State Fr. Sta. Rpt._ 12. 1905-06. =3.= _Mich. Sta. Sp. Bul._ =44=:35 fig., 36. 1910.
Davidson is on probation as an early peach for northern climates with the chances greatly against its ever proving worthy the attention of New York peach-growers. Still, it comes so highly recommended that we give it a place among the major varieties in _The Peaches of New York_ hoping that the growers of the State will at least try it out. It is a white-fleshed peach similar to the well-known Rivers, larger in size, but not quite as early. The trees are very hardy, come into bearing early and bear heavily but ripen their crop unevenly. The peaches, as the color-plate shows, are handsome, and for a variety of early season they are particularly good in quality but are very susceptible to brown-rot, peach-scab, leaf-curl and seemingly all the other ills peach-flesh is heir to.
Davidson originated with G. W. Davidson, Shelby, Michigan, and is supposed to be a sport of Early Michigan, being very similar to that sort in all respects except season, Davidson being two weeks earlier. It is often confused with Eureka.
Tree large, upright-spreading, hardy, productive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown covered with ash-gray; branchlets dull red strongly colored with olive-green, smooth, glabrous, with numerous small, conspicuous lenticels raised toward the base.
Leaves five and three-fourths inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate-lanceolate; upper surface dark green, smooth or slightly rugose; lower surface light grayish-green; margin broadly crenate or coarsely serrate, tipped with dark red glands; petiole one-half inch long, glandless or with one to five small, reniform, greenish-yellow glands variable in position.
Flower-buds conical, pubescent, plump, appressed; blooming season early; flowers pink, one and three-fourths inches across, well distributed; pedicels nearly sessile, glabrous, green; calyx-tube dull reddish-green, yellowish-green within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes medium in length, narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals roundish-ovate, often broadly notched near the base, tapering to short, broad claws occasionally with a red base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures early; two and one-half inches long, two and three-eighths inches wide, roundish, bulged near the apex, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity contracted, deep, narrow, abrupt; suture shallow, becoming deep at the extremities; apex roundish, with a small, mucronate tip; color creamy-white blushed with dull red, indistinctly striped with darker red; pubescence short, thick; skin tough, separates from the pulp; flesh white, juicy, stringy, tender, melting, sweet or with some sprightliness; fair to good in quality; stone semi-free to free, one and three-eighths inches long, one inch wide, oval, plump, tapering to a short, abrupt point, bulged near the apex, contracted toward the base, with grooved, light-colored surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the sides, narrow, winged; dorsal suture winged, grooved.
EARLY CRAWFORD
=1.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 184. 1841. =2.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =1=:29, 30, Pl. 1851. =3.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 201. 1913.
_Crawford's Early Melocoton._ =4.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 490. 1845. =5.= Mas _Le Verger_ =7=:45, 46, fig. 21. 1866-73.
_Crawford's Early._ =6.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 272, 273. 1854. =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 211. 1856. =8.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 42, 43. 1856. =9.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =6=:104 fig. 105. 1879. =10.= _Fulton Peach Cult._ 192, 193. 1908.
_Willermoz._ =11.= Carrière _Var. Pêchers_ 76, 77. 1867. =12.= _Pom. France_ =6=: No. 10, Pl. 10. 1869. =13.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._ =VI=: No. 22, Pl. 1882. =14.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 418. 1889.
Unproductiveness and uncertainty in bearing keep Early Crawford from being the most commonly grown early, yellow-fleshed peach in America. In its season, when well grown, it is unapproachable in quality by any other peach and is scarcely equalled by any other of any season. The peach has all of the characters that gratify the taste--richness of flavor, pleasant aroma, tender flesh and abundant juice. Besides being one of the very best in quality it is one of the handsomest peaches. Unfortunately, this Station is one of the many places in which Early Crawford is not at home and the accompanying illustration is far from doing the variety justice in size, shape or color. At their best, the fruits are larger, more rotund and more richly colored than shown in _The Peaches of New York_. In soils to which it is well adapted the peach is large, often very large, roundish-oblong, slightly compressed, distinguished by its broad, deep cavity, rich red in the sun, splashed and mottled with darker red, and golden yellow in the shade. The flesh is a beautiful, marbled yellow, rayed with red at the pit and perfectly free from the stone. The trees are all that could be desired in health, vigor, size and shape but are unproductive and uncertain and tardy in bearing. Yet with these faults Early Crawford, for at least a half-century, was the leading market peach of its season giving way finally to white-fleshed sorts of the Belle, Carman and Greensboro type. Fast passing from commercial importance, Early Crawford ought long to be grown in home plantations because of the beauty and unexcelled quality of the fruit.
Early Crawford came into existence in the orchard of William Crawford, Middletown, New Jersey, early in the Nineteenth Century. Its merits were first set forth by William Kenrick in the _American Orchardist_ in 1832. The variety in some manner found its way to Europe and came into the hands of Ferdinand Gaillard, a nurseryman at Brignais, Rhone, France, but without a name. Gaillard, believing it to be a new sort, gave it the name Willermoz in honor of M. Willermoz, Secretary of the Pomological Congress of France. Later, French pomologists decided that Gaillard's peach and Early Crawford were identical. The American Pomological Society put this peach on its fruit-list in 1856 under the name Crawford's Early. The name has several times been varied but today the variety is listed as Early Crawford.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, round-topped, often unproductive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown very lightly tinged with ash-gray; branchlets with internodes of medium length, pinkish-red intermingled with darker red, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous large and small, conspicuous, raised lenticels.
Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward and recurved, oval to obovate-lanceolate, medium in thickness, leathery; upper surface dark green, usually smooth except along the prominent midrib; lower surface light grayish-green; margin finely serrate, often in two series, tipped with very fine, reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to five small, globose, greenish-yellow glands variable in position.
Flower-buds conical, heavily pubescent, free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers pale pink, less than one inch across, well distributed; pedicels very short, thick, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, obconic; calyx-lobes short, medium to narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval, broadly notched near the base, tapering to broad claws red at the base; filaments one-fourth inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil often longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and one-half inches long, two and nine-sixteenths inches wide, round-oval or cordate, bulged near the apex, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity deep, wide, abrupt; suture shallow, becoming deeper near the apex; apex variable in shape, often with a swollen, elongated tip; color golden-yellow, blushed with dark red, splashed and mottled with deeper red; pubescence thick; skin separates from the pulp; flesh deep yellow, rayed with red near the pit, juicy, tender, pleasantly sprightly, highly flavored; very good in quality; stone free, one and one-half inches long, one inch wide, oval or ovate, bulged along one side, medium plump, with small, shallow pits in the surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the sides, medium in width, winged; dorsal suture grooved, slightly winged.
EARLY YORK
=1.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 220. 1832. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 475, 476. 1845. =3.= _Horticulturist_ =2=:399. 1847-48. =4.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 37, 38, 51. 1848. =5.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =1=:45, Pl. 1851. =6.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 273. 1854. =7.= Hooper _W. Fr. Book_ 221. 1857. =8.= _Mag. Hort._ =23=:518. 1857. =9.= _Flor. & Pom._ 24, Pl. 1862. =10.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 446. 1884. =11.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 184. 1908.
_Serrate Early York._ =12.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 290 fig. 1849. =13.= _U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt._ 334. 1856.
_York Précoce._ =14.= Mas _Le Verger_ =7=:115, 116, fig. 56. 1866-73. =15.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =6=:308, 309 fig., 310. 1879.
Early York is entitled to a place among the leading varieties of peaches only because of the part it played in the beginning of the peach-industry in America. As the history which follows shows, it was one of the first named varieties to be grown in this country. It is of more than passing interest, too, because it is one of the few sorts with glandless leaves. The fruits of Early York are insignificant, though the color-plate hardly does the variety justice, but the vigorous, healthy, compact trees have much to recommend them so that the variety might be used as a stepping-stone in improving tree-characters of peaches.
No doubt several distinct varieties have been grown as Early York. Large York, for example, which originated with Prince at Flushing, New York, has probably been more often sold for Early York than any other sort. Early Purple, a very old peach of European origin, was introduced to America about the time Early York came to notice. In some manner this variety has been confused with Early York, the name often being given as a synonym of that variety. The two sorts, however, are distinct and the error of connecting the name has led to much misunderstanding. Early Purple disappeared from American cultivation soon after its introduction and peaches sold under this name today are probably Early York. A controversy has arisen as to the origin of Early York, both America and England having been given as its home. That Early York is of American origin, however, there can be little doubt. Its parentage, the time and place of origin, however, are unknown. It may have come in existence in New York, or possibly New Jersey or, as some have thought, near York, Pennsylvania. The variety was sent to Europe about the middle of the Nineteenth Century where Thomas Rivers grew it at Sawbridgeworth and from it raised several promising seedlings. The leaves of the variety are distinctly serrated, giving rise to the name Serrate Early York. Red Rareripe, another variety having serrated, glandless leaves, has often been confused with Early York. The two are very similar but the fruit of Red Rareripe is larger, broader and ripens about a week later. Early York was placed on the list of recommended fruits at the National Convention of Fruit-Growers in 1848 and since that time has had a place on the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society.
Tree large, compact, upright-spreading, unproductive; trunk stocky; branches thick, smooth, reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets very long, dark pinkish-red with some green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, raised lenticels variable in size, numerous at the base and well scattered along the branches.
Leaves six inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate-lanceolate; upper surface dark green, smooth becoming slightly rugose along the midrib; lower surface light grayish-green; margin sharply serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole seven-sixteenths inch long, glandless.
Flower-buds conical or pointed, heavily pubescent, free; blossoms open very late; flowers seven-eighths inch across, pale pink, the edges darker; pedicels short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, yellow within, campanulate; calyx-lobes short, narrow, acute or obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals roundish-oval, broadly notched, tapering to short claws of medium width, sometimes stained with red at the base; filaments three-eighths inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in early mid-season; two inches long, two and one-fourth inches wide, roundish to nearly oblate, somewhat oblique, with unequal halves; cavity shallow, flaring, with tender skin, often tinged with red; suture shallow, extending beyond the tip; apex variable in shape, with mucronate or sometimes mamelon tip; color pale white or creamy-white, blushed and mottled with carmine; pubescence thin, short; skin tough, adherent to the pulp until fully ripe; flesh white, rayed with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender and melting, mild subacid; good in quality; stone nearly free, over one inch long, three-fourths inch wide, oval, plump, flattened at the base, short-pointed at the apex, with pitted surfaces marked by few grooves; ventral suture narrow, with furrows of medium depth along the sides; dorsal suture deeply grooved.
EDGEMONT
=1.= Harrison & Sons _Cat._ 18. 1901.
_Edgemont Beauty._ =2.= Barnes Bros. _Cat._ 7. 1910. =3.= _Md. Sta. Bul._ =159=:159. 1911. =4.= Stark Bros. _Cat._ 35. 1913.
In fruit Edgemont is not easily distinguished from Late Crawford, the essential differences being that the fruits of Edgemont are more rotund than those of Late Crawford and the flavor is a little more acid. The trees differ, chiefly, in the greater productiveness of Edgemont and in a little later maturity of the crop. Of the score or more peaches of the Crawford type, in many respects the best of the several types of peaches, Edgemont is distinctly superior to all on our grounds. Compared with Elberta, with which it must compete in the markets, it is several days later, is juicier, less fibrous, much excels that variety in quality and, though the individual peaches are not quite as large, at Geneva the yield of fruit is even greater. If Edgemont proves adapted to as wide a range of climates and soils as Elberta, we shall have a new commercial peach of very great value. Whether it succeeds in commerce or not, Edgemont is well worth planting in home orchards by virtue of the exceptionally high quality and attractive appearance of the fruit.
Edgemont, shortened from Edgemont Beauty, in accordance with the rules of the American Pomological Society, is of rather recent origin, having been introduced by the Miller Orchard Company, Edgemont, Maryland, in 1902.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, productive; trunk stocky, smooth; branches thick, smooth; branchlets medium in thickness, purplish-red mingled with brown.
Leaves large, obovate, medium in thickness; upper surface yellowish-green, somewhat wrinkled; margin crenate; glands globose.
Flower-buds half-hardy, medium in size; flowers appear in mid-season, small, dark pink, well distributed, single; pedicels short, somewhat slender; petals ovate, entire; filaments long, sometimes longer than the petals.
Fruit matures in late mid-season; large, irregular, roundish-ovate, truncate at the base, with unequal halves; cavity rather deep, medium to narrow, regular, abrupt; suture shallow; apex mucronate; color light yellow or orange-yellow, with a bronze blush often deepening to an attractive carmine blush; pubescence short, medium in thickness; skin thick, somewhat tough, separates from the pulp; flesh yellow, stained red at the pit, very juicy, slightly coarse and stringy, meaty, mild subacid or sprightly; very good in quality; stone free, large, oval, plump, pointed, with corrugated surfaces.
ELBERTA
=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 66. 1881. =2.= _Am. Gard._ =9=:391 fig. 1888. =3.= _Can. Hort._ =11=:281, 282. 1888. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 30. 1889. =5.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 382, Pl. 1. 1891. =6.= _Can. Hort._ =17=:305, Pl. 1894. =7.= _Mo. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 272, 273. 1896. =8.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:807 fig. 1896. =9.= _Can. Hort._ =23=:131, 132, fig. 1769. 1900. =10.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:97 fig. 98. 1900. =11.= _Rural N. Y._ =60=:54, 1901. =12.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:343, 344 fig. 1903.
Elberta leads all other peaches in number of trees in New York and in America. It is, too, the most popular of all peaches in the markets. A study of the variety, though it reveals some shortcomings, justifies its popularity with orchardists and marketmen. The preeminently meritorious character of Elberta is its freedom from local prejudices of either soil or climate--it is the cosmopolite of cultivated peaches. Thus, Elberta is grown with profit in every peach-growing state in the Union and in nearly all, if not all, is grown in greater quantities than any other market peach. The second character which commends Elberta to those in the business of peach-growing is fruitfulness--barring frosts or freezes the trees load themselves with fruit year in and year out. Added to these two great points of superiority are ability to withstand, in fair measure at least, the ravages of both insects and fungi, large size, vigor, early bearing and longevity in tree, and large, handsome, well-flavored fruits which ship and keep remarkably well.
Elberta, however, is not without faults and serious ones. The trees are not as hardy in either wood or blossom as might be wished. In northern regions peaches of the Crosby, Chili, Smock and Wager type stand winter freezes and spring frosts much better. The blossoms open rather too early in New York. The peaches also fall short in quality. They lack the richness of the Crawfords and the sweetness of the white-fleshed Champion type. Moreover, the pronounced bitter tang, even when the peaches are fully ripe, is disagreeable to some. Picked green and allowed to ripen in the markets, Elberta is scarcely edible by those who know good peaches. The stone is large but is usually wholly free from the flesh. With these faults, the dominance of Elberta is not wholly desirable as growers have a feeling of sufficiency with the one variety and consumers are forced to put up with a peach none too high in quality. Still, since no other variety is so reliable for the trade, this, by the way, being about the only variety suitable for export by reason of shipping qualities, Elberta promises long to continue its commercial supremacy.
Elberta was grown by Samuel H. Rumph, Marshallville, Georgia, from a seed of Chinese Cling planted in the fall of 1870. The Chinese Cling tree stood near Early and Late Crawford trees and trees of Oldmixon Free and Oldmixon Cling. Mr. Rumph believed that the Chinese Cling blossom which produced Elberta was fertilized by pollen from Early Crawford. The seedling was named Elberta in honor of Mr. Rumph's wife, Clara Elberta Rumph. An interesting coincidence connected with the origin of Elberta is that another stone from the same Chinese Cling tree was given to L. A. Rumph and from this grew Belle, the splendid white-fleshed, freestone peach. Nurserymen and growers frequently produce strains of Elberta which they think superior to the older sort but the several strains which have been tested on the grounds of this Station have not proved to differ a whit from the old variety. From the number of so-called "Early Elbertas" and "Late Elbertas" it may be suspected that occasionally Elberta, because of some local condition, ripens its fruit prematurely, or that ripening may be delayed; when removed from the particular local environment, ripening time seems to occur normally. Elberta was placed on the American Pomological Society's fruit-list in 1889.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense-topped, hardy, very productive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown intermingled with light ash-gray; branchlets with tendency to rebranch, with long internodes, olive-green lightly overspread with dark red, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous lenticels variable in size.
Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, oval to obovate-lanceolate; upper surface dull, dark olive-green, mottled and somewhat rugose; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely to coarsely serrate, often in two series, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with one to six reniform, greenish-yellow glands medium in size and variable in position.
Flower-buds large, pubescent, conical or obtuse, plump, appressed; flowers appear in mid-season; blossoms light pink near the center, darker pink toward the edges, one and one-fourth inches across; pedicels short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval to ovate, bluntly notched near the base, tapering to broad, short claws red at the base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and three-fourths inches long, two and one-half inches wide, roundish-oblong or cordate, compressed, usually with a slight bulge at one side; cavity deep, abrupt to flaring, often mottled with red; suture shallow, deepening toward the apex; apex roundish, with a mamelon or pointed tip; color greenish-yellow changing to orange-yellow, from one-fourth to three-fourths overspread with red and with much mottling extending sometimes over nearly the entire surface; pubescence thick and coarse; skin thick, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh yellow, stained with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, firm but tender, sweet or subacid, mild; good in quality; stone free, one and eleven-sixteenths inches long, one and one-sixteenth inches wide, broadly ovate, varying from flat to plump, sharp-pointed, decidedly bulged on one side, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the sides, narrow, winged; dorsal suture deeply grooved, strongly winged.
ENGLE
=1.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 192, 296, 299. 1893. =2.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:213. 1899. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1909. =4.= _Mich. Sta. Sp. Bul._ =44=:39, 40. 1910.
_Engol's Mammoth._ =5.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =2=:58. 1895. =6.= _Ibid._ =6=:43. 1899.
Engle is almost a counterpart of the well-known Late Crawford from which it differs essentially in earlier ripening fruit and more productive trees. Before Elberta became the vogue, Engle stood high in the esteem of commercial planters in Michigan and its culture was rapidly spreading into other states but the coming of Elberta stopped its career. There seems little doubt but that Engle is more productive than either of the two Crawfords, splendid peaches which fail because of unproductiveness, and for those who want the best it is as good as any of this group--quite too good to be lost. One of the faults of the two Crawfords is that the trees are tardy in coming in bearing. Engle is said to bear younger. On the Station grounds the fruit drops rather too readily but we do not find this fault mentioned by others.
Engle was grown some forty years ago by C. C. Engle, Paw Paw, Michigan, with a number of seedlings, several others of which proved valuable. Late Crawford may have been the seed parent but of this there can be no certainty. The American Pomological Society added Engle to its list of recommended fruits in 1909.
Tree very large, upright becoming spreading, tall, hardy, medium in productiveness; trunk thick, variable in smoothness; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown covered with light ash-gray; branchlets long, heavily tinged with olive-green, glossy, smooth, somewhat tortuous, inclined to rebranch, glabrous, with numerous small, conspicuous, raised lenticels.
Leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and three-eighths inches wide, irregularly curled, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thin; upper surface rather dark, dull olive-green, rugose along the midrib; lower surface light grayish-green; apex narrow-acuminate; petiole three-eighths inch long, with one to four small, globose, greenish-yellow glands at the base of the leaf.
Flower-buds large and long, conical, plump, pubescent, free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers light pink at the center, darker red near the edges, one and one-eighth inches across; pedicels very short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube dull reddish-green, orange-colored within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, acute, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals oval to slightly ovate, faintly and broadly crenate, tapering to claws with red base; filaments three-eighths inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two inches long, two and seven-sixteenths inches wide, round-oval to cordate, becoming almost oblate in some specimens, bulged near the apex, compressed, with unequal sides; cavity abrupt to flaring; suture shallow, deepening toward the apex; apex variable in shape; color greenish-yellow changing to orange-yellow, in parts overspread with a bright red blush, splashed with darker red; pubescence short, thick, fine; skin thin, tough, separates readily from the pulp; flesh pale yellow, stained with red near the pit, juicy, tender and melting, sweet or pleasantly subacid, mild; good in quality; stone free, one and five-sixteenths inches long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide ovate, bulged on one side, plump, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture very deeply grooved along the edges; dorsal suture grooved, often winged.
EUREKA
=1.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 115. 1880. =2.= _Gard. Mon._ =24=:211, 212. 1882. =3.= _U. S. D. A. Pom. Rpt._ 42. 1895. =4.= _Mich Sta. Bul._ =205=:31. 1903.
In the South where Eureka originated, the variety seems to have a very good reputation as an early, white-fleshed, semi-free peach. In New York the variety ripens early, when there are many other good peaches of its type, and it is therefore doubtful if it will ever have a prominent place in peach-growing in this State. As the variety grows on the Station grounds, one quality, in particular, marks Eureka as worthy more attention than it now receives--the peaches are exceptionally uniform in size. The color-plate, by the way, shows shape and color very well but does not give a fair idea of the size, as the peaches grow larger in average years. Though long grown, Eureka is worthy further trial in New York.
Eureka is a seedling of Chinese Cling found nearly half a century ago in Bossier Parish, Louisiana. It was introduced by L. T. Sanders and Son, Plain Dealing, Louisiana.
Tree above medium in size, upright-spreading, round-topped, semi-hardy to hardy, very productive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown overspread with very light ash-gray; branchlets with long internodes, reddish lightly intermingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, large lenticels.
Leaves five inches long, one and seven-sixteenths inches wide, folded upward, variable in shape, leathery; upper surface dark green intermingled with olive-green, smooth becoming rugose near the midrib; lower surface grayish-green, with a prominent midrib; margin finely or coarsely serrate, glandular; petiole five-sixteenths inch long, with two to six large, reniform glands variable in color and position.
Flower-buds somewhat tender, small, short, heavily pubescent, obtuse or conical, plump, usually appressed; blossoms open early; flowers one and thirteen-sixteenths inches across, pink, well distributed; pedicels very short, medium to thick, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, greenish-yellow within, obconic; calyx-lobes usually broad, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval or ovate, entire, broadly and shallowly crenate, tapering to long claws reddish at the base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, as long as the stamens.
Fruit matures early; about two and seven-sixteenths inches in diameter, round or round-oval, bulged on one side, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity shallow, abrupt; suture shallow, deepening at the apex; apex flattened or more or less rounded, with mucronate tip; color greenish-white or creamy-white, often with a distinct, bright red blush overspreading one-third of the surface, with faint mottlings; pubescence fine, thick, short; skin thin, tender, separates from the pulp; flesh white, tender and melting, very juicy, pleasant flavored, good; stone free, one and one-half inches long, one inch wide, ovate to oval, tapering to a long point, with corrugated and deeply pitted surfaces; ventral suture winged, deeply grooved along the edges, narrow; dorsal suture a narrow groove.
FAMILY FAVORITE
=1.= _Gard. Mon._ =22=:304. 1880. =2.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 114. 1880. =3.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:807 fig. 7. 1896. =4.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:99. 1901. =5.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:344. 1903. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 33. 1909.
Family Favorite is one of the well-known peaches in the South-Central States but in most respects falls far short of Champion, with which it must compete, in New York. The tree is doubtfully hardy and the fruit scabs badly. The variety has two characters to commend it and to give it standing among commercial peaches in New York: Compared with that of Champion, the fruit stands shipment much better and when brown-rot is rife, does not suffer nearly as much. In selected locations, then, when a mid-season, white-fleshed peach is wanted, this variety is worth trying.
Family Favorite is a seedling of Chinese Cling, possibly crossed with Oldmixon Free. It was raised by the late William H. Locke, Bonham, Fannin County, Texas. The exact date of its origin is unknown. The variety was named and introduced by T. V. Munson, Denison, Texas. The American Pomological Society added Family Favorite to its list of fruits in 1909.
Tree of medium size, spreading, inclined to droop, open-topped, productive; trunk and branches intermediate in thickness; branches reddish-brown with a tinge of very light ash-gray; branchlets rather short, with internodes dark red intermingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, curving, with numerous medium to small, conspicuous, raised lenticels.
Leaves folded upward, six inches long, one and one-half inches wide, ovate-lanceolate; upper surface a dull, mottled, dark green mingled with olive-green, rugose along the midrib; lower surface light grayish-green; margin finely serrate, often in two series, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with one to four small, globose, greenish-yellow glands variable in position.
Flower-buds small, obtuse to pointed, very plump, heavily pubescent, appressed; season of bloom early; flowers light pink at the center, darker pink along the edges, one and one-eighth inches across; pedicels short, glabrous; calyx-tube reddish-green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, pubescent within, heavily pubescent toward the edges; petals oval to ovate, usually entire, tapering to narrow claws; filaments one-half inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent at the base, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-half inches long, two and three-eighths inches wide, roundish-oval to strongly oval, bulged near the apex, compressed, with unequal sides; cavity contracted, narrow, abrupt; suture a line, deepening toward the apex; apex roundish, with a small, mucronate tip set in a depression; color creamy-white, with a few splashes of red showing through a dull and mottled blush; pubescence short, thin; skin thin, tough; flesh greenish-white, strongly stained with red at the pit, very juicy, tender and melting, sweet or subacid, aromatic; good in quality; stone semi-free to free, tinged with red, one and one-half inches long, one inch wide, flattened near the base, elliptical, plump, winged on one side, with roughish and usually pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the sides, narrow; dorsal suture grooved, irregular.
FITZGERALD
=1.= _Can. Hort._ =18=:417. 1895. =2.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =2=:57. 1895. =3.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 235, 236. 1896. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 33. 1899. =5.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:344. 1903. =6.= _Can. Hort._ =27=:195 fig. 1904. =7.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 196, 202. 1913.
Compare the color-plates of Fitzgerald and Early Crawford and it is seen at once that the two peaches are almost identical in fruit and foliage. There could be no use in growing Fitzgerald in this State, so similar is it to the better-known Early Crawford, were it not for the fact that the two differ in season a few days and that possibly Fitzgerald is the more productive of the two. Fitzgerald ripens a few days earlier than Early Crawford though in some of the references given it is said to ripen a few days later. Canadian peach-growers claim that Fitzgerald, besides being more productive and extending the season of Early Crawford, is hardier. In the effort to maintain peaches of the Crawford family in commercial plantations it may be worth while to try Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald originated a quarter of a century or more ago at Oakville, Ontario, but who the originator or what the parentage is not known. The American Pomological Society placed Fitzgerald on its list of recommended fruits in 1899, a place it still holds.
Tree of medium size, upright-spreading, round-topped, hardy, not very productive; trunk smooth; branches smooth, reddish-brown covered with light ash-gray; branchlets long, with inclination to develop short, spur-like branchlets, pinkish-red or dark red intermingled with green, smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, rather small lenticels.
Leaves six inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward but recurved, oval to obovate-lanceolate; upper surface dark green tinged with olive-green, rugose; lower surface light grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole one-half inch long, glandless or with one to five small, globose, greenish-yellow glands variable in position.
Flower-buds hardy, conical, pubescent, plump, free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers pale pink varying to a deeper red along the edges, seven-eighths inch across; pedicels very short, slender, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, acute, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals roundish-oval to ovate, white at the center, tapering to narrow claws often red at the base; filaments one-fourth inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent at the ovary, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-half inches long, more than two and one-half inches wide, roundish-oval to cordate, somewhat compressed, with unequal halves, bulged at one side; cavity medium to deep, wide, abrupt or often flaring, marked with radiating streaks; suture shallow, deepening toward the apex; apex roundish, ending in a recurved, mamelon point; color golden-yellow more or less overspread with a dull red blush, with splashes and mottlings of deeper red; pubescence long, thick; skin thin, tough; flesh yellow, rayed with red at the pit, juicy, rather firm, tender, sweet or mildly subacid, pleasant flavored; very good in quality; stone free, one and one-half inches long, one inch wide, ovate, plump, flattened near the base, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture very deeply furrowed along the sides; dorsal suture slightly winged.
FOSTER
=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 32. 1869. =2.= _Am. Hort. Ann._ 82 fig. 39. 1870. =3.= _Gard. Mon._ =12=:371. 1870. =4.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 1st App. 121. 1872. =5.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 32, 260. 1874. =6.= _Cult. & Count. Gent._ =44=:678. 1879. =7.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:345. 1903. =8.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 202. 1913.
_Foster's Seedling._ =9.= _Am. Jour. Hort._ =2=:277 fig. 1867.
Foster is another very good peach of the Crawford type and at one time was widely grown in all northern peach-regions. It is so similar to Late Crawford that even experienced growers can hardly tell them apart. Those who grow the two in the same orchard find the essential differences to be: Foster is the larger peach, is more rotund, somewhat more flattened at the base, is a little earlier, possibly handsomer and is even of better quality than Late Crawford; the trees of Foster, however, are hardly as productive as those of either of the two unproductive Crawfords. This unproductiveness is the fault that keeps the variety in the background as a commercial peach. The variety is well worth planting in any home orchard.
Foster originated about 1857 with J. T. Foster, Medford, Massachusetts, from the stone of a peach purchased by him in a Boston market. It was awarded a place on the American Pomological Society's list of recommended fruits in 1869.
Tree very large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, variable in productiveness; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown intermingled with light ash-gray; branchlets spur-like, long, dark pinkish-red mingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous large and small lenticels raised at the base.
Leaves six inches long, one and three-eighths inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, intermediate in thickness, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth becoming rugose near the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with small glands; petiole seven-sixteenths inch long, with one to four small globose glands variable in color and position; flower-buds somewhat tender, conical or pointed, pubescent, free; blossoms appear in mid-season.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and seven-sixteenths inches long, more than two and one-half inches wide, round-cordate, often bulged at one side, compressed, with unequal sides; cavity deep, wide, flaring or somewhat abrupt, often splashed with red; suture shallow, becoming deeper at both apex and cavity and extending slightly beyond the point; apex roundish or pointed, with a recurved, mamelon or occasionally mucronate tip; color deep yellow overspread with dark red, with a few splashes or stripes of red; pubescence long, thick; skin thick, tough, separates from the pulp when fully ripe; flesh deep yellow, faintly stained with red near the pit, juicy, coarse and stringy, firm but tender, sweet, mild, spicy; very good in quality; stone free.
GENERAL LEE
=1.= _Gard. Mon._ =29=:271. 1887. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 30. 1889. =3.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:346. 1903.
_R. E. Lee._ =4.= _Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 21. 1877. =5.= _Gard. Mon._ =27=:275. 1885. =6.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:240. 1898.
_Lee._ =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 22. 1897. =8.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:104. 1901. =9.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:349. 1903.
General Lee is a white-fleshed clingstone, the fruit none too attractive and surpassed by that of other varieties of its season in quality. It is without value in the North. Southern growers say General Lee is an improved Chinese Cling and as such well worth growing under some conditions. It has the reputation of being quite susceptible to brown-rot. The variety is offered by a good many nurserymen and we discuss it only to condemn it for planting in New York. The variety, as its history shows, really belongs to eastern Asia and thus arouses interest.
General Lee originated with Judge Campbell, Pensacola, Florida, from pits brought from Japan in 1860. In 1864 P. J. Berckmans received buds from R. R. Hunley of Alabama and in 1867 introduced the sort under the name General Lee. The American Pomological Society listed this peach in 1889 as General Lee but in 1897 shortened the name to Lee and so it appears in the Society's catalog at the present time. We prefer the old name since when shortened it loses all significance as a commemorative appellation.
Tree very large, vigorous, spreading, unproductive; trunk thick, rough; branches reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets slender, with internodes dark red mingled with considerable green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous inconspicuous, raised lenticels variable in size.
Leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and one-half inches wide, flat or folded downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thick, leathery; upper surface dark, dull green, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; apex acuminate; margin coarsely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole nearly one-half inch long, with one to four large, reniform, reddish-brown glands variable in position.
Flower-buds somewhat tender, large, conspicuous, very plump, conical to obtuse, strongly pubescent, appressed or slightly free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers one and thirteen-sixteenths inches across, pink, well distributed; pedicels short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, greenish-yellow within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals narrow-oval, tapering to short, broad claws occasionally with reddish base; filaments seven-sixteenths inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent near the base, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and five-eighths inches long, two and one-half inches wide, round or roundish-oval, compressed, with halves equal; cavity deep, medium to wide, contracted around the sides, abrupt or flaring, often mottled with red; suture medium to deep, extending beyond the tip; apex mucronate, mamelon; color greenish-white changing to creamy-white, with a dull or lively red blush in which are intermingled a few splashes of duller red; pubescence coarse, long, thick; skin thick, tough, clings to the pulp; flesh white, stained with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender, sweet but sprightly, pleasantly flavored; good in quality; stone clinging, one and five-sixteenths inches long, one inch wide, bulged on one side, broadly oval to ovate, flattened, short-pointed at the apex, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture winged, narrow, deeply grooved along the edges; dorsal suture grooved.
GEORGE IV
=1.= _Mas Le Verger_ =7=:49, 50, fig. 23. 1866-73. =2.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =6=:129 fig. 1879. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1909. =4.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 202. 1913.
_George the Fourth._ =5.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ =6=:413. 1826. =6.= _Pom. Mag._ =3=:105. Pl. 1830. =7.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =1=:192, 193. 1831. =8.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 478. 1845. =9.= _Mag. Hort._ =13=:120, 121, 122. 1847. =10.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 38, 51. 1848. =11.= Carrière _Var. Pêchers_ 70. 1867. =12.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 447. 1884. =13.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:346. 1903.
Once one of the mainstays of American peach-growing, George IV is now of but historical interest. This variety was one of the first named American peaches and had the honor of being placed on the recommended list of fruits at the first meeting of the National Convention of Fruit-Growers, an organization which became the American Pomological Society, in 1848. George IV is not worth planting now and is illustrated and described in _The Peaches of New York_ only that fruit-growers may note progress in the development of peaches. It is interesting to note that this old American peach is still widely grown in Europe.
George IV has been confused with several other sorts, particularly Morris Red. Prince, in the _Magazine of Horticulture_, writes that Morris Red is an old Red Rareripe brought to America from Europe by Huguenot emigrants and that George IV came from buds of the original tree of this variety. The consensus of opinion, however, among those who early knew both peaches, is that Morris Red and George IV are distinct and that both are of American origin. George IV, the best authorities say, sprang up as a chance seedling, about 1821, in the garden of a Mr. Gill, Broad Street, New York City. After fruiting, the variety rapidly grew in favor and within a few years was everywhere grown in eastern America. Taken to Europe, it soon became one of the standard European peaches. From the first it was on the list in the American Pomological Society's fruit-catalog but was dropped in 1897 to be replaced in 1909. We doubt if it now deserves to be recommended on any list of fruits.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, unproductive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown covered with light ash-gray; branchlets dark red, with faint traces of green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, small lenticels.
Leaves seven inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, folded upward and recurved, oval to obovate-lanceolate, rather thick, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth except near the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin sharply serrate, red; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to three small, globose, reddish-brown glands usually at the base of the blade.
Flower-buds short, obtuse, plump, heavily pubescent, appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers pale pink, with white centers and edged with darker pink, nearly one inch across; pedicels nearly sessile; calyx-tube reddish-green, light yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes medium in length and width, obtuse or acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals roundish-oval, tapering to claws red at the base; filaments one-fourth inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and five-sixteenths inches long, two and seven-sixteenths inches wide, roundish-oblate, bulged near the apex, oblique, with unequal sides; cavity slightly contracted, deep, wide, abrupt, with tender skin; suture shallow, becoming deeper at both apex and cavity and faintly showing beyond the tip; apex roundish, with a mucronate tip; color greenish-white changing to creamy-white, with a pink blush and sometimes with faint mottlings of red; pubescence short, thick, fine; skin thin, tough, variable in adherence to the pulp; flesh whitish, deeply tinged with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender, mild, pleasantly flavored; good in quality; stone semi-free to free, one and one-eighth inches long, three-fourths inch thick, roundish-oval, very plump, flattened at the base, tapering to a short, rounded point, with grooved surfaces; ventral suture winged, rather narrow; dorsal suture grooved.
GOLD DROP
=1.= Kan. Hort. Soc. _Peach, The_ 142. 1899. =2.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:214. 1899. =3.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:347. 1903. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1909.
_Golden Drop._ =5.= _U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt._ 298. 1855. =6.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 243. 1886. =7.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =2=:58 fig. 1895. =8.= _Mich. Sta. Sp. Bul._ =44=:42, 43 fig., 44, 45. 1910.
Gold Drop, long a familiar variety in Michigan peach-orchards, is not much grown elsewhere. It is doubtfully worth planting in New York as a peach of commerce but should find a place in every home orchard. The variety has several distinctive peculiarities which make it a pleasing variation in the peach-orchard and add to its merits as a home fruit. Thus, its transparent, golden skin and flesh make it one of the handsomest of all peaches; add to handsome appearance a somewhat distinctive flavor--vinous, rich, refreshing--and the peach becomes one that all agree is very good and one that, were the size larger, would sell in any market. Gold Drop is further characterized by great hardiness in tree and bud and by remarkable productiveness. Indeed, it loads itself so heavily that the peaches invariably run small unless the trees are heavily pruned and the crop thinned--small size of fruit is the greatest defect of the variety. Besides being one of the hardiest of all peaches it is also about the least susceptible to brown-rot and leaf-curl, the two worst scourges of the peach when yellows permits the trees to live. Earliness in coming in bearing is another admirable character. The trees are of but medium size, are dainty in habits with clean, fresh foliage so that the variety is an attractive ornamental. All in all, Gold Drop is ideal for the home garden and has many good characters which can be used as stepping-stones in breeding peaches.
The origin of Gold Drop is unknown. It is evidently an old sort and some horticulturists believe it to be an old variety renamed. The variety has been cultivated in Michigan orchards for many years under the name Golden Drop given it by George W. Griffin, Casco, Allegan County, Michigan, who introduced it. The variety was at one time supposed to be the peach which is grown in Michigan as Yellow Rareripe but it is not the Yellow Rareripe cultivated today. The American Pomological Society listed it in its fruit-catalog in 1909 under the name Gold Drop.
Tree of medium size and vigor, spreading, rather open-topped, hardy, very productive; trunk thick and smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown with a covering of light ash-gray; branchlets slender, with internodes dull pinkish-red intermingled with green, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, raised lenticels.
Leaves five and one-half inches long, one and one-fourth inches wide, folded upward and recurved, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dark green, mottled; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with red along the edge; petiole three-eighths inch long, with two to nine large, reddish-brown or grayish, mixed glands usually on the leaf.
Flower-buds long, conical or obtuse, plump, somewhat appressed, pubescent; season of bloom early; flowers pale pink, one and three-fourths inches across, well distributed; pedicels short, medium to slender, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes broad, usually acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals ovate, notched near the base, tapering to long, narrow claws variable in color at the base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, equal to or longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures late; two and seven-sixteenths inches long, nearly two and one-half inches wide, roundish-oval, bulged at one side, with unequal halves; cavity deep, abrupt, twig-marked; suture very shallow, extending beyond the apex; apex roundish, with a slightly mamelon or mucronate tip; color greenish or golden-yellow, with a dull blush on one side; pubescence thick, coarse; skin adhering to the pulp; flesh pale yellow to the pit, variable in juiciness, pleasantly sprightly; good in quality; stone free, one and nine-sixteenths inches long, one and one-sixteenth inches wide, broadly ovate, bulged at one side, with a pointed apex and deeply grooved surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved at the sides, rather narrow; dorsal suture with a deep groove, wing-like.
GOVERNOR HOGG
=1.= Brown Bros. _Cat._ 27. 1906. =2.= _Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 65, 66. 1907. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1909. =4.= _N. J. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 37. 1912. =5.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 202. 1913.
_Governor._ =6.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:101. 1901.
Were it not that Governor Hogg must compete with the well-established Greensboro and Carman, we should say at once that it was well worth trying in commercial planting in New York as an early, white-fleshed peach. In the Station orchard, Governor Hogg ripens a few days after Carman, is larger, handsomer and as good in quality. In both appearance and quality, Governor Hogg excels Greensboro, the size, shape and color of the two, as the illustrations show, being much the same though the color of this variety runs more to reds and soft tints of red. The flesh is firm, though tender and delicate, and the peaches ought to stand shipment well. As with all of these early, white-fleshed peaches, Governor Hogg is quite susceptible to both leaf-curl and brown-rot.
The parentage of this peach is unknown. It seems to have originated with a Mr. McClung, Tyler, Texas, about 1892, and was disseminated by Messrs. Sneed and Whitaker of the same place. The American Pomological Society placed Governor Hogg on its fruit-list in 1909.
Tree large, upright-spreading, open-topped, hardy, variable in productiveness; trunk thick, reddish-brown intermingled with light ash-gray; branches slender, with short internodes, brownish mingled with red and ash-gray, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with many conspicuous, large and small lenticels.
Leaves five and one-half inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward and slightly recurved, usually oval-lanceolate, medium in thickness, leathery; upper surface dark olive-green, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to five reniform, reddish-brown glands of medium size, variable in position; flower-buds conical, plump, pubescent, appressed; blossoms open in mid-season.
Fruit matures early; two and one-fourth inches long, more than two inches wide, oblong-oval, compressed, oblique; cavity deep, narrow, abrupt; suture shallow, becoming deeper at the cavity; apex depressed, with a mucronate tip; color creamy-white, blushed with red; pubescence short; skin thin, separates from the pulp; flesh white, juicy, stringy, meaty, rather tough; good in quality; stone clinging, one and three-eighths inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, obovate, plump, strongly bulged on one side, conspicuously winged, pointed at the base, with the surfaces grooved and pitted; ventral suture winged, narrow, with furrows of medium depth along the sides.
GREENSBORO
=1.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 238. 1896. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 33. 1899. =3.= Kan. Hort. Soc. _Peach, The_ 49, 143. 1899. =4.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:101 fig. 6, 102. 1901. =5.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =9=:37, 38. 1902. =6.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 11. 1907. =7.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 202. 1913. =8.= _N. Y. State Fr. Gr. Assoc. Rpt._ 16. 1915.
_Balsey._ =9.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 289. 1893.
Greensboro is one of the leading early, white-fleshed peaches. It takes high place because of its showy fruits and its large, vigorous, healthy, early-bearing and prolific trees. In the last character, in particular, Greensboro is almost supreme--year in and year out, barring accidents, its trees are fruitful. Possibly, too, no other white-fleshed peach is adapted to a greater variety of soils than Greensboro which, with fair capacity to stand heat and cold, makes it suitable for wide variations in peach-regions. The peaches, while handsome, as the color-plate shows, are in no way remarkable, the quality, if anything, being rather inferior, so that it is the tree that gives Greensboro its standing. The variety is well thought of by fruit-dealers not only on account of the attractive product but because the fruits carry well and keep long. Possibly the peaches are less susceptible to brown-rot than most other varieties of Greensboro's season but to offset this advantage there are many cracked pits and accompanying mal-formed fruits. Picked green the stone clings; picked at maturity the variety may be called a freestone. All in all, Greensboro is one of the best early, market peaches for New York.
Greensboro is a seedling of Connett grown by W. G. Balsey, Greensboro, North Carolina, about 1891. It was introduced by John A. Young of Greensboro as Balsey, this name being changed to Greensboro in 1894. Greensboro was added to the list of fruits recommended by the American Pomological Society in 1899.
Tree very large, spreading, open-topped, hardy, very productive; trunk thick, shaggy; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown covered with light ash-gray; branchlets slender, long, with short internodes, dark red intermingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with very small, conspicuous lenticels.
Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward, recurved, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thick, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth, rugose along the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole one-half inch long, with one to five reniform, reddish-brown glands usually at the base of the blade.
Flower-buds hardy, large, medium to long, conical or obtuse, very plump, strongly pubescent, usually free; season of bloom early; flowers pale pink, one and three-fourths inches across, usually in twos; pedicels very short, glabrous; calyx-tube dull reddish-green, lemon-yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes very broad, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals round-ovate, tapering to short, narrow claws red at the base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the base, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures early; two and one-half inches long, two and three-eighths inches wide, oblong-oval, often oblique, bulged at one side, compressed, with unequal sides; cavity deep, narrow, abrupt; suture shallow, deepening toward the cavity; apex roundish, with a small, mucronate tip; color creamy-white, blushed red, with a few stripes of darker red intermingling; pubescence heavy, nearly tomentose; skin rather tough, separates from the pulp; flesh white, very juicy, tender and melting, mild, sweet, sprightly; fair in quality; stone semi-clinging, one and seven-sixteenths inches long, one inch wide, winged on both sides, ovate, strongly bulged along one side, with short grooves on the surfaces; ventral suture narrow, deeply grooved along the sides; dorsal suture grooved, winged.
HALE EARLY
=1.= _Mag. Hort._ =27=:65, 66. 1861. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 78. 1862. =3.= _Gard. Mon._ =5=:68, 69, 198, 277, 278. 1863. =4.= _Horticulturist_ =18=:63, 64, 197, 198, 242, 243 fig., 244. 1863. =5.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 615. 1869. =6.= _Horticulturist_ =27=:23, 304. 1872. =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1909.
_Précoce de Hale._ =8.= Mas _Le Verger_ =7=:193, 194, fig. 95. 1866-73.
_Hale._ =9.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 44. 1891. =10.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:215. 1899.
In the middle of the last century, Hale Early was considered the best peach of its season for home and market. Even now it has several characters to recommend it; as, large, vigorous, hardy, healthy, productive trees, fruits handsome in color, uniform in size and shape, with flesh more than ordinarily free from the stone for an early peach, fair quality for the season and extreme earliness. The chief fault is that the peaches run small in size, scarcely exceeding large marbles, which they resemble in roundness. The variety must be grown in the best of peach-lands, heavily thinned, and the trees severely pruned. The peaches, besides being small, are very susceptible to brown-rot. Nowhere very commonly planted, the variety is still widely distributed, a fact, in view of the competition with many early peaches, which speaks well for a peach introduced more than fifty years ago. It is interesting to note that Hale Early was introduced into Europe many years ago and that European pomologists still speak highly of it.
Hale Early grew from a seed planted in 1850 by a German named Moas at Randolph, Portage County, Ohio. A few years later the attention of a Mr. Hale, Summit County, Ohio, was called to the seedling and he, impressed with its earliness, began to propagate it. About 1859 the variety was introduced by Hale and Jewett, nurserymen in Summit County, as Hale's Early German. In some localities it became known as Early German but finally the name Hale's Early was adopted. It was so listed in the American Pomological Society's fruit-catalog in 1862 but in 1891 the name was changed to Hale so to remain until 1909 when it appeared in the Society's catalog as Hale Early. The adoption of the last name is warranted, possibly, from the fact that another peach named Hale existed several years before the origin of the present sort.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, variable in productiveness; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with ash-gray; branchlets long, dark pinkish-red with a trace of olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with rather few large, conspicuous lenticels.
Leaves flat or curled downward, six and one-fourth inches long, one and one-fourth inches wide, long-oval to obovate-lanceolate, thin, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, often in two series, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to four small, globose, reddish-brown glands usually at the base of the blade.
Flower-buds conical or pointed, plump, pubescent, usually free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers dark pink at the center, with lighter pink toward the margin and with streaks of light pink along the veins, one and one-half inches across, usually single; pedicels short, glabrous, green, with a few reddish dots; calyx-tube dull green mottled with red, with varying shades of orange within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes broad, usually obtuse, pubescent within and without, with longer hairs along the edges, erect; petals round or inclined to oval, entire, notched on both sides near the claws which are short, broad and tinged with red near the base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil finely pubescent at the ovary, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures early; one and three-fourths inches long, one and seven-eighths inches wide, round, slightly compressed, with unequal halves; cavity regular, medium to deep, wide, flaring; suture shallow, with a slight bulge near the apex; apex roundish or flattened, ending abruptly in a short, sharp, recurved point; color creamy-white, with an attractive blush extending over one-half of the surface; pubescence short, thick; skin tough, free; flesh white, juicy, tender, sweet, with some astringency; good in quality; stone semi-free, one and five-sixteenths inches long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, ovate or oval, plump, with a short-pointed apex, surfaces marked by short grooves; ventral suture deep along the sides, narrow; dorsal suture deeply grooved, winged.
HEATH CLING
=1.= Prince _Treat. Fr. Trees_ 17. 1820. =2.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 234. 1832. =3.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 51. 1848. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 78. 1862. =5.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 197, 198. 1908.
_Heath._ =6.= Coxe _Cult. Fr. Trees_ 228. 1817. =7.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 97. 1831. =8.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:29, 30. 1832. =9.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 494, 495. 1845. =10.= Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 187, 188. 1846. =11.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 274, 275. 1854. =12.= Mas _Le Verger_ =7=:207, 208, fig. 102. 1866-73. =13.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1909.
_White English._ =14.= _Horticulturist_ N. S. =7=:178, 179. 1857.
Heath Cling is unquestionably the oldest named American peach now under cultivation. Its antiquity constitutes about its only claim to recognition though for its tree-characters and for at least one fruit-character it ought to be retained for breeding. Few varieties have larger, healthier, hardier trees than Heath Cling, the fact that the oldest of our peaches has from the first retained these characters in pristine vigor confuting the notion that varieties degenerate. In the descriptions of Chinese peaches in Chapter 1, we read of winter peaches--sorts that could be kept for three or four months after picking. Of all American peaches, Heath Cling, possibly, most nearly approaches these Chinese winter peaches. It has been known to keep in good condition from October to December. Its quality, at best, is good but often it runs poor. Well grown, the peach has a sweet, rich, vinous taste but the flesh adheres so tightly to the stone that it is not pleasant eating out of hand though splendid cooked, preserved or pickled, the stone in culinary operations imparting a pleasant flavor of peach-pit bitterness. It is the best of all peaches to preserve or pickle whole. The color-plate shows the blushed sides of Heath Cling and therefore too much red for typical specimens of this variety.
Just how old Heath Cling is no one knows but it probably was grown in the colonies before the Revolution. Two accounts are given of its origin. According to one it originated with Daniel Heath of Maryland from a pit brought from the Mediterranean. Another is that the honor of originating this peach belongs in the Prince family and that the first William Prince discovered the variety growing wild on the farm of Judge Willet, Flushing, New York. The Princes, according to this account, gave it the name Heath because it was found on a barren heath. It seems fairly well established that the variety was in the Prince orchards before the Revolutionary War whether or not it was found and named by them.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, unproductive; trunk shaggy; branches stocky, reddish-brown covered with light ash-gray; branchlets long, dark red intermingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, large, raised lenticels.
Leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward, recurving, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dark green, rugose; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole one-half inch long, with two to seven small, mostly reniform, reddish-brown glands usually at the base of the leaf.
Flower-buds tender, medium to small, short, conical or pointed, plump, pubescent, free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers a faded pink, white at the center of the petals, about three-fourths inch across; pedicels short, medium to thick, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green; calyx-lobes short, broad, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals roundish-oval, tapering to short, broad claws occasionally with a red base; filaments one-fourth inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent near the base, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures very late; two and one-eighth inches long, two and one-fourth inches wide, round-oval, compressed and somewhat angular, with unequal sides; cavity variable in depth and width, abrupt or flaring; suture shallow, extending beyond the apex; apex ending in a swollen, pointed tip; color creamy-white, blushed with red, splashed and mottled with darker red; pubescence short, thick, fine; skin thin, adhering to the pulp; flesh white, juicy, firm and meaty but tender, sweet or somewhat sprightly; good in quality; stone clinging, one and one-fourth inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, oval, plump, flattened and pointed toward the base, tapering to a short point at the apex, with dark brown, grooved surfaces; ventral suture deep along the sides, thick, furrowed; dorsal suture grooved.
HEATH FREE
=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1909. =2.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 203. 1913.
_Kenrick Heath._ =3.= Prince _Treat. Hort._ 17. 1828. =4.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:30, 31. 1832. =5.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 479. 1845. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 78. 1862. =7.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:348. 1903.
_Heath._ =8.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 226, 227. 1832.
Heath Free is now rarely planted, being replaced by better sorts--in fact it was out of date a quarter-century ago when the American Pomological Society dropped it from its fruit-list. We can see no justification of the Society's action in restoring the variety to its list ten years later. The tree-characters of Heath Free seem to be, in the main, very good but the peaches are not at all attractive in appearance and none too good in quality--at best it is but a culinary sort. Possibly it is worth growing under some conditions as a late, white-fleshed peach.
Heath Free is another old variety, a native of New England. Kenrick, one of the first American pomologists, received the variety from General Heath, Roxbury, Massachusetts, early in the Nineteenth Century. Later, Kenrick sent it to Prince at Flushing, New York, who is credited with having distributed it. The variety should not be confused with Heath Cling. Ripening at the latter end of the peach-season, the term "Late" is often attached to the name. In 1862 the American Pomological Society put this peach on its fruit-list under the name Kenrick Heath but dropped it from the list in 1899. Ten years later, 1909, the variety was replaced in the Society's catalog as Heath Free.
Tree very large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, unproductive; trunk thick, somewhat shaggy; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown covered with very light ash-gray; branchlets long, with many short, spur-like branches near the tips, with internodes dark red intermingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous lenticels, raised near the base and tip.
Leaves seven and one-eighth inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, recurved slightly, long-oval to obovate-lanceolate, rather thin; upper surface dark green, smooth becoming rugose near the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, with reddish-brown glands; petiole one-half inch long, with two to five reniform, reddish-brown glands usually on the petiole.
Flower-buds half-hardy, conical or pointed, very pubescent, free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers dark pink along the margins of the petals changing to white toward their centers, well distributed; pedicels short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, narrow, acute to obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals small, narrow-oval, often broadly notched near the base, tapering to short, broad claws red at the base; filaments one-fourth inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent at the base, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in late mid-season; two and one-eighth inches long, two and one-fourth inches thick, roundish-oval to oblong-oval, often strongly compressed, with halves nearly equal; cavity medium to shallow, wide, flaring, contracted along the sides, with tender skin; suture shallow; apex roundish, with a depressed, mucronate tip; color creamy-white, blushed or mottled with red, with splashes of deeper red; pubescence rather coarse, thick; skin thick, tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh white, bronzed at the pit, juicy, coarse, firm but tender, mild subacid with some astringency; good in quality; stone free, one and three-eighths inches long, one inch wide, flattened near the base, oval, with long grooves deeply sunken in the surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the edges, wide; dorsal suture grooved, faintly winged.
HILEY
=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 170. 1899. =2.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:102 fig. 7, 103. 1901. =3.= _U. S. D. A. Yearbook_ 271, 272, Pl. 34. 1903. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1909.
_Early Belle._ =5.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:342. 1903. =6.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 12. 1907.
In spite of keen competition with many other early, white-fleshed peaches, there seems to be a place for Hiley. Two characters make it notable in its class. It is the earliest commercial freestone, white-fleshed peach and it is rather better in quality than most of its competitors. Well grown, the peaches are large in size and handsomely colored but the fruits are not quite as uniform in either size or color as could be desired for a commercial variety. The trees, while productive, are neither large nor sufficiently hardy and vigorous to make an ideal commercial sort. Still, we must end as we began, with the statement that there is a place for Hiley because of earliness and high quality. The fruits, unfortunately, are easy prey to brown-rot.
Hiley originated with Eugene Hiley, Marshallville, Georgia, about 1886. Seeds of several varieties, including Belle and Elberta, were planted and from these sprang one tree which bore the fruit under discussion. R. A. Hiley, who seems to have first discovered its value, is of the opinion that this variety is a seedling of Belle crossed with Alexander. The new peach was first named Early Belle and the first crops were shipped under this name. Later the name was changed to Hiley. The American Pomological Society placed the variety on its fruit-list in 1909.
Tree medium in size, lacking in vigor, upright-spreading, open-topped, very productive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown covered with light ash-gray; branchlets with short internodes, brownish-red heavily overlaid with olive-green, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous lenticels variable in number and size.
Leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upwards to nearly flattened, narrow-oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, mottled, nearly smooth; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to eight small, globose and reniform, greenish-yellow glands variable in position.
Flower-buds tender, obtuse, plump, heavily pubescent, appressed or nearly so; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers pink, one and seven-eighths inches across, often in twos; pedicels glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube dull, dark reddish-green, greenish-yellow within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals roundish-ovate, tapering to long, broad claws red at the base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, equal to or often longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and three-eighths inches long, two and one-fourth inches thick, roundish-conic to oblong-conic, bulged near the apex, with unequal halves; cavity abrupt, the skin tender and tearing easily; suture shallow, deepening toward the apex; apex pointed; color greenish-yellow with a dull blush often extending over one-half the surface, more or less mottled; pubescence thick, fine, short; skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp when fully ripe; flesh creamy-white, stained red at the pit, stringy, firm but tender, with a distinct, pleasant flavor, sprightly; good in quality; stone semi-free to free, one and three-eighths inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, elliptical to ovate, pointed at both ends, with nearly smooth surfaces; ventral suture rather wide and with deep furrows along the sides; dorsal suture a small groove.
HYNES
=1.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:812. 1896. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 33. 1899. =3.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =8=:14 fig. 1901. =4.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:348. 1903.
_Hynes Surprise._ =5.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 50. 1879. =6.= _Ibid._ 111. 1880. =7.= _U. S. D. A. Pom. Rpt._ 42. 1895.
Coming at a season when there are several very good, white-fleshed peaches, we doubt whether Hynes can establish itself in the peach-list for New York. The peaches are not quite large enough and the stone clings a little too tenaciously for a first-class early peach. The flavor is good for an early peach and when large enough the fruits are attractive, shape and coloring being particularly pleasing. Hynes was at one time highly recommended, widely advertised and largely sold in New York by nurserymen and fruit-growers in this State. We doubt if many are now planting it. The color-plate is an excellent reproduction of the variety.
Hynes was grown about 1877 by E. F. Hynes, West Plains, Missouri. Its parentage is unknown. The variety soon became disseminated as a valuable early, commercial peach. At first it was known as Hynes Surprise but gradually the name has been shortened to Hynes. The late S. D. Willard, Geneva, New York, grew and recommended this variety for a number of years and by some has been given the credit of having originated and introduced it. The American Pomological Society put Hynes on its fruit-list in 1899.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, hardy, medium in productiveness; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown with a small amount of ash-gray; branchlets long, with internodes of medium length, dark red intermingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, large lenticels.
Leaves six and one-half inches long, about one and one-half inches wide, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery, dull, dark green, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; apex tapering to a long, narrow point; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with one to five small, globose, brownish-yellow glands variable in position.
Flower-buds hardy, small, short, obtuse, plump, slightly pubescent, usually appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers dark pink at the center, light pink near the edges, often in twos; pedicels short, medium to thick, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube reddish-green, greenish-yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, medium to broad, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals broadly oval, irregular in outline, tapering to claws often red at the base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent near the base, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures early; two and one-half inches long, two and one-fourth inches wide, round-oblate, with halves usually equal; cavity wide, flaring; suture shallow, becoming deeper near the tip; apex flattened or roundish, ending abruptly in a short, sharp point; color greenish or creamy-white, with a dull, dark red blush, splashed and mottled with carmine; pubescence thin, short, fine; skin thin, tender, variable in adherence to the pulp; flesh greenish-white, with a red stain under the skin and often rayed with red about the pit, juicy, stringy, tender and melting, sweet, mild; fair to good in quality; stone nearly free, one and one-fourth inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, bulged on one side, ovate, very plump, with surfaces pitted and with short, narrow grooves; ventral suture furrowed, very deeply grooved at the edges; dorsal suture wide, deeply grooved.
ILLINOIS
=1.= _N. J. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 36. 1912. =2.= Stark Bros. _Cat._ 37 fig. 1913. =3.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 203. 1913. =4.= Stark Bros. _Cat._ 43. 1914.
Illinois is a mid-season, white-fleshed, freestone peach, still on probation with what result as to commercial possibilities we should not like to predict. It has been little tried in New York and growers in other peach-regions are not in accord as to its value. In size, color and shape of fruit, as the color-plate shows, Illinois is one of the beauties of the orchard. Yet, all things considered, the new variety is not as good as Champion with which it would have to compete. Neither tree- nor fruit-characters are quite satisfactory as the variety grows on the Station grounds. It must be apparent, too, to all peach-growers that the industry is overloaded with white-fleshed peaches which at best must be sold in nearby markets or grown for home use.
Illinois originated about 1910 on the grounds of E. H. Riehl near North Alton, Illinois. It is supposed to be a cross between Stark Heath and Washington.
Tree medium in size and vigor, upright to spreading, hardy, very productive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, dark reddish-brown overlaid by ash-gray; branchlets slender, short, with internodes dark red and olive-green, smooth, glabrous, with a few inconspicuous, raised lenticels variable in size.
Leaves five and one-half inches long, one and one-half inches wide, curled under at the tips, ovate-lanceolate, thin, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, rugose along the midrib; lower surface olive-green; margin deeply and sharply serrate, the serrations often in two series, tipped with small glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless.
Flower-buds medium to large, obtuse or conical, plump, pubescent, appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers variable in color, over one inch across, often in twos; pedicels short, greenish, glabrous; calyx-tube reddish-green, greenish-yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes medium to broad, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval, crenate, often broadly notched near the base, tapering to narrow claws with a tinge of red at the base; filaments one-half inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent at the base, as long as the stamens.
Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and one-fourth inches long, two and one-half inches wide, round-oblate, compressed, the halves usually unequal; cavity deep, abrupt, often tinged with red; suture shallow, deepening toward the apex; apex roundish, with a mucronate tip; color creamy-white, blushed with dull, dark red and mottled with splashes of brighter red; pubescence heavy; skin tough; flesh white, stained red near the pit, juicy, tender and melting, sweet; good in quality; stone semi-free to free, one and one-fourth inches long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, oval or obovate, not bulged, slightly elongated toward the base, plump, short-pointed at the apex, with grooved and pitted surfaces; ventral suture winged, of medium width, deeply grooved along the edges; dorsal suture deeply grooved.
IMPERIAL
=1.= _La. Sta. Bul._ =27=:943. 1894. =2.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:819. 1896. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 22. 1897. =4.= _Ala. Sta. Bul._ =117=:305. 1901. =5.= _Fla. Sta. Bul._ =73=:148, Pls. 3 & 4. 1904. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1909. =7.= _Ala. Sta. Bul._ =156=:133. 1911.
Of the several honey-flavored peaches fruiting on the Station grounds, Imperial is probably the best. The fruit is not easily distinguished in appearance from that of Climax, at least by those unfamiliar with southern peaches, and is also rather closely allied to Honey in outward character but has a somewhat distinct flavor in which it surpasses Climax and Honey. It differs from both, too, in time of ripening. The peaches of this, as of other honey-flavored sorts, drop badly as they mature. It is doubtful if we shall ever grow pure-bred peaches of the Honey type in New York for the markets, but Imperial, at least, is worth a place in every home orchard where it does not have to brave too great a degree of cold; and peach-breeders should seize the opportunity to cross it with our less richly flavored northern varieties.
Imperial is a seedling of Honey grown in 1890 by G. L. Taber, Glen Saint Mary, Florida. This variety has been much confused with White Imperial, a sort grown in New York many years ago but long since out of cultivation. Pomologists frequently list White Imperial as a synonym of Imperial, giving the origin as New York, when the variety in mind is the true Imperial of southern origin. Imperial was listed in the American Pomological Society's catalog in 1897 but was dropped in 1899. It appears again, however, in the Society's catalog in 1909 under the name Imperial with White Imperial incorrectly given as a synonym.
Tree medium in size or small, upright-spreading, round-topped, productive; trunk thick, rough; branches stocky, roughened, reddish-brown intermingled more or less with ash-gray; branchlets slender, often rebranching, long, with internodes dark pinkish-red mingled with varying shades of olive-green, and with conspicuous, numerous, raised lenticels.
Leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and one-half inches wide, flattened, lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green; lower surface olive-green; margin finely and shallowly serrate, tipped with glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with one to four small, reniform glands usually at the base of the blade.
Flower-buds small, medium to short, conical or obtuse, pubescent, plump, usually appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers medium in size, showy, light pink, usually single; pedicels medium in length and thickness, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-green within, obconic; calyx-lobes acute or obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals roundish, tapering to claws tinged with red at the base; filaments equal to or shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent.
Fruit matures late; two and one-half inches long, two and three-sixteenths inches wide, oval, with unequal halves; cavity shallow, medium in width, flaring; suture very shallow, often indistinct toward the cavity; apex distinctly elongated; color pale green becoming whitish, with faint mottlings and with a distinct or faint blush; pubescence short, thick; skin tough, adhering to the pulp; flesh white, stained with red near the pit, juicy, fine-grained, tender and melting, very sweet and of a delightful flavor; very good to best; stone free, one and three-eighths inches long, thirteen-sixteenths inch wide, oval or ovate, not very plump, bulged at one side, long and pointed at the apex, with roughish and pitted surfaces, dark brown mingled with purplish-red; ventral suture rather narrow, often winged, deeply grooved along the edges; dorsal suture grooved.
IRON MOUNTAIN
=1.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =152=:197, 200. 1898. =2.= _Ibid._ =169=:217. 1899. =3.= _Rural N. Y._ =58=:738 fig. 271. 1899. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1909. =5.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 203. 1913.
Hardiness is the outstanding character which has brought Iron Mountain into prominence. The introducer and many growers claim extreme hardiness of wood and bud for the variety--others say that it is surpassed by Crosby, Wager and other varieties of their type. The trees on the Station grounds turned out not to be true to name so that we can offer no data as to hardiness. Iron Mountain is a very late, white-fleshed, freestone peach well adapted for extending the commercial limits for this fruit in regions where fall frosts hold off sufficiently long for the fruit to ripen. The tree-characters are reported by most growers as very satisfactory and the peaches serve very well for culinary purposes but are not sufficiently attractive for a dessert fruit though the quality is excellent. There seem to be two varieties, much alike in fruit, passing under this name; one is large-flowered, the other small-flowered. This variety might well be planted in New York for some markets; as, for example, near towns and cities where it is desirable to extend the local market as late as possible.
Iron Mountain seems to have originated in New Jersey about a quarter-century ago but nothing is known of its parentage or by whom grown. The variety was introduced by J. H. Lindley, Whitehouse, New Jersey. It was put on the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society in 1909.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, not always productive; trunk thick; branches smooth, dark ash-gray mingled with reddish-brown; branchlets medium to slender, with internodes of medium length, greenish-brown, smooth, glabrous, with numerous small, raised lenticels.
Leaves six inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward and recurved, oval to obovate-lanceolate, medium in thickness, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface light green, with a prominent midrib; margin glandular, finely serrate; petiole three-eighths inch long, with one to six reniform glands of medium size, usually on the petiole; flower-buds medium to small, conical, free; season of bloom late; flowers small.
Fruit matures very late; two and three-fourths inches long, two and five-eighths inches thick, oblong-oval, often bulged on one side, compressed; cavity contracted, below medium in depth, flaring; suture shallow, extending only to the tip; apex distinctly mucronate or roundish, sometimes tapering; color pale greenish or creamy-white, occasionally with a light blush; pubescence heavy; skin medium to thin, tender, adherent to the pulp; flesh white, stained brown next to the pit, juicy, tender, sweet, mild; quality good; stone semi-free one and five-eighths inches long, more than one inch wide, somewhat wedge-like at the base, obovate, plump, long-pointed at the apex, winged, with large, wide and deep grooves in the surfaces; ventral suture with wide, deep furrows; dorsal suture grooved deeply, winged.
J. H. HALE
=1.= W. P. Stark _Cat._ 45-55. 1913. =2.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 203. 1913.
Of many new peaches, J. H. Hale is now the leading aspirant for pomological honors. Indeed, it is one of the sensations of the pomological world, the variety having many merits to commend it and the name and fame of the originator and of the introducers, together with extensive advertising, helping much to bring the peach to the attention of fruit-growers. Elberta is now the standard commercial peach and, since J. H. Hale must make its way in competition with the variety in command of the markets, we can best set forth the characters of the new sort by comparing it with Elberta with which all are familiar. The comparison is easy to make, for the two peaches are of the same general type, Elberta, probably, being one of the parents of J. H. Hale.
In size of fruit, J. H. Hale averages larger--all things considered a trifle too large when the trees are at their best. The flesh of J. H. Hale is firmer and heavier and the peaches will ship and keep longer than those of Elberta. In shape, the fruit is almost a perfect sphere, its symmetry being scarcely marred by the suture so that it is more shapely than the oblong Elberta and can, of course, be packed to better advantage. The color-plates of the two peaches show the differences in shape very well. In color of fruit there is no choice--both peaches are voluptuously handsome. The skin of J. H. Hale is less pubescent and possibly a little firmer and tighter, characters adding to the appearance and shipping qualities of the fruit. It is but an invitation to argument to say which is the better in the characters that go to please the palate--flavor, aroma, texture and juiciness. Neither, in comparison with many other peaches, can be rated as extra good.
Unfortunately we cannot be as certain of the merits of the trees of the two varieties as we are of the fruits. This much we know, J. H. Hale is a few days earlier than Elberta and its trees and buds are hardier than those of Elberta. Which is the more productive is not certain and this can be ascertained only when data can be had from a large number of growers since productiveness in both is bound to vary with the soil. The greatest asset of Elberta is its ability to adapt itself to diverse soils; whether J. H. Hale is equally elastic in constitution remains to be seen. The variety is still on probation in New York with the chances growing stronger each year that it will take high place among commercial peaches. We do not expect it to drive Elberta from the markets but the markets will be shared between the two, J. H. Hale reaching the fruit-stands several days in advance of Elberta. Would that there were as good a commercial variety to follow Elberta.
This remarkable variety is a chance seedling found by J. H. Hale, South Glastonbury, Connecticut. From its characters, one sees at once that it is either an offspring or is very closely related to Elberta--at first many thought the two were identical. After having thoroughly tested the new variety in commercial orchards in both Connecticut and Georgia, Mr. Hale decided that it was worth introducing and sold the new peach to the William P. Stark Nurseries, Stark City, Missouri. The distribution of the variety was begun in 1912 and possibly no other tree-fruit has ever been so rapidly propagated and so widely distributed as has the J. H. Hale in the past four years.
Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, productive; trunk of medium thickness, smooth; branches smooth, ash-gray overspread with dark reddish-brown; branchlets medium in thickness and length, with long internodes, olive-green overspread with red, smooth, glabrous.
Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, recurving at the tip, lanceolate, thin, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth becoming rugose along the midrib; lower surface olive-green, with prominent midrib; margin singly or doubly serrate; petiole five-sixteenths inch long, thick, with one to five reniform, dark brown glands of medium size; flowers appear in mid-season.
Fruit matures in mid-season; three inches long, three and one-fourth inches wide, regular, round, with equal halves; cavity deep, wide, regular; suture a mere line, very shallow or with almost no depression; apex roundish, with a small tip set in a depression; color lemon-yellow overspread with attractive dark red and with mottlings and splashes of carmine; pubescence light; skin thick, tough, separates but poorly from the pulp; flesh yellow, red around the pit, juicy, fine-grained, sweet or somewhat sprightly; good in quality; stone free, one and three-fourths inches long, one and one-fourth inches wide, oval, plump, flattened at the base, pointed at the apex, with grooved and pitted surfaces; ventral suture furrowed, deeply grooved along the sides; dorsal suture winged, deeply grooved.
JENNIE WORTHEN
=1.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =31=:58. 1887. =2.= Munson _Cat._ 8. 1890-91. =3.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 183. 1898.
_Worthen._ =4.= _U. S. D. A. Pom. Rpt._ 44. 1895. =5.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:229. 1899.
_Jennie._ =6.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:812. 1896.
Jennie Worthen is given a place among the major varieties in _The Peaches of New York_ with the hope that New York growers may be induced to try it as a high-grade, yellow-fleshed, freestone variety to precede Elberta. It is enough to say that it is very similar to Early Crawford--best of all early peaches--and on the Station grounds is more productive, unproductiveness being the fault that keeps Early Crawford from being a money-making variety. Whether or not Jennie Worthen can be grown commercially, it is well worth planting in the home orchard.
But little is known of the history of this variety. According to a letter from the late T. V. Munson, Denison, Texas, it originated in Illinois with a Mr. Worthen and was named for his daughter. The Munson Nursery grew the variety for a few years after its introduction but has since discontinued its propagation.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, hardy, productive; trunk thick, smooth; branches thick, nearly smooth, reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets of medium thickness, tending to rebranch near the tips, with internodes of medium length, dark pinkish-red intermingled with green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, small, raised lenticels.
Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and three-eighths inches wide, curled both upward and downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thin, leathery; upper surface dark green, rugose near the base of the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole one-half inch long, glandless or with one to six reniform, reddish-brown glands of medium size, variable in position.
Flower-buds hardy, usually obtuse, sometimes conical, plump, very pubescent, free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers pale pinkish, darker pink near the margins, well distributed; pedicels short, medium to thick, glabrous, green; calyx-tube dull, dark reddish-green, orange-red within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, narrow, usually acute, glabrous within and without; petals oval, often broadly notched near the base, tapering to long, narrow claws occasionally tinged with red at the base; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent at the ovary, equal to or longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and seven-eighths inches long, two and five-sixteenths inches wide, irregular, roundish-oval, bulged at one side, considerably compressed, with unequal sides; cavity medium to deep, abrupt, with tender skin; suture shallow, deepening toward the tip; apex elongated; color greenish-yellow changing to orange-yellow, with stripes and splashes and mottlings of deeper red; pubescence thick, long; skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh deep yellow, stained with red near the pit, juicy, slightly stringy, tender, sweet, very pleasantly flavored, sprightly; good to very good in quality; stone free, one and three-eighths inches long, one inch wide, ovate, plump, bulged at one side, the surfaces grooved; ventral suture narrow, winged, deeply grooved near the edges; dorsal suture grooved.
KALAMAZOO
=1.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 27, 28, 192. 1893. =2.= _Ibid._ 143. 1894. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 33. 1899. =4.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:217. 1899. =5.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:348. 1903. =6.= _Mich. Sta. Sp. Bul._ =44=:49 fig., 50. 1910. =7.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 203. 1913.
Before peach-growers had Elberta, Kalamazoo was a promising yellow-fleshed, freestone variety. The fruit is better in quality than Elberta but not as showy in appearance and the trees are not quite as productive. Kalamazoo ripens with Late Crawford and could well compete with that variety for the trees are hardier in wood and bud and are much more productive. The variety falls short, however, in the size of the peaches, these running no larger than a medium Late Crawford, though possibly this defect could be remedied by thinning. The fruits are of highest quality either for dessert or culinary purposes. The trees are susceptible to leaf-curl and must be thoroughly sprayed for this fungus. The variety is grown rather extensively in Michigan and is well known in parts of New York.
Kalamazoo originated with J. N. Stearns, Kalamazoo, Michigan, about 1869, as a sprout from below the bud on a Yellow Alberge tree. It first fruited in 1871 and was exhibited that year at the Michigan State Fair where it received a premium as the best seedling peach. The American Pomological Society placed Kalamazoo in its fruit-list in 1899 where it still remains.
Tree large, spreading, vigorous, open-topped, very productive; trunk medium in thickness and smoothness; branches stocky, nearly smooth, reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets long, with internodes of medium length, dark pinkish-red with a small amount of olive-green, smooth, glabrous, with lenticels of medium number and size.
Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and three-eighths inches wide, nearly flat or curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dark olive-green, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; apex narrow-acuminate; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with one to six small, reniform, reddish-brown glands variable in position.
Flower-buds hardy, conical, somewhat pointed, pubescent, partly appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers pale pink, white at the center of the petals, one and one-eighth inches across; pedicels short, medium to slender, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes medium to narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval to somewhat ovate, irregular in outline near the base, tapering to narrow claws occasionally reddish at the base; filaments one-half inch long; pistil pubescent at the base, equal to or shorter than the stamens.
Fruit matures late; two and three-eighths inches long, two and seven-sixteenths inches wide, roundish-oval, often compressed, with unequal sides; cavity rather wide, flaring to abrupt; suture indistinct becoming more pronounced toward the tip; apex ending in a small, elongated point; color greenish-yellow becoming yellow, with a faint or distinct blush usually extending over one-fourth of the surface, mottled; pubescence thick, fine; skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh light yellow, stained with red near the pit, juicy, tender, sweet, mild; good in quality; stone free or nearly so, one and one-half inches long, one and one-sixteenths inches wide, oval to ovate, bulged on one side, winged near the base, the surfaces pitted and grooved near the apex; ventral suture very deeply grooved at the sides, medium in width; dorsal suture winged, grooved deeply.
LAMONT
=1.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =74=:372. 1894. =2.= _N. Y. State Fr. Gr. Assoc. Rpt._ 144. 1910. =3.= _Ibid._ 21. 1912. =4.= _Van Dusen Nur. Cat._ 21. 1913.
Though long grown in parts of western New York, Lamont has not been sufficiently well tested by the peach-growers of the State. It is a yellow-fleshed, freestone peach, much like Early Crawford in appearance and quality, which ripens from one to two weeks after Elberta. It is more productive than either of the Crawfords and if it does as well elsewhere as about Geneva, the place of its origin, it ought to take high place in the list of commercial peaches for this State. Several large growers in this region speak well of it as a market fruit. As a garden variety for its season, it can hardly be surpassed.
The original Lamont tree grew as a chance seedling on the grounds of Charles Lamont, Geneva, New York, first fruiting about 1884. It was introduced by E. Smith and Sons, Geneva, New York, soon after its discovery. The variety is offered by several Geneva nurserymen.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, productive; trunk thick, nearly smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown with light ash-gray; branchlets with internodes of medium length, dark pinkish-red intermingled with green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with inconspicuous, raised lenticels.
Leaves seven inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, folded upward and curled downward slightly, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thick, leathery; upper surface dark olive-green, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; apex acuminate; margin finely and sharply serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole one-half inch long, with one to six reniform, dark brown glands variable in position.
Flower-buds tender, large, long, conical or pointed, pubescent, free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers thirteen-sixteenths inch across, white at the center of the petals becoming dark pink near the edges; pedicels short, green; calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, medium to broad, obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals roundish-oval, somewhat irregular in outline near the base, tapering to long, narrow claws occasionally with a red base; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent near the base, as long as the stamens.
Fruit matures late; about two and seven-eighths inches in diameter, roundish-cordate, compressed, with unequal sides; cavity deep, usually abrupt; suture indistinct, becoming deeper near the tip; apex roundish or pointed, usually with a noticeable mamelon or sometimes mucronate tip; color golden-yellow, blushed and faintly striped and splashed with carmine; pubescence heavy, long, coarse; skin thick, tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh light yellow, stained with red near the pit, juicy, coarse, tender, pleasantly sprightly; good in quality; stone free, one and five-eighths inches long, one and one-eighth inches wide, oval to obovate, flattened near the base, often bulged at the apex, winged, with grooved surfaces; ventral suture deeply marked along the edges, narrow, winged; dorsal suture grooved, the sides wing-like.
LARGE YORK
=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 22. 1897. =2.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 26. 1899.
_New York Rareripe._ =3.= Coxe _Cult. Fr. Trees_ 220. 1817. =4.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 277. 1854.
_Large Early York._ =5.= Prince _Treat. Fr. Trees_ 16. 1820. =6.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 39, 51. 1848. =7.= Cole _Am. Fr. Book_ 192. 1849. =8.= _Cultivator_ =6=:308 fig. 1849. =9.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 44. 1856. =10.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 288. 1859. =11.= _Horticulturist_ =16=:245. 1861. =12.= _Gard. Mon._ =5=:13. 1863. =13.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 619. 1869. =14.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 185, 186. 1908.
_Large Early Rareripe._ =15.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:25. 1832.
Large York long ago lost all value for either home or commercial plantings but it is still listed in a few nursery catalogs and is still in the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society. It is one of the old American sorts and has been much confounded with several other peaches. We place it among the major varieties in _The Peaches of New York_ chiefly to straighten out the nomenclatorial tangle involving it and the several varieties with which it is commonly confounded.
Large York has been more often confused with Early York than any other sort. George IV, Haines and Honest John have also been listed time and again as identical with Large York. While the sorts mentioned have many resemblances, there are distinguishing characters for all of them. Large York, known also as Large Early York and Large Early Rareripe, originated with William Prince,[261] Flushing, New York, some time in the Eighteenth Century, probably from a pit of Red Rareripe. The variety was at first called Early York but to distinguish it from another Early York the term Large was added. Prince sent the variety to William Forsyth of England about 1790. Forsyth grew it in the Royal Kensington Gardens and later renamed it Royal Kensington under which name it is frequently sold in England. While Large York and Early York are closely related, the leaves of the latter are glandless while those of the former have globose glands. At the National Convention of Fruit-Growers held in 1848, Large York was put on the list of recommended varieties under the name Large Early York. The peach has remained on the American Pomological Society's fruit-catalog since the date given, the name being shortened in 1897 to Large York.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, rather unproductive; trunk thick; branches thick, smooth, reddish-brown intermingled with light ash-gray; branchlets with long internodes, dark red with some green, somewhat russetted, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, numerous, large, raised lenticels; leaves six and one-half inches long, one and one-half inches wide, variable in position, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thick, leathery, dark green tinged with olive-green; margin finely serrate; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to six small, globose, reddish-brown glands; flower-buds small, short, pointed, not very plump, pubescent, appressed; flowers small, appearing in mid-season.
Fruit ripens in mid-season; one and seven-eighths inches long, two and one-sixteenth inches wide, round-oblate, bulged at one side, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity narrow, abrupt, faintly splashed with red; suture shallow, becoming deeper toward the apex and extending considerably beyond; apex roundish or depressed, with a mucronate tip; color greenish-white or creamy-white, blushed and mottled with red; pubescence short, thick, fine; skin thin, tender, adheres to the pulp; flesh white, rayed with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender, sweet, mild, pleasant flavored, aromatic; good in quality; stone nearly free, one and one-eighth inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, oval, plump, short-pointed at the apex; ventral suture medium in width; dorsal suture grooved.
LATE CRAWFORD
=1.= Mas _Le Verger_ =7=:231, 232, fig. 114. 1866-73. =2.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 204. 1913.
_Crawford's Superb Malacatune._ =3.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 191, 192. 1841.
_Crawford's Late Melocoton._ =4.= _Horticulturist_ =1=:12. 1846-47. =5.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 491. 1845. =6.= Cole _Am. Fr. Book_ 197. 1849.
_Crawford's Late._ =7.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 51. 1848. =8.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =2=:9, 10, Pl. 1851. =9.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 273. 1854. =10.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 43. 1856. =11.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 194. 1908.
Late Crawford is at the head of the Crawford family, long dominant among the several groups of American peaches and not yet equalled by any other yellow-fleshed peaches in quality. Late Crawford, a quarter-century ago, began to give way to Elberta because of the greater productiveness of the Elberta tree and the showier Elberta fruits and now, though widely distributed, is nowhere largely planted and seems destined to pass out of cultivation as a peach of commerce. Unproductiveness and tardiness in coming in bearing are the faults on account of which Late Crawford is failing. Itself adapted to a wide range of soil and climatic condition, Late Crawford, through the recurring variations from seed, has made the Crawford family the most cosmopolitan of the several distinct races of American peaches. Of all the family it is most virile, more than a score of its offspring being described in _The Peaches of New York_.
Compared with other Crawford-like peaches, Late Crawford is possibly the best in fruit-characters, the peaches being unsurpassed in appearance and scarcely equalled in texture of flesh and richness of flavor. The peaches, too, are more shapely and more uniform in shape than fruits of other Crawford varieties, being rounder, trimmer in contour and having a suture that scarcely mars the symmetry of the peach. In color, Late Crawford runs the whole gamut of soft tints of red and yellow that make Melocotons and Crawfords the most beautiful of all peaches. The trees are as vigorous, hardy, healthy and as little susceptible to disease as any of the varieties near of kin, failing only, as has been said, in productiveness and in coming in bearing rather tardily. Evidently destined to pass from commercial cultivation, Late Crawford ought long to remain one of the treasures of the home orchard.
Late Crawford was raised by William Crawford, Middletown, New Jersey, at least a hundred years ago, the exact date of origin, as well as its parentage, being unknown. The variety was first brought to notice by William Kenrick, Newton, Massachusetts, who described it in the _American Orchardist_ under the name Crawford's Superb Malacatune. No doubt it has a worthy line of ancestors in the old seedling orchards of the early colonists, the fact that it is the founder of a race indicating long-continued reproduction from seeds with little interposition of budding. At the National Convention of Fruit-Growers held in 1848, Late Crawford was placed in the list of recommended fruits and since that time has held a place on the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society. It was first listed as Crawford's Late; later as Crawford's Late Melocoton and now appears as Late Crawford in accordance with the Society's rules of nomenclature.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, not very productive; trunk stocky, smooth; branches thick, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets long, somewhat twiggy, dark reddish-brown overlaid with olive-green, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, numerous, small, raised lenticels.
Leaves six and seven-eighths inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward and curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thick, leathery; upper surface dark olive-green, smooth becoming rugose along the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole one-half inch long, with one to six small, globose, reddish-brown glands variable in position.
Flower-buds tender, large, above medium in length, obtuse or conical, plump, very pubescent, appressed or free; blossoms open in mid-season; flowers one and one-eighth inches across, pink, well distributed; pedicels short, medium to slender, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes medium to broad, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without, becoming heavily pubescent near the edges; petals oval to ovate, notched at the base, tapering to narrow claws which are reddish at the base; filaments seven-sixteenths inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent near the base, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures late; two and three-fourths inches long, two and eleven-sixteenths inches wide, roundish-oval, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity deep, medium to narrow, abrupt or flaring; suture shallow, deepening toward the apex; apex roundish, with a slightly pointed and swollen beak-like tip; color deep yellow, dully or brightly blushed, with the red cheek splashed with darker red; pubescence short, fine; skin thick, tough, separates readily from the pulp; flesh yellow, strongly stained with red at the pit, juicy, firm but tender, sweet but sprightly, richly flavored; very good in quality; stone free, one and three-fourths inches long, one and one-eighth inches wide, ovate, flattened, bulged on one side, blunt-pointed, flattened near the base, with surfaces deeply pitted and grooved; ventral suture deeply grooved along the edges; dorsal suture a deep, wide groove, winged.
LATE RARERIPE
=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 22. 1897. =2.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 204. 1913. _Prince Red Rareripe._ =3.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:16. 1832. =4.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 278. 1854. _Late Red Rareripe._ =5.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 486. 1845. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 78. 1862.
_Rareripe Rouge Tardive._ =7.= Mas _Le Verger_ =7=:217, 218, fig. 107. 1866-73. =8.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =6=:255 fig., 256. 1879.
_Prince._ =9.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:223. 1899.
Late Rareripe is a white-fleshed, late freestone. It is of value now only because of its historical interest though its high quality makes it well worth growing in gardens. Its position as a milestone in the progress of peaches is better marked if we quote A. J. Downing[262] who wrote in 1845 when Late Rareripe was in its prime and one of the leading varieties: "Unquestionably one of the very finest of all peaches. Its large size, great excellence, late maturity, productiveness, vigor, all unite to recommend it to universal favor. We cannot praise it too highly."
This old variety is certainly of American origin but the originator, the time and place of origin are all unknown. It has been cultivated more than a hundred years. Prince believed it to be a seedling of Red Rareripe but there is nothing to be found now to verify this belief. Late Rareripe was sent to France in 1855 where it has since been grown as a satisfactory commercial sort. The American Pomological Society listed this variety in its catalog in 1862 under the name Late Red Rareripe. In 1897, the name was shortened to Late Rareripe as it now appears.
Tree often very large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, of medium productiveness; trunk stocky, nearly smooth; branches thick, smooth, reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets long, with internodes of medium length, dark pinkish-red intermingled with dull green, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, large lenticels raised at the base.
Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward and curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thick, leathery; upper surface smooth becoming rugose at the midrib; lower surface pale green; apex acuminate; margin finely and often doubly serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to four small, globose, reddish-brown glands variable in position.
Flower-buds half-hardy, conical to pointed, plump, pubescent, free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers one and three-sixteenths inches across, white at the center of the petals changing to pink toward the margins, well distributed; pedicels short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, greenish-yellow within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval, faintly notched near the base, tapering to narrow claws of medium length tinged with red at the base; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent near the base, usually as long as the stamens.
Fruit matures late; two and five-eighths inches long, two and eleven-sixteenths inches wide, roundish-cordate, with unequal surfaces; cavity variable in depth and width, abrupt or flaring, often with twig-mark across the cavity; suture variable in depth, extending beyond the tip; apex roundish, mamelon or mucronate, recurved; color greenish or creamy-white, sometimes with a lively red blush, mottled and splashed with darker and duller red; pubescence thick, coarse; skin tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh white, stained with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender, pleasantly flavored, sweet or somewhat sprightly; good to very good in quality; stone free or nearly so, one and one-half inches long, one and one-sixteenth inches wide, oval to ovate, plump, with deeply grooved surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved along the edges, strongly furrowed; dorsal suture deeply grooved.
LEMON FREE
=1.= Wickson _Cal. Fruits_ 313. 1889. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 33. 1899. =3.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:218. 1899. =4.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:349. 1903. =5.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 204. 1913.
_Lemon._ =6.= _Rural N. Y._ =47=:131. 1888. =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 32. 1889. =8.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =2=:59. 1895.
Lemon Free is a yellow-fleshed, freestone, lemon-shaped, lemon-colored peach ripening in late mid-season. The fruit is not sufficiently attractive in appearance to sell well in the markets and, besides, is too thin-skinned to ship or keep well. The quality is very good, the flavor being sweet, rich and delicious, though possibly the flesh is a little too dry to permit the variety being ranked as "very good." It is an excellent peach for culinary purposes having the reputation of making a handsomer canned product than any other peach. Lemon Free is little grown in the eastern states but it is one of the leading sorts of its season in parts of California. The color-plate shows the shape very well but the color is not quite that of the real peach.
This variety seems to have originated in Ohio about 1885 but nothing is known of its parentage, originator or introducer. Wickson, in _California Fruits_, claims California as its birthplace but this, we think, is an error. In 1889 the American Pomological Society placed Lemon Free in its fruit-catalog as Lemon but in 1899 changed the name to Lemon Free.
Tree very large, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense-topped, hardy, rather unproductive; trunk thick, smooth to medium; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets often very long, with a tendency to rebranch, with medium to long internodes, pinkish-red with but a trace of green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with large, raised, russetty lenticels medium in number.
Leaves seven inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward and curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thick, leathery; upper surface dark olive-green, smooth becoming rugose along the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with two to six rather large, reniform, reddish-brown glands variable in position; flower-buds intermediate in size and length, conical to pointed, slightly pubescent, usually free; flowers appear in mid-season.
Fruit matures in late mid-season; two and one-half inches long, two and five-sixteenths inches wide, roundish-oval; cavity medium to deep, wide, flaring, often mottled with red; suture shallow, becoming deeper at the apex and extending beyond; apex mucronate to roundish-mamelon, recurved; color green or golden-yellow, with a faint blush and mottled with red; pubescence fine, long, thick; skin thin, tender, variable in adhesion to the pulp; flesh yellow, juicy, stringy, tender and melting, sweet to sprightly, pleasantly flavored; very good in quality; stone semi-free to free, one and one-fourth inches long, nearly one inch wide, oval, plump, flattened near the base, short-pointed, the surfaces usually grooved and with few pits; ventral suture winged, deeply marked along the edges, narrow; dorsal suture winged, grooved.
LEVY
=1.= _Gard. Mon._ =23=:82. 1881. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1909. =3.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 204. 1913.
_Henrietta._ =4.= _U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt._ 380. 1858. =5.= _Cult. & Count. Gent._ _45_:649. 1880. =6.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:807. 1896. =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 33. 1899. =8.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 203. 1913.
_Levy Late._ =9.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 92, 93. 1881. =10.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 3rd App. 171. 1881. =11.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:349. 1903.
This variety ripens quite too late for any but the most favorable peach-sections in New York. It is a round, yellow-fleshed clingstone of very good quality and might be planted in the parts of New York, where the season permits it to mature, for a very late culinary peach. It is one of the favorite peaches to close the season in Southern fruit-growing sections.
The history of Levy is badly confused. More than half a century ago a peach called Henrietta was cultivated. Where or when the variety originated no one can tell. In 1881, Downing mentioned a peach under the name Levy Late as being a new, late clingstone originating in the garden of W. W. Levy, Washington, District of Columbia. Downing gave Henrietta as a synonym of Levy Late, as have several pomologists since. From these facts, it seems safe to say that the variety is old, that it was first introduced as Henrietta and that the peach which Mr. Levy claimed to have originated was Henrietta. The American Pomological Society, in 1899, added this peach to its fruit-list as Henrietta but in 1909 changed the name to Levy, giving Henrietta as a synonym.
Tree large, vigorous, upright to quite spreading, hardy, productive; trunk thick, rough; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown intermingled with very light ash-gray; branchlets slender, with internodes dark red or purplish-red mingled with light green, smooth, glabrous, with small, numerous, conspicuous, raised lenticels.
Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and one-half inches wide, oval to obovate-lanceolate, of medium thickness, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth becoming rugose along the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; apex acuminate; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole five-sixteenths inch long, with one to six small, globose, reddish-brown glands variable in position.
Flower-buds hardy, conical to pointed, plump, pubescent, free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers seven-eighths inch across, with varying shades of pink, sometimes in twos; pedicels short, medium to thick, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, orange-colored within, somewhat campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, medium to narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval, notched near the base, tapering to long, narrow claws often tinged with red at the base; filaments five-sixteenths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent near the base, as long as or longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures very late; about two and one-half inches in diameter, roundish-cordate, compressed, with very unequal halves; cavity medium to deep, wide, abrupt to slightly flaring, with tender skin and often twig-marked; suture deep, extending beyond the tip; apex mamelon, recurved, a few fruits with very large, mucronate tips; color greenish or golden-yellow, with splashes of dull red and a lively blush covering one cheek; pubescence short, thick, fine; skin thick, adherent to the pulp; flesh yellow, juicy, stringy, meaty, mild or somewhat astringent, pleasantly flavored; fair to good in quality; stone clinging, one and one-half inches long, one inch wide, bulged on one side, ovate to oval, plump, winged, with surfaces marked by short, red grooves; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the edges, wide; dorsal suture a deep groove.
LOLA
=1.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:104. 1901. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1909.
_Lolo._ =3.= _Cornell Sta. Bul._ =74=:373. 1894. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 33. 1899. =5.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:349, 350. 1903.
_Miss Lola._ =6.= _U. S. D. A. Pom. Rpt._ 43, Pl. IV. 1895. =7.= _Rural N. Y._ =60=:678. 1901. =8.= _N. Y. Sta. Bul._ =364=:184. 1913.
_Miss Lolo._ =9.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:808. 1896.
Lola is a popular peach in parts of the South but is hardly known in New York. On the Station grounds it is the best of its season and one of the best of all white-fleshed peaches. Moreover, it fills a gap in the peach procession that ought to make it valuable in this State. It follows Mamie Ross and Greensboro, both of which it surpasses in appearance and quality. It precedes Champion and is even better than that handsome and delicious peach. Since it ripens with the well-known Carman, fruit-growers will want to know how it compares with that variety. It is hardier in bud than Carman, that sort not having a single fruit after the cold winter of 1911-12 while Lola bore a fair crop; the fruit is of better quality, larger, hardly as well colored and on the Station grounds the tree is more productive. Attention of New York peach-growers was called to Lola, in words almost identical with those here used, in Bulletin 364 from this Station, published in 1913, with the result that it is now being tried in several parts of the State and we shall soon know what its commercial value is this far north.
The parentage of Lola is unknown. The variety originated from seed planted in 1876 by J. W. Stubenrauch, Mexia, Texas, who named it Miss Lola in honor of his daughter. The American Pomological Society listed Lola in its catalog in 1899 as "Lolo." In 1909, however, the spelling was changed to Lola as it is correctly written.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, hardy, productive; trunk thick, smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown with a light tinge of ash-gray; branchlets very long, with internodes of medium length, dark pinkish-red intermingled with pale green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, numerous, small, raised lenticels.
Leaves six inches long, one and one-half inches wide, variable in position, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thin; upper surface dull, dark green; lower surface silvery-green; apex acuminate; margin finely serrate to nearly crenate, glandular; petiole three-eighths inch long, with one to five reniform glands usually on the petiole.
Flower-buds hardy, obtuse, very plump, heavily pubescent, appressed or free; blossoms open early; flowers nearly two inches across, light to dark pink, usually in twos; pedicels short, slender, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, greenish-yellow within, somewhat campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals ovate, deeply indented near the base, faintly crenate, tapering to narrow claws; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil, pubescent near the base, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and three-eighths inches long, two and one-half inches wide, round-oval, usually somewhat oblique, compressed, with nearly equal halves; cavity deep, wide, abrupt, with tender skin; suture shallow, deepening toward the tip; apex small, mucronate, roundish or somewhat depressed; color creamy-white blushed with carmine deepened by a few dark splashes; pubescence short, thin; skin thin, tough, separating from the pulp; flesh white, rayed with red near the pit, very juicy, tender and melting, sweet, with a pleasant sprightliness; good in quality; stone semi-free to free, one and three-eighths inches long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, obovate, plump, abruptly pointed, with corrugated and pitted surfaces; ventral suture wide, winged, deeply furrowed along the edges; dorsal suture a deep, narrow groove.
MAMIE ROSS
=1.= _Can. Hort._ =17=:346. 1894. =2.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:807, 808 fig. =8.= 1896. =3.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:238. 1898. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 33. 1899. =5.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:104, 105. 1901. =6.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:351. 1903. =7.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 205. 1913.
Mamie Ross seems to have a very good reputation as a table and market peach in Texas and other parts of the South but is hardly worth growing in New York. The fruit has two bad faults: The quality is not high--the flesh being coarse, juicy and insipid in flavor; and the peaches bruise with the least possible handling so that they cannot be shipped to advantage. On the Station grounds the pubescence, too, is so abundant as to be objectionable. Mamie Ross comes at a season when there are many other good mid-season, white-fleshed peaches and may, therefore, be thrown out of the list for this region. It is, as the color-plate shows, a very handsome peach.
Mamie Ross is probably a seedling of Chinese Cling. It originated about 1881 with Captain A. J. Ross, Dallas, Texas. The variety soon attracted attention and neighbors began propagating it. Later, Mr. Ross' brother named the peach after the originator's youngest daughter. In 1899, the American Pomological Society added the variety to its fruit-list.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading to somewhat drooping, open-topped, hardy, productive; trunk thick, smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown with light ash-gray; branchlets very long, with long internodes, dark red with considerable olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, raised lenticels variable in size.
Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, variable in position, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thick, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth becoming rugose along the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with none to five small, globose and reniform, reddish-brown glands variable in position.
Flower-buds semi-hardy, obtuse to pointed, plump, heavily pubescent, free or appressed; blossoms open early; flowers one and three-fourths inches across, pink, single; pedicels very short, medium to thick, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, greenish-yellow within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes acute or obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals oval to obovate, entire except near the base, tapering to narrow claws often red at the base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the base, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and one-half inches long, two and seven-eighths inches wide, roundish-oval to oblong, often bulged on one side, compressed, usually with sides equal; cavity deep, abrupt, often marked with streaks of red; suture variable in depth; apex small, mucronate, set in a slight depression; color pale yellowish-cream, with more or less dull or bright red in which are splashes of darker red; pubescence short, fine, thick; skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh white, streaked with red near the pit, very juicy, stringy, tender, melting, sweet or somewhat sprightly, pleasantly flavored; good in quality; stone semi-cling or cling, one and five-eighths inches long, one inch wide, ovate to long-elliptical, plump, long-pointed, bulged on one side, with pitted and grooved surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved along the edges, narrow, winged; dorsal suture grooved.
MAY LEE
=1.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:105. 1901. =2.= Stark Bros. _Cat._ fig. 1904. =3.= _Ibid._ 62 fig. 4, 63. 1910.
May Lee is a very early white-fleshed, clingstone, pink-cheeked peach introduced to rival Alexander, Triumph and other extra early sorts. It fails, on the Station grounds at least, because the peaches run small, the flesh clings too tenaciously and the stones crack. Neither is the fruit attractive in color nor high in quality. It may be as good in quality as Alexander or Triumph but is no better. The variety is but doubtfully worth planting in New York.
May Lee originated with E. W. Kirkpatrick, McKinney, Texas, from a seed of Mamie Ross planted in 1896.
Tree large, spreading, low-growing, very productive; trunk thick, smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown with light ash-gray; branchlets slender, often inclined to rebranch, medium to long, with internodes dark pinkish-red intermingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, raised lenticels medium in size.
Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, flattened or curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, rather thick, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth becoming rugose along the midrib; margin crenate, tipped with small, reddish glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to five large, reniform glands variable in color and position.
Flower-buds hardy, small, short, conical, plump, very pubescent, appressed or free; blossoms open in mid-season; flowers nearly two inches across, light pink; pedicels very short, of medium thickness, glabrous; calyx-tube greenish-red, campanulate; calyx-lobes obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals round or broadly ovate, notched near the base, tapering to claws red at the base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures early; about two and three-fourths inches in diameter, round, compressed, bulged along one size, with unequal halves; cavity deep, narrow, abrupt; suture variable in depth, extending beyond the tip; apex small, mucronate, depressed; color creamy-white, usually with a blush toward the apex; tomentose; skin thick, tough, semi-free to free; flesh white, very juicy, tender and melting, sweet, mild, pleasantly flavored; good in quality; stone semi-clinging to clinging, one and nine-sixteenths inches long, one and one-eighth inches wide, oval, conspicuously winged, flattened near the base, with deeply grooved surfaces; ventral suture thin, winged, very deeply grooved along the edges; dorsal suture grooved.
MORRIS WHITE
=1.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 39, 51. 1848. =2.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 276. 1854. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 22. 1897. =4.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:220. 1899. =5.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 190, 191. 1908.
_White Rareripe._ =6.= Coxe _Cult. Fr. Trees_ 222. 1817. =7.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:26. 1832.
_Morris White Freestone._ =8.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ =6=:410. 1826. =9.= Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 189. 1846.
_Morris White Rareripe._ =10.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 481. 1845.
_Blanche de Morris._ =11.= Mas _Le Verger_ =7=:171, 172, fig. 84. 1866-73.
_Morris Blanche._ =12.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =6=:171 fig., 172. 1879.
Morris White is one of the ancients of American peach-orchards worth noticing now only because of its worthy past. It is distinguished among peach varieties by its white flesh--white clear to the pit with no trace of red even on the surface or next to the stone. It is further distinguished by its sweet, rich flavor--giving it high rank among the best of peaches--and by the great productiveness of the trees. Though undoubtedly the day of Morris White is passed for either commercial or home orchards, it might still be used advantageously in breeding late, white-fleshed, freestone peaches.
William Robert Prince,[263] in his _Pomological Manual_, describes a White Rareripe which he claims originated in the nursery of his grandfather and which can be no other than the Morris White under discussion. The origin of the variety will always be in doubt but probably the elder Prince originated it in the latter part of the Eighteenth Century. Leroy has confused the history of Morris White with that of Red Rareripe, commonly called Morris Red Rareripe, which probably originated with Robert Morris, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Leroy questions the identity of the White Rareripe mentioned by Coxe but, although the season of Coxe's sort is a trifle earlier than Leroy's, the two are probably the same. There was a White Rareripe grown for a short time in America many years ago which proved to be the old French Nivette renamed. Nivette was not widely disseminated and probably has long since passed from cultivation in America. Morris White was reported upon at the National Convention of Fruit-Growers in 1848 and received a place in the list of recommended fruits. It continued to be listed in the American Pomological Society's fruit-catalog until 1891 when it was dropped but was replaced in 1897 and still remains there.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading to drooping, dense-topped, productive; trunk intermediate in thickness and smoothness; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown with very light tinge of ash-gray; branchlets long, with long internodes, dark red mingled with green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with many conspicuous, small, raised lenticels at the base.
Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, flat or curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; apex long, acuminate; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with one to five small, globose and reniform glands variable in color and position.
Flower-buds tender, obtuse to conical, plump, very pubescent, usually free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers less than an inch across, pale pink, deepening in color along the edges; pedicels short, thick, glabrous, green; calyx-tube greenish-red, greenish-yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval, narrow; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures late; two and one-sixteenth inches long, two and one-eighth inches wide, cordate-oval or oblate, compressed, with halves nearly equal; cavity abrupt or flaring; suture a line, becoming deeper toward the tip; apex roundish, depressed in the suture, with mucronate tip; color pale white, usually without blush or with a faint bronze blush; pubescence heavy, long and coarse; skin thin, tough, somewhat adherent; flesh white, juicy, tender and melting, sweet, pleasantly flavored; good in quality; stone semi-free to nearly free, one and one-fourth inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, oval to slightly obovate, flattened near the base, with deeply grooved surfaces; ventral suture with deep grooves along the edges, furrowed; dorsal suture grooved.
MOUNTAIN ROSE
=1.= Tilton _Jour. Hort._ =7=:339 fig. 1870. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 18. 1871. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 1st App. 121. 1872. =4.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 33, 261. 1874. =5.= _N. J. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 41. 1878. =6.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:239. 1898. =7.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:220. 1899. =8.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:352. 1903. =9.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 174. 1908.
For many years Mountain Rose was preeminent among white-fleshed, freestone peaches by virtue of high quality and handsome appearance. It has a distinct and curious but delicious flavor--a sort of scented sweetness that appeals to all who appreciate choicely good fruit. Unfortunately, it fails in the chief requirement for popularity in these days of commercial fruit-growing--the trees are unproductive, a fault so marked that the variety is rapidly passing from cultivation. Mountain Rose sells well in all markets where it is known, usually bringing a fancy price because of its extra good quality and because it follows closely after the dozen or more white-fleshed, clingstones of poorer quality.
The variety originated about 1851 on the farm of a Dr. Marvin, Morristown, New Jersey. Of its parentage nothing is known. Mountain Rose has always been considered a good market variety and has been widely disseminated. The American Pomological Society added this peach to its fruit-list in 1871, a place it has since held.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, low-growing and dense-topped, rather unproductive; trunk thick, medium in smoothness; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown covered with light ash-gray; branchlets thick, long, with internodes of medium length, dark red intermingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, large and small lenticels raised near the base.
Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, flattened or curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thick, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green; lower surface grayish-green; apex long-acuminate; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole seven-sixteenths inch long, with two to four small, globose, reddish-brown glands variable in position; flower-buds conical to pointed, plump, very pubescent, usually appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers small.
Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and one-eighth inches long, two and one-fourth inches wide, roundish-oblate to slightly cordate; cavity intermediate in depth and width, flaring to abrupt, often twig-marked; suture shallow, becoming deeper toward the tip; apex roundish, depressed in the suture, with mucronate or sometimes mamelon tip; color creamy-white blushed with deep red, with a few splashes of darker red; pubescence long, thick; skin thin, tough, variable in adhesion; flesh white, stained red near the pit, juicy, tender and melting, sweet, mild, pleasantly flavored; good to very good in quality; stone free, one and one-fourth inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, oval to ovate, plump, bulged on one side, contracted toward the base, tapering to a short point, usually with small pits in the surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved along the sides, furrowed; dorsal suture grooved, faintly winged.
Muir
=1.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 314. 1889. =2.= Wickson _Cal. Fruits_ 312, fig. 1889. =3.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:239. 1898. =4.=_ Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 34. 1899. =5.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:221. 1899. =6.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:352. 1903.
As a rule, peaches originating in California find small favor in New York. California peaches are selected for canning, evaporating and shipping, whereas New York varieties are dessert fruits. Muir is a California sort suitable only for culinary purposes--attractive enough inside but so unattractive externally that it could tempt no one who did not know the fruit to be sweet and delicious in flavor. It is a late mid-season, yellow-fleshed, freestone peach much used by canners on the Pacific slope. It ought to be more generally grown for the same purpose in the East; for, as a canned product, it is hardly surpassed in appearance or quality. The trees are vigorous, productive and little subject to leaf-curl but the fruits in New York are often marred by peach-scab. The variety seems perfectly at home in this State as, seemingly, it is in most peach-regions. In fruit-characters, Muir is very similar to Wager.
The variety was found more than twenty-five years ago on the farm of John Muir, near Silveyville, California. G. W. Thissell, Winters, California, named and introduced Muir. The American Pomological Society added this peach to its fruit-list in 1899.
Tree vigorous, upright or somewhat spreading, hardy, productive; trunk rough; branches smooth, ash-gray over reddish-brown; branchlets slender, long, with short internodes, dark pinkish-red with but a trace of green, smooth, glabrous, with inconspicuous, small, raised lenticels.
Leaves fall early in the season, six and three-fourths inches long, one and three-eighths inches wide, flat or somewhat curled downward, oval-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, nearly smooth; lower surface olive-green; apex acuminate; margin bluntly serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole seven-sixteenths inch long, with one to five large, reniform glands variable in position.
Flower-buds small, short, obtuse, very plump, heavily pubescent, appressed; blossoms open late; flowers seven-eighths inch across; pale pink, darker about the edges, usually singly; pedicels short, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-red within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals narrow-oval or ovate, tapering to claws of medium width; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil as long as the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and three-fourths inches long, two and three-eighths inches wide, roundish-cordate or oval, slightly angular, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity shallow, contracted about the sides, abrupt or flaring; suture medium in depth; apex pointed, with a large, recurved, mamelon tip; color greenish or lemon-yellow, with little if any blush; pubescence heavy, long; skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp when fully ripe; flesh yellow, faintly tinged with red near the pit, dry, coarse, tender, sweet, mild; good in quality; stone free, one and seven-sixteenths inches long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, ovate, flattened, wedge-shape toward the base, tapering to a long apex, with large pits and a few small grooves in the surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved along the sides, very wide, deeply furrowed; dorsal suture widely and deeply grooved.
NIAGARA
=1.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 115. 1900. =2.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:352, 353. 1903. =3.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 24. 1904. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 38. 1909. =5.= _N. Y. Sta. Bul._ =403=:213, 214, Pl. 1915.
_Newark Seedling_. =6.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =5=:99. 1892.
Niagara is a variant of a peach which all growers lament as being less and less grown, the Crawford. The Crawford group, though a dominant type, is, as we have several times pointed out, a little too capricious as to soil and climate to suit the needs of commercial peach-growers, failing to bear regularly or abundantly in most soils. For this reason the once very popular Early and Late Crawfords are now seldom grown. All who know these varieties regret that a sort of their type, without their faults, has not yet come to light. In New York the best of the comparatively new Crawford-like peaches is Niagara, said to be a seedling of one of the Crawfords. The fruit ripens later than Early Crawford, averages larger, is borne more abundantly and holds its size better to the end of the season. But Niagara's great point of merit, as compared with Crawford, is that it is more dependable in all tree-characters, being, especially, less capricious as to soil and climate. Niagara, as the color-plate shows it, is a beautiful fruit, yellow, with a handsome over-color of red. The flesh, too, is attractive and delectable--yellow, thick and firm, with a rich, sweet flavor which makes it one of the most palatable peaches of its season. It is, as are most of its type, a freestone. Niagara fails in productiveness in some localities, having in this respect the fault of all its tribe; but it should have a welcome place in any home collection and, where it proves productive, is one of the best for general market.
Niagara probably came originally from Maryland to Julius Harris, Ridgeway, New York. Later it was sold to a grower near Lockport, New York, who disposed of it to a Mr. Corwin, Newfane, Niagara County, New York, who called it Corwin's Crawford. It then came into possession of the Rogers Nurseries, Dansville, New York, from whom this Station received its trees under the name Niagara. It is probably a seedling of Early Crawford. Niagara was added to the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society in 1909.
Tree large, upright-spreading, hardy, medium in productiveness; trunk thick and smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets thick, red intermingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, large, raised lenticels.
Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, flattened or curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, rugose along the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; apex acuminate; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to five small, globose, raised, reddish-brown glands variable in position.
Flower-buds large, long, conical or pointed, very plump, pubescent, usually free; blossoms open in mid-season; flowers one inch across, white near the center of the petals changing to dark pink near the edges; pedicels very short, thick, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals round-oval, tapering toward the apex, broadly notched near the base, contracting to claws red at the base; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to or shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-half inches long, two and three-eighths inches wide, round-cordate to oval, compressed, with equal halves; cavity medium to deep, flaring to abrupt, with very tender skin, often splashed with red; suture shallow, deepening toward the apex and often extending beyond; apex rounded or pointed, with a mamelon and sometimes recurved tip; color orange-yellow, blushed with deep, dull red, with stripes and splashes of darker red; pubescence short, thick, fine; skin thick, tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh yellow, deeply tinged with red near the pit, juicy, coarse but tender, sprightly; very good in quality; stone free, one and five-eighths inches long, one and one-eighth inches wide, broadly ovate, plump, with long point at the apex, usually with grooved surfaces and with few pits, tinged with red; ventral suture very deeply grooved along the sides, winged, rather wide; dorsal suture deeply grooved, wing-like.
OLDMIXON CLING
=1.= Coxe _Cult. Fr. Trees_ 218. 1817. =2.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 231. 1832. =3.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:23. 1832. =4.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 497. 1845. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 211. 1856. =6.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 198. 1908. =7.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 205. 1913.
_Oldmixon_. =8.= Hoffy _Orch. Com._ =1=:1841-42. =9.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 278. 1854.
Without question one of the oldest American peaches, going back at least 150 years, Oldmixon Cling is still well worthy a place in every orchard where high quality is a prime requisite. It is a rich, luscious, white-fleshed peach, ripening late, which, besides being excellent in quality for dessert and culinary purposes, is uncommonly handsome--a combination of characters possessed by few other peaches. The color-plate is almost a perfect picture of the variety and could the flavor be as well conveyed to readers, Oldmixon Cling might again take on some of its one time popularity. We can discover but one fault in the fruits as they grow on the Station grounds--the pits crack badly. The variety, however, seems to be passing out because the trees are not, as a rule, fruitful though in all other respects they are seemingly near perfection.
There is no trace of when, where or how Oldmixon Cling originated. Coxe[264] first set forth its merits in 1817. It is reported to have been introduced from Europe by Sir John Oldmixon but Downing believes that it was the pit and not the tree which Oldmixon brought to America. At any rate the variety takes its name from its supposed introducer. If the pit were planted by Sir John Oldmixon, this must be the oldest of our peaches for Oldmixon came to America nearly 200 years ago. He was, by the way, the author of one of the early and notable books on America, _The British Empire in America_, published in London in 1741. Pomologists from time to time have made two words of the name making it appear that old and new Mixon peaches existed. Oldmixon Cling was placed in the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society in 1856 and ever since has retained a place there. In 1881 the Society changed the name from Old Mixon Cling to Oldmixon Cling.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, rather unproductive; trunk medium to thick, smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets of medium thickness and length, with tendency to rebranch, red intermingled with dull green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, large, raised lenticels.
Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and one-half inches wide, flattened or curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth becoming rugose along the midrib; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with one to four small, globose glands variable in color and position.
Flower-buds large, conical or pointed, plump, pubescent, appressed or somewhat free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers three-fourths inch across, light pink at the center deepening to darker pink at the margins, often in twos, sometimes in threes; pedicels short, green; calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, greenish-yellow within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals round-oval, nearly entire, tapering to claws tinged with red at the base; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to or longer than the petals; pistil pubescent near the base, usually equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures late; about two and one-half inches in diameter, round or roundish-oval, bulged along one side, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity medium to deep, wide, variable in shape; suture shallow, becoming deeper toward the apex and extending beyond; apex round, with a recurved, mucronate or prominent and prolonged mamelon tip; color creamy-white, with a blush of lively red and faint splashes of darker red; pubescence fine, short, thick; skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh white, faintly stained with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender, melting, sweet but sprightly, pleasantly flavored; very good in quality; stone clinging, one and seven-sixteenths inches long, one and one-eighth inches wide, ovate to oval, bulged on one side, flattened near the base, plump, long-pointed, with grooved surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved along the edges, furrowed; dorsal suture grooved, with tendency to wing.
OLDMIXON FREE
=1.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 221. 1832. =2.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:23. 1832. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 484. 1845. =4.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 51. 1848. =5.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 278. 1854. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 45, 183, 211. 1856. =7.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 187, 188. 1908. =8.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 205. 1913.
_Oldmixon Clearstone._ =9.= Coxe _Cult. Fr. Trees_ 222. 1817.
Oldmixon Free is a variant of Oldmixon Cling, differing, essentially, as the name implies, in having a free stone; it is, also, more sprightly in flavor and not quite as well endowed with the characters that constitute high quality. Side by side, outwardly, the two peaches can hardly be told apart. Since Oldmixon Cling is sometimes semi-free and Oldmixon Free often clings more or less, the two are often confused in orchards and markets. Both of these Oldmixons, as those who live in regions where cold and frost do frequent damage should know, are as hardy in wood and bud as any of the white-fleshed varieties. The blossoms of both, too, appear in late mid-season, thereby often escaping frosts. The trees of Oldmixon Free, like those of Oldmixon Cling, have the fault of being unproductive.
Oldmixon Free is supposed to be an American seedling of Oldmixon Cling, a fruit for the introduction of which we are indebted to Sir John Oldmixon of early colonial fame. At the Convention of Fruit-Growers held in 1848, Oldmixon Free was placed on the list of recommended peaches. In 1856 it appeared in the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society where it still remains.
Tree very large, vigorous, upright to spreading, hardy, rather unproductive; trunk thick, smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets of medium thickness and length, with tendency to rebranch, dark, deep red intermingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, numerous, raised lenticels.
Leaves six and seven-eighths inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, curled downward or flattened, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery, dull, dark green, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; apex acuminate; margins finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to four small, globose glands variable in color and position.
Flower-buds half-hardy, conical to pointed, plump, pubescent, free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers three-fourths inch across, pale pink near the center becoming darker pink at the outside, often in twos; pedicels very short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, greenish-yellow within, obconic; calyx-lobes short, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval, faintly notched near the base, tapering to narrow, long claws tinged with red at the base; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent near the base, equal to or longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures late; two and one-half inches long, two and three-fourths inches wide, round-cordate, usually bulged on one side, often compressed, with unequal sides; cavity medium to deep, abrupt or flaring, tinged with red; suture shallow, becoming deeper toward the apex and extending beyond; apex roundish, with a mucronate or recurved, mamelon tip; color creamy-white more or less overspread with a lively red blush in which are faint splashes and mottlings of darker red; pubescence coarse, thick; skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh white, deeply tinted with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender and melting, sweet, with more or less sprightliness; very good in quality; stone free or nearly free, one and three-eighths inches long, one and one-eighth inches wide, oval to ovate, bulged, flattened near the base, with grooved and purplish-brown surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved near the edges, furrowed, faintly winged; dorsal suture grooved.
OPULENT
=1.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 209. 1906. =2.= _Fancher Creek Nur. Cat._ 31. 1907. =3.= _Burbank Cat._ 5. 1911.
Opulent is a white-fleshed, freestone peach of very mediocre character as it grows on the Station grounds. The fruits are attractive in appearance but not uncommonly so and are often marred, as they grow in New York, by peach-scab. The quality is scarcely better than the average and is ruined for most peach-lovers by a bitter tang, though to others this almond-like bitterness in the flavor may be a commendation. The variety ripens in mid-season. The trees are scarcely more satisfactory on the Station grounds than the fruits, being unproductive and none too vigorous. The chief claim this peach has to public notice is that it is a cross between a peach and a nectarine. Though as yet not thoroughly tried in New York, it is safe to say that it is worthless for this region.
Opulent was sent out several years ago by Luther Burbank, Santa Rosa, California, as a hybrid between the Muir peach and New White Nectarine.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading with a tendency to droop, medium in productiveness; trunk smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown with a light ash-gray tinge; branchlets slender, long, with medium to long internodes, dull red intermingled with green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, large, raised lenticels few in number.
Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and one-half inches wide, flattened or curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery, dark green, smooth becoming rugose along the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole one-half inch long, with one to six small, globose and reniform, reddish-brown glands variable in position.
Flower-buds tender, large, long, conical or obtuse, pubescent, plump, free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers one and one-eighth inches across, white at the center of the petals becoming dark pink near the margins; pedicels short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval or roundish, broadly notched, tapering to long, narrow claws red at the base; filaments five-sixteenths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent at the ovary, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and one-half inches long, two and seven-sixteenths inches wide, round-oval, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity deep, abrupt, often marked with red; suture a mere line or very shallow, often a slight depression just beyond the point; apex roundish, with a mucronate and recurved tip; color creamy-white, with a faint blush, speckled and striped with darker red; pubescence short; skin tough, separates from the pulp; flesh white, juicy, stringy, tender, melting, sweet but sprightly; fair in quality; stone free, one and five-sixteenths inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, ovate to slightly oval, flattened at the base, plump, short-pointed, with pitted surfaces marked by few grooves; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the edges, medium in width, furrowed; dorsal suture deeply grooved.
PALLAS
=1.= _Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 55. 1885. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 46. 1891. =3.= _La. Sta. Bul._ =17=:499. 1891. =4.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:805. 1896. =5.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:239, 240. 1898. =6.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:222. 1899. =7.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:353. 1903. =8.= _Fla. Sta. Bul._ =73=:150. 1904. =9.= _Ala. Sta. Bul._ =156=:134. 1911.
_Pallas Honeydew._ =10.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =170=:178. 1906.
Pallas is about the best of the several honey-flavored, beaked peaches that have fruited on the Station grounds. This is one of the sorts supposed to thrive only in warm climates but here, in a location none too favorably situated as to climate, the trees are vigorous, appear to be hardy and differ from northern varieties, so far as life events are concerned, only in holding their leaves longer. The fruits run small and lack uniformity in size, faults that will not permit Pallas ever to become a commercial sort in New York. Moreover, the peaches are not attractive in appearance, suffer terribly from brown-rot and do not ship well--further disqualifications for competition in commerce. In quality, especially, to those who have a taste for sweets, Pallas is almost unapproachable--so rich, sweet, aromatic and delicious as well to justify the sobriquet, "Honeydew," frequently bestowed upon it. This variety might well be planted in every home orchard.
Pallas is one of the many seedlings of Honey and originated in 1878 with L. E. Berckmans, Augusta, Georgia. In 1891 the American Pomological Society added Pallas to its list of fruits as a noteworthy variety for southern fruit-districts.
Tree medium in vigor, upright-spreading, round-topped, productive; trunk rough; branches roughened by the lenticels, brownish intermingled with ash-gray and a little red; branchlets slender, with internodes of medium length, dark pinkish-red mingled with green, smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, small, raised, russet-colored lenticels.
Leaves fall late in the season, six inches long, one and one-half inches wide, variable in position, ovate-lanceolate, thin, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, smooth; lower surface olive-green; margin sharply and often doubly serrate, glandular; petiole three-eighths inch long, stout, glandless or with one to three small, globose glands usually at the base of the leaf.
Flower-buds large, long, conical, plump, pubescent, conspicuous, usually free; flowers appear in mid-season, light pink changing to darker red; pedicels thick, glabrous, green; calyx-tube red, yellowish-green within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals oval, entire, red at the base; filaments shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and one-fourth inches long, two inches wide, pointed-oval, compressed, with halves equal; cavity shallow, flaring, with tender skin; suture shallow; apex a characteristically long, straight tip; color pale white or greenish-white occasionally with a bright red blush but mostly with dull mottlings; pubescence medium in amount; skin thick, tough; flesh white, scarcely stained at the pit, very juicy, sweet, tender and melting, high-flavored; very good in quality; stone free, one and five-sixteenths inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, oval to ovate, slightly wedge-shaped at the base, plump, conspicuously winged, long-pointed, with pitted and grooved surfaces; ventral suture narrow, furrowed; dorsal suture grooved.
PEARSON
=1.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:105. 1901. =2.= _N. Y. State Fr. Gr. Assoc. Rpt._ 21. 1912.
Pearson is a newcomer among peaches which will bear watching if it does as well in other parts of New York as on the Station grounds. It is a large, handsomely-colored, white-fleshed, freestone peach of good quality which ripens ten days before Champion. There are, it is true, a good many white-fleshed peaches at this season but Pearson is an exceptionally good one, much excelling Mamie Ross with which it might have to compete although the latter ripens a little later. The trees are very vigorous, productive and, so far, about as healthy as any on the Station grounds.
Pearson originated with J. M. Pearson, McKinney, Texas. Its parentage is unknown. The variety was introduced by E.W. Kirkpatrick of McKinney, who thinks it may be a seedling of Chinese Cling.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, the lower branches drooping, very productive; trunk medium in thickness, smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets slender, short, with short internodes, dark red mingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with few inconspicuous lenticels variable in size and raised toward the base.
Leaves seven inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, variable in position, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dark, dull green, smooth becoming rugose along the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; apex long and narrow; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to four small, globose, reddish-brown glands usually at the base of the blade.
Flower-buds hardy, long, heavily pubescent, conical to obtuse, plump, appressed or partly free; blossoms appear very early; flowers nearly two inches across, pink, usually single; pedicels short, of medium thickness, glabrous, green; calyx-tube dark, dull reddish-green, greenish-yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes broad, often emarginated, acute or obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals oval to roundish-obovate, tapering to long, narrow claws; filaments about one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent only at the base, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and one-fourth inches long, two and three-sixteenths inches wide, round-oval or somewhat cordate, compressed, with unequal halves, bulged near the apex; cavity medium to deep, abrupt or flaring, with tender skin; suture quite variable in depth; apex round or depressed, with a small, mucronate or recurved, mamelon tip; color greenish-white, with a blush covering much of the surface, more or less mottled; pubescence thin, fine, short; skin thin, tough, semi-free; flesh white, faintly tinged with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender and melting, pleasantly flavored; good in quality; stone semi-clinging or free, one and three-eighths inches long, one inch wide, oval, flattened at the base, winged, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved near the edges, narrow; dorsal suture grooved, winged.
PEENTO
=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 41. 1877. =2.= _Gard. Mon._ =19=:114, 301. 1877. =3.= _Gard. Mon._ =26=:61. 1884. =4.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 650. 1887. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 32. 1889. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 114-116. 1889. =7.= _Fla. Sta. Bul._ =62=:506-509, Pl. 1. 1902. =8.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 202. 1908.
_Chinese Flat._ =9.= Prince _Treat. Hort._ 16, 17. 1828. =10.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 225, 226. 1832.
_Flat Peach of China._ =11.= Lindley _Guide Orch._ 247, 248. 1831. =12.= _Horticulturist_ =1=:383, 384, fig. 92. 1846-47. =13.= _Fla. Sta. Bul._ =62=:512, 513. 1902.
_Platt Pfirsich._ =14.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 410. 1889.
For the history and a discussion of the horticultural characters of Peento, the reader is referred to page 108. The variety is too tender to cold to be grown in New York; in fact it succeeds only in Florida and the warmest parts of the other Gulf States. The American Pomological Society listed Peento in its fruit-catalog in 1889. The following description, as it applies to the tree, has been compiled:
Tree vigorous, open-topped, too tender for the North, variable in productiveness; leaves mature late, four and one-half inches long, one and seven-sixteenths inches wide, oblong-oval, thin, leathery; upper surface light olive-green, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; margin coarsely serrate, tipped with dark glands; petiole with two or three reniform glands of medium size, gray or greenish-yellow, usually at the base.
Fruit matures early; one and three-eighths inches long, two and seven-sixteenths inches wide, strongly oblate; cavity shallow, very wide, flaring, twig-marked; suture deep, wide, extending two-thirds around the fruit; apex depressed, set in a large, wide, flaring basin; color creamy-yellow, mottled and delicately pencilled with red, often blushed toward the apex; pubescence short, thick; skin thick, tough, nearly free; flesh white, stained red at the stone, juicy, stringy, tender and melting, sweet, mild, with an almond-like flavor; very good in quality; stone clings, red, one-half inch long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, strongly oblate, with corrugated surfaces; ventral suture very deep at the edges, narrow at the base, becoming wide at the apex; dorsal suture a wide, deep groove, merging into a line at the apex.
PROLIFIC
=1.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:240. 1898.
_New Prolific._ =2.= _Col. O. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ =32.= 1892. =3.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 190. 1895. =4.= _Ohio Hort. Soc. Rpt._ =59.= 1896-97. =5.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:221. 1899. =6.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:352. 1903. =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 38. 1909.
Prolific was heralded a quarter-century ago as one of the great acquisitions to the peach-flora of the country. Time has not dealt kindly with the variety and it is doubtful if it is as popular now as it was a few years after its introduction. The trees are very satisfactory, excelling most of their orchard-associates in vigor, size, health, hardiness and productiveness but the peaches fall below the mark in several characters. The fruits are of but medium size and not uncommonly attractive in color, though handsome enough, but too poor in quality to rate high among the peaches of its season which is a few days before Elberta. The flesh is yellow, firm, dry and little attacked by rot. With the qualities just named, the variety is, of course, a good shipper and might be in demand in the markets for culinary purposes. We doubt whether the peach should be largely planted in New York.
Further than that Prolific comes from Michigan, nothing is known of its parentage, the originator or the date of origin. It was introduced about 1890 by Greening Brothers, Monroe, Michigan, under the name New Prolific. In 1909 the American Pomological Society added this peach to its fruit-list as New Prolific.
Tree large, vigorous, spreading, becoming drooping, open-topped, very productive; trunk rough; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown with a very light tinge of ash-gray; branchlets deep, dull red intermingled with green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, numerous lenticels raised near the base.
Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and one-half inches wide, variable in position, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, smooth, becoming rugose near the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; apex long-acuminate; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with from one to five small, globose glands variable in color and position.
Flower-buds hardy, conical to obtuse, plump, somewhat pubescent, appressed or free; blossoms open early; flowers one and five-sixteenths inches across, white near the center becoming pink along the edges; pedicels very short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube dull, dark reddish-green, orange-colored within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, acute, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals roundish-ovate to oval, broadly notched near the base, tapering to narrow claws red at the base; filaments seven-sixteenths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent at the ovary, as long as the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-fourth inches long, two and three-eighths inches wide, round-oval to cordate, bulged on one side, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity deep, usually abrupt, frequently mottled with red; suture a line, becoming deeper toward the tip; apex round or somewhat pointed, with a recurved, mamelon tip; color light orange, mottled and blushed with red; pubescence thick, fine; skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh light yellow, stained with red near the pit, medium juicy, coarse, stringy, tender, sweet, mild, pleasantly flavored; good in quality; stone free, one and three-eighths inches long, one inch wide, ovate, bulged on one side, plump, with long, pointed apex, with surfaces grooved and marked by small pits; ventral suture deeply grooved along the sides, slightly winged near the base; dorsal suture a deep groove, faintly winged.
RAY
=1.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:106. 1901. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 38. 1909. =3.= _N. J. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 35. 1912. =4.= Harrison _Cat._ 27. 1915.
This is another of the many early, white-fleshed, freestone peaches which are competing for favor among peach-growers. We doubt if Ray, however, should find a place on the peach-list for New York. Several faults condemn it; worst of all, the trees are not productive. Add to unproductiveness, lack of uniformity in size, shape, color and flavor and the variety is out of the race as a commercial sort. This far north, too, the trees suffer from winter injury. The variety is remarkable for its foliage. Were it not for the fact that Ray is well spoken of in several other states, and the possibility that it might do better in other parts of New York than on the Station grounds, we should not place it among the major varieties in _The Peaches of New York_. It is said to be an excellent shipper.
This peach is occasionally confused with Raymond Cling, which originated in Mississippi many years ago and which has long since passed from cultivation. The present variety originated with D. Ray, Tyler, Texas. Its parentage is unknown. The American Pomological Society placed Ray on its fruit-list in 1909.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, the lower branches drooping, medium in productiveness; trunk thick, nearly smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown with a light tinge of ash-gray; branchlets slender, dark red intermingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous raised lenticels variable in size.
Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, flattened or curled downward, oval to obovate lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface medium green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to three small, globose glands variable in position.
Flower-buds half-hardy, short, heavily pubescent, conical to pointed, plump, usually appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers one inch across, light pink becoming darker pink along the edges; pedicels short; calyx-tube reddish-green, greenish-yellow within, obconic; calyx-lobes long, narrow, obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals ovate, with claws medium in length and width; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent at the base, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and three-eighths inches long, two and one-half inches wide, roundish-conic to oblong-conic, slightly compressed, with nearly equal halves; cavity narrow, abrupt, with tender skin; suture shallow, deepening toward and often extending beyond the tip; apex round, with a mucronate tip; color greenish-white changing to white, scarcely blushed or with a bright pinkish-red blush varying from a small amount to about one-third of the surface, faintly mottled; pubescence coarse, thick, long; skin very thin, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh greenish-white, stained with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, firm but tender, aromatic, sprightly; good in quality; stone semi-free to free, one and seven-sixteenths inches long, slightly more than one inch wide, oval to ovate, plump, with short point at the apex, with grooved and pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved along the edges, narrow, furrowed; dorsal suture grooved.
RED CHEEK MELOCOTON.
=1.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:31, 32. 1832. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 492. 1845. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 32. 1867.
_Red Cheek Malacotan._ =4.= Coxe _Cult. Fr. Trees_ 225. 1817. =5.= Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 186. 1846.
_Early Yellow Malacatune._ =6.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 220. 1832.
_Yellow_ or _Red Cheek Malacatune_. =7.= _Ibid._ 225. 1832.
_Hogg's Malacatune._ =8.= _Ibid._ 190. 1841.
_Red Cheek._ =9.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 288. 1854. =10.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:223, 224. 1899. =11.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:354. 1903. =12.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 195, 196. 1908. =13.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 39. 1909.
_Malacatune._ =14.= Hooper _W. Fr. Book_ 225. 1857.
For nearly a century, beginning soon after the Revolutionary War, Red Cheek Melocoton had few rivals among yellow-fleshed, freestone peaches. Even yet it is surpassed in quality only by members of the Crawford family of which, by the way, it is supposed to be the immediate ancestor--certainly all Crawford-like peaches resemble it in both fruit and tree-characters. Lack of vigor and unproductiveness have driven Red Cheek Melocoton from common cultivation--indeed it is now almost impossible to obtain the trees. We give the variety attention in _The Peaches of New York_, not because of present worth, but because of the prominent part it has played in the peach-industry of the country in the past. The color-plate is an admirable reproduction of this old peach though possibly the fruits run a little larger than in the illustration. The derivation of "Melocoton," so often used in this text, is given on page 51.
Red Cheek Melocoton is an American seedling which, according to William Prince, sprang from a bud of a stock on which Lemon Cling had been grafted, at the Prince farm, Flushing, New York. The Princes were so impressed with the seedling that they propagated it, giving it the name Red Cheek Malacatune, the name Malacatune at that time being given to all yellow peaches having little red. The discovery of the variety in the Prince orchards dates back considerably over one hundred years. From Red Cheek Melocoton the Crawfords and several other notable peaches are said to have come. In 1867 the American Pomological Society placed this variety in its catalog as Red Cheek Melocoton but in 1909 shortened the name to Red Cheek. We prefer to preserve the old name.
Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright-spreading, lacking in productiveness; trunk intermediate in thickness and smoothness; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets thick, variable in length, with medium to long internodes, deep, dark red intermingled with green, glossy, roughened by the lenticels, glabrous, with a few smallish, inconspicuous lenticels which are raised toward the base.
Leaves seven and one-fourth inches long, nearly two inches wide, variable in position, oval to obovate-lanceolate, medium in thickness, leathery, dark olive-green, smooth, becoming rugose toward the midrib; margin sharply serrate; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to three small, globose, alternate glands variable in color and in their position; flower-buds intermediate in size and length, conical or pointed, plump, free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers small.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-fourth inches long, about two and one-half inches wide, roundish-cordate, compressed, with halves nearly equal; cavity wide, deep, flaring or abrupt; suture shallow; apex roundish, with a mucronate or mamelon tip; color deep golden-yellow, splashed, blushed and mottled with red; pubescence heavy; skin thick, tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh rayed with red near the pit, yellow, juicy, firm but tender, sweet, pleasantly flavored; good in quality; stone free, one and one-half inches long, one inch wide, ovate, more or less bulged at one side and drawn out near the base, plump, rather long-pointed, with short grooves and pits in the surfaces; ventral suture winged, medium in thickness, deeply grooved and furrowed along the edges; dorsal suture a narrow groove, winged.
REEVES
=1.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:814. 1896. =2.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:224. 1899. =3.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:354. 1903. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 39. 1909.
_Reeves' Favorite._ =5.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 288. 1854. =6.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 633. 1857. =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 30. 1875. =8.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 193. 1908.
_Reeves' Late._ =9.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 458. 1883.
Reeves is another of the old favorites now rapidly passing out of cultivation. In its day it was justly celebrated for the high quality of its yellow-fleshed, freestone fruits which are as handsome as they are palatable. The peaches have but two minor defects to keep them from perfection--they are a little too irregular in shape and sometimes fall short in size. In texture of flesh, juiciness, taste and aroma they are scarcely surpassed. The fault that condemns the variety is unproductiveness in the trees. Under average conditions, Reeves is scarcely as productive as the Crawfords which are rated by all as about the poorest bearers. Making up in some degree for unfruitfulness, the trees are vigorous and more than usually hardy. It can hardly be expected that so poor a bearer will prove profitable in commercial plantations but Reeves is worthy of perpetuation for home orchards.
This attractive peach came from a chance seedling found about sixty years ago by Samuel Reeves, Salem, New Jersey. The variety has for many years gone under the name Reeves' Favorite and was so listed in the fruit-catalog of the American Pomological Society in 1875 but in 1909 the name was shortened by the Society to Reeves.
Tree medium to large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, rather unproductive; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown with light ash-gray; branchlets intermediate in thickness and length, with a tendency to rebranch, dark pinkish-red with some olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with moderately conspicuous lenticels raised and breaking the bark near the base.
Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, variable in position, oval to obovate-lanceolate; upper surface dark olive-green, smooth becoming rugose along the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; apex acuminate; margin finely serrate, with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to three small, globose glands variable in position.
Flower-buds tender, medium in size and length, pubescent, conical or pointed, plump, free; blossoms open late; flowers seven-eighths inch across, light and dark pink, well distributed; pedicels very short, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, orange-colored within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes medium to narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval to ovate, tapering to claws red at the base; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent near the base, as long as the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and three-eighths inches long, two and one-half inches wide, round-cordate, bulged at one side, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity often very deep, flaring or abrupt, the skin tender and often marked with red; suture shallow, sometimes extending beyond both cavity and tip; apex pointed or rounded, with a prominent, recurved, mamelon tip; color deep yellow, blushed with dull red, striped, splashed and mottled with brighter red; pubescence thick, long; skin thick, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh yellow, tinged with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender and melting, pleasantly flavored, mild, sweet; very good in quality; stone free, one and three-eighths inches long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, ovate to oval, more or less bulged near the apex, sometimes winged along the ventral suture, with pitted and grooved surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the sides, narrow, grooved; dorsal suture small, grooved.
RIVERS
=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 34. 1883. =2.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =6=:22 fig. 1899. =3.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:106. 1901. =4.= _Can. Hort._ =25=:464. 1902. =5.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:354. 1903.
_Early Rivers._ =6.= _Jour. Hort._ N. S. =17=:38, 58. 1869. =7.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 1st App. 120, 121. 1872. =8.= _Gard. Chron._ 1262. 1872. =9.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 28. 1875. =10.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 445. 1884. =11.= _Rev. Hort._ 388. 1890. =12.= _Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 98 fig. 1906.
_Rivers' Frühe._ =13.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._ =VI=: No. 9, Pl. 1882.
_Précoce Rivers._ =14.= Baltet _Cult. Fr._ 239 fig. 138. 1908.
Rivers and one other, Salwey, are the only foreign peaches now commonly cultivated in America. The peach, of all tree-fruits, best proves the general rule that American varieties of fruits are best adapted to American conditions. Perhaps to Rivers may be added three or four more exotic peaches which are now and then planted in this country but all are passing out so rapidly that we shall soon be standing on a basis in peach-growing which is wholly American. Earliness and high quality of fruit keep Rivers alive in private places in America. No one would think of planting it in a commercial orchard because of its small fruit, tender skin and flesh which show every bruise, and its susceptibility to brown-rot. It is a white-fleshed freestone, tender, juicy and with an exceedingly rich, sugary flavor with a savoring smack of the nectarine. This variety stands almost alone in beauty of flesh which is white to the stone, translucent and more or less mottled and interspersed with white veins. At its best the fruits are rather large and quite handsome as they grow in America, but even so they are but a shadow of the peach described under this name in European fruit-books. The trees are fairly satisfactory in all essential characters.
Rivers originated with Thomas Rivers, Sawbridgeworth, England, about 1865 as a seedling of Early Silver. Soon after its introduction in England it was brought to America. The American Pomological Society listed the variety in its fruit-catalog in 1875 as Early Rivers but in 1883 changed the name to Rivers though it is still popularly known as Early Rivers.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, with inclination to droop, round-topped, hardy, productive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth, dark reddish-brown overspread with light ash-gray; branchlets long, with internodes olive-green overlaid with thin brownish-red, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, large and small lenticels.
Leaves five and three-fourths inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, folded upward and somewhat recurved, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thin, leathery, dark green, smooth or sometimes rugose; lower surface grayish-green, not pubescent, with a prominent midrib; apex acuminate; margin finely serrate, tipped with fine, reddish-brown glands; petiole one-fourth inch long, with one to six reniform, greenish-yellow glands variable in position.
Flower-buds large, long, conical, heavily pubescent, appressed; season of bloom early; flowers pink, one and one-half inches across, often in pairs; pedicels short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube dull reddish-green, light yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, narrow, acute to obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals round-ovate, bluntly notched near the base, tapering to long, narrow claws occasionally with a reddish base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures early; two and three-eighths inches long, two and one-fourth inches wide, round-oval, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity shallow, contracted, irregular, abrupt; suture medium to shallow; apex roundish, somewhat mucronate; color creamy-white, blushed with red; pubescence short, heavy; skin thick but tender, adherent to the pulp; flesh white, translucent, veined, juicy, melting, sweet or mildly sprightly; good in quality; stone nearly free, one and five-sixteenths inches long, one inch wide, oval, plump, bulged on one side, light colored, short-pointed at the apex, with grooved surfaces; ventral suture very deeply grooved along the sides, narrow, winged; dorsal suture grooved, more or less winged.
ROCHESTER
=414=:6, 7, Pl. 1916. =3.= _N. Y. State Fr. Gr. Assoc. Rpt._ 18. 1916.
Fruit-growers have long desired an early, yellow, freestone peach with suitable tree-characters for a commercial plantation. There are several competitors for the place, the latest of which is Rochester, a member of the Crawford group and in several respects a marked improvement on the well-known Early Crawford. Rochester, in season, regarding the crop as a whole, certainly precedes Early Crawford several days, ripening soon after the middle of August. The introducers say that it is two weeks earlier, a statement made possible by the fact that its season is very long, a few specimens ripening extremely early. The great length of season of this variety under some circumstances may be an asset, under others a liability. As the color-plate shows, the peaches are large, yellow, with a handsome over-color of mottled red, more rotund than either of the two Crawfords or Elberta, making, all in all, a strikingly beautiful peach. The flesh, too, meets all the requirements of a good peach--thick and firm, marbled yellow, stained with red at the pit, juicy, rich, sweet and in all respects fully up to the high standard of palatability found in peaches of the Crawford group. While the variety must be classed as a freestone, yet there is a slight clinging which may disappear under some conditions and may be augmented under others. Rochester seems to be sufficiently productive for a good commercial fruit but it remains to be seen how generally it is adapted to soils and climates. Should its range of adaptability be great, Rochester, by virtue of earliness, good quality and handsome appearance, at once takes a high place in commercial peach-growing in New York.
Rochester came from a seed planted about 1900 on a farm owned by a Mr. Wallen, near Rochester, New York. It was introduced by the Heberle Brothers Nurseries, Brighton, New York, in 1912.
Trees large, vigorous, upright-spreading, more upright than Elberta, productive; trunk medium to thick, somewhat shaggy; branches stocky, smooth, ash-gray over red; branchlets slender, long, with long internodes, green mottled with brownish-red, smooth, glabrous, with numerous inconspicuous, small lenticels.
Leaves six inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, folded upward and slightly recurled, oval to ovate-lanceolate, thin, leathery; upper surface dark green but often with a lighter tinge, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; apex acuminate; margin shallowly crenate; petiole one-half inch long, thick, with two to eight large, reniform glands variable in position.
Fruit matures in early mid-season; variable in size, the larger specimens varying from three to three and one-half inches in diameter, round-oblate, compressed, with unequal halves, often bulged near the apex; cavity wide, deep, flaring; suture shallow, becoming deeper near the tip; apex variable, often with a mucronate tip; color lemon-yellow changing to orange-yellow, blushed with deep, dark red, mottled; pubescence heavy; skin thick, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh yellow, stained with red near the pit, very juicy, tender and melting, sweet, highly flavored, sprightly; very good in quality; stone free, one and three-eighths inches long, more than one inch wide, oval, plump, flattened near the base, with roughened surface marked by large, deep pits and short grooves; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the edges, rather wide; dorsal suture grooved deeply, wide.
ST. JOHN
=1.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 320. 1890. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 46. 1891. =3.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 68. 1891. =4.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:814. 1896. =5.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =9=:8 fig. 1902. =6.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 207. 1913.
_Flater's St. John._ =7.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 613. 1869.
_Yellow St. John._ =8.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 18. 1871. =9.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 64. 1871. =10.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =170=:182. 1906.
_Fleitas St. John._ =11.= _Pa. Bd. Agr. Rpt._ 586. 1878. =12.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:235. 1898.
_May Beauty._ =13.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 148. 1883.
_Crane._ =14.= _Mich. Sta. Sp. Bul._ =44=:34. 1910.
Unproductiveness and uncertainty in bearing keep this magnificent yellow-fleshed dessert fruit from being one of the most popular early peaches. Even with these handicaps, to which may be added small size in many situations, St. John has maintained great popularity for home orchards and in many peach-regions is grown for the markets. It is one of the earliest of the Crawford-like peaches, a perfect freestone, handsome in appearance, sweet, rich and delicious in flavor and pleasing in all of the flesh attributes of a good dessert peach. St. John resembles Early Crawford in size and shape but is a little more rotund, runs somewhat smaller, is not quite as high in quality and ripens several days earlier. The trees are all that could be asked for in size, vigor and hardiness, falling short only in the characters noted in the opening sentence. St. John should always be planted in the home orchard and it would seem that it is more often worth planting in commercial orchards. The color-plate does not do the variety justice in size, color or shape, the Station grounds being one of the many places in which the variety cannot be had at its best.
Where, by whom and when St. John originated and what its parentage, are unknown. It is more than half a century old, came from the South, and has been widely planted in southern peach-districts, especially along the southern coast of Alabama. The variety reproduces itself from seed and this fact has led to its being distributed under a number of different names as is shown by the synonyms listed in the references. In Michigan the variety was grown for some time as Crane, or Crane's Early Yellow, having come from the orchard of Charles G. Crane of Fennville. Mr. Crane, it appears, had lost the true name of the peach and after fruiting his supposed seedling for a time it was discovered by T. T. Lyon[265] to be identical with St. John. In 1871 the American Pomological Society added this peach to its fruit-list as Yellow St. John but dropped "Yellow" from the name in 1891, the variety having appeared since that time in the Society's catalog as St. John.
Tree medium to large, vigorous, upright-spreading, with the lower branches drooping, unproductive; trunk stocky, medium to smooth; branches thick, smooth, reddish-brown covered with light ash-gray; branchlets with internodes of medium length, dark pinkish-red with a trace of green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with a few lenticels variable in size, raised at the base.
Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, flattened or slightly curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thick; upper surface dull, dark green, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; apex acuminate; margin finely serrate, often in two series, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to five small, globose glands variable in color and position.
Flower-buds obtuse, pubescent, plump, appressed or free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers seven-eighths inch across, white toward the base of the petals, becoming dark pink near the edges; pedicels short, glabrous, pale green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, obconic; calyx-lobes obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals small, ovate to oval, notched near the base, tapering to narrow claws; filaments seven-sixteenths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent near the base, as long as the stamens.
Fruit matures early; two and one-half inches long, two and three-fourths inches wide, round-oval, often bulged near the apex, usually compressed, with oblique sides; cavity medium to deep, wide, abrupt or flaring, often tinged with red; suture deep near the tip; apex round or depressed, with a mucronate or pointed tip; color deep yellow, blushed and splashed with carmine; pubescence thick and long; skin medium to thick, tough, variable in adherence to the pulp; flesh light yellow, tinged with red near the pit, juicy, tender, pleasantly sprightly, highly flavored; very good in quality; stone free, one and one-fourth inches long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, ovate, plump, tapering to a long point, with rough surfaces marked by large and small pits; ventral suture deeply grooved along the edges, furrowed; dorsal suture a large, deep groove.
SALWEY
=1.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =6=:270, 271 fig. 1879. =2.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 460. 1884. =3.= Bunyard _Cat._ 36. 1913-14.
_Salway._ =4.= _Horticulturist_ N. S. =8=:168. 1858. =5.= _Gard. Chron._ 944. 1861. =6.= Mas _Le Verger_ =7=:51, 52, fig. 24. 1866-73. =7.= _Am. Hort. Ann._ 80, 81 fig. 38. 1870. =8.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 56. 1871. =9.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 1st App. 122. 1872. =10.= _Horticulturist_ =27=:248. 1872. =11.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 30. 1875. =12.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:225. 1899. =13.= _Kan. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 48, 49. 1901. =14.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:355. 1903. =15.= _Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 114 fig. 1906.
Salwey is one of the two European peaches cultivated on a commercial scale in America, Rivers being the other. Both find their greatest usefulness in extending the peach-season, this variety being one of the latest and Rivers one of the earliest sorts. It is a yellow-fleshed, freestone peach of attractive appearance and of good quality, neither handsome enough nor good enough in quality, however, to be considered a first-class dessert fruit. On the other hand it is one of the best sorts for canning, preserving and evaporating. The trees are vigorous, hardy, healthy and very productive but unfortunately ripen their crop so late in New York that the variety cannot be depended upon. Early freezes often destroy the fruit and cold, wet weather usually hinders maturity so much that the peaches are seldom at their best in this State. Possibly no other peach is more widely grown than Salwey. It is a standard sort in France, England and in peach-regions in America from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from Canada to the Gulf. This uncommon adaptability to diverse soils and climates ought to make it a valuable sort in peach-breeding. It has the reputation of coming true to seed but we do not find that many varieties have come from it.
The history of Salwey is not clear. Pomologists generally credit Thomas Rivers, Sawbridgeworth, England, with being the originator and introducer of the variety. It is known that Rivers grew it on his grounds but it is doubtful if he originated it. Other accounts say that it was raised in 1844 by Colonel Salwey, Egham Park, Surrey, England, from the seed of an Italian peach. Some say that a Charles Turner, Slough, England, brought the Italian peach seed from Florence, Italy, while others state that Turner introduced the new peach. The variety has long been known in America as Salway but Colonel Salwey, after whom the peach was named, spelled his name with an "e" and the correction is made in this text. In 1875 the American Pomological Society added this peach to its list of recommended fruits under the name Salway.
Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright-spreading, becoming drooping, dense-topped, hardy, very productive; trunk thick, smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with very light ash-gray; branchlets slender, very long, with a tendency to rebranch near the tips; internodes dull pinkish-red with but little if any green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous raised lenticels.
Leaves seven inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward and recurled, oval to ovate-lanceolate, leathery; apex acuminate; upper surface dark, dull green, smooth, becoming rugose near the midrib; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to six small, globose and reniform glands variable in color and position.
Flower-buds hardy, conical or pointed, pubescent, appressed or partly free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers seven-eighths inch across, white at the center of the petals, becoming pink near the margins; pedicels very short, nearly sessile, thick; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals round, broadly oval, widely notched near the base, tapering to long, narrow claws red at the base; filaments five-sixteenths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures very late; two and nine-sixteenths inches long, two and one-half inches wide, round-cordate, bulged near the apex, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity deep, abrupt, often splashed with red; suture shallow, often extending beyond the tip; apex usually a small, elongated point; color greenish-yellow, usually with a brownish-red blush splashed dark red; pubescence short, thick, fine; skin thin, tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh golden-yellow, faintly tinged with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender, becomes dry with age, sweet, pleasantly flavored, aromatic; good to very good in quality; stone free, one and one-half inches long, one and one-sixteenth inches wide, oval to roundish-oval, very plump, pointed at the base, with large pits and short grooves in the surfaces; ventral suture narrow, deeply furrowed along the edges; dorsal suture winged, a narrow groove.
SCHUMAKER
=1.= _Gard. Mon._ =22=:276. 1880. =2.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 115. 1880. =3.= _Gard. Mon._ =25=:111 fig. 1883. =4.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 314, 315. 1889. =5.= _R. I. Sta. Bul._ =7=:41. 1890. =6.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:356. 1903.
_Shoemaker's Seedling._ =7.= _Cult. & Count. Gent._ =41=:631. 1876.
Schumaker, now grown only in western New York and Pennsylvania, for a long time was described as the earliest of the white-fleshed, clingstone peaches. There are other peaches as early but, on the Station grounds, this is the best flavored of the early peaches. Moreover, when fully ripe it is almost a freestone. It is a handsome peach in color and shape but the fruits are too small though this can be remedied in part by thinning. The trees are large, hardy, vigorous and productive to a fault. With all of these good qualities, the wonder is that Schumaker is not more popular as a commercial variety to open the season but for some reason peach-growers are not pleased with it--probably because of the small size of the peaches. For a peach of its season, Schumaker is remarkably free from brown-rot. Nurserymen often substitute Alexander for this variety and vice versa.
This variety originated as a seedling with Michael Schumaker, Fairview, Erie County, Pennsylvania. Its parentage is unknown. It fruited for the first time in 1877 and was for a few years grown commercially but its popularity has long been on the wane.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, becoming drooping, open-topped, productive; trunk thick, smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets long, pinkish-red with but a trace of green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with large, conspicuous, raised lenticels.
Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, variable in position, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole seven-sixteenths inch long, glandless or with one to four small, globose, reddish-brown glands variable in position.
Flower-buds hardy, pubescent, conical or pointed, plump, usually free; blossoms appear early; flowers one and one-half inches across, pink; pedicels very short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, greenish-yellow within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval to ovate, tapering to claws sometimes red at the base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the base, as long as the stamens.
Fruit matures very early; about two and one-eighth inches in diameter, round, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity deep, flaring; suture shallow; apex ending in a recurved, mucronate tip but variable; color creamy-white, heavily blushed and often mottled with dark red; pubescence short, thick; skin thin, tender, separates from the pulp when fully ripe; flesh white, very juicy, stringy, tender, sweet, aromatic, highly flavored; very good in quality; stone clinging, becoming semi-cling when fully mature, one and one-fourth inches long, three-fourths inch wide, oval, plump, inconspicuously winged, with corrugated surfaces.
SMOCK
=1.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 193, 194. 1865. =2.= Mas _Le Verger_ =7=:75, 76, fig. 36. 1866-73. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 28. 1873. =4.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =6=:279 fig., 280. 1879. =5.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:225, 226. 1899. =6.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 196, 197. 1908.
_Saint George._ =7.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 193. 1841.
_Smock Freestone._ =8.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 492. 1845. =9.= Bridgeman _Gard. Ass't_ Pt. =3=:108. 1857. =10.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 78. 1862.
Though little grown now, during the last half of the last century Smock was one of the leading commercial peaches of its season. The variety has so little to recommend it, however, that we cannot but believe that reputation more than merit kept up its popularity. The trees are about all that could be desired but the peaches are of but mediocre quality and not at all attractive in appearance, lacking in size and color, are ungainly in shape and have but little uniformity in size, color or shape. It is one of the latest yellow-fleshed peaches and is said to be excellent for all culinary purposes. With so many better varieties of late yellow-fleshed, freestone peaches, Smock is not worth planting for any purpose.
Smock originated three-quarters of a century or more ago with a Mr. Smock, Middletown, New Jersey. Variations under such names as Smock X and Smock (Hance) have arisen as distinct varieties but all have proved to be identical with the old sort. The name Smock Cling appears in peach-literature but whether the peach was distinct we cannot say. Years after the introduction of Smock a peach was put out under the name "Beers Smock." The differences claimed are that Beers Smock runs larger and is better in quality than Smock. All descriptions of the two sorts, however, are so nearly identical that we believe that the two names are given to the same peach. In 1862 the American Pomological Society listed Smock in its catalog as Smock Freestone. In 1873 the name was shortened to Smock and it so appears today.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, somewhat drooping, dense-topped, tall, usually very productive; trunk medium to thick, rough; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown with very light ash-gray tinge; branchlets slender, medium to long, with short internodes, dark red intermingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with large, raised lenticels.
Leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and one-half inches wide, flattened or curved downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thick; upper surface dull, dark green; smooth; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with dark red glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with none to five small, globose or reniform glands variable in color and position.
Flower-buds tender, conical or pointed, slightly pubescent, appressed or free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers less than one inch across, white at the center of the petals, light or dark pink near the edges, often in twos; pedicels short, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, orange-colored within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes broad, acute, serrate, glabrous within, pubescent without, partly reflexed; petals oval, irregular in outline near the base, tapering to long, narrow claws often reddish at the base; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent near the base, equal to or longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures very late; two and one-half inches long, two and three-eighths inches wide, oval, irregular, often bulged near the apex, compressed, with halves unequal and somewhat angular; cavity narrow, abrupt, contracted around the sides, twig-marked; suture a mere line, becoming deeper toward the apex; apex roundish, with a recurved, mucronate tip; color greenish-yellow or sometimes orange-yellow, specked and mottled with dull, dark red or sometimes faintly tinted with a bronze blush; pubescence very heavy, thick, fine; skin thin, tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh yellow, faintly tinged with red near the pit, variable in juiciness, tender, sprightly, pleasantly flavored; good in quality; stone free, one and five-eighths inches long, one and one-sixteenth inches wide, oval or obovate, bulged near the apex, flattened toward the base, with deeply grooved surfaces; ventral suture narrow, winged, deeply grooved along the sides; dorsal suture a wide and deep groove, winged.
STEVENS
=1.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:356, 357. 1903.
_Stevens Rareripe._ =2.= _N. J. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 42. 1878. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 32. 1889. =4.= _Ont. Fr. Gr. Assoc. Rpt._ =22=:31, 32. 1890. =5.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:227. 1899. =6.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =9=:38. 1902. =7.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 207. 1913.
Stevens is one of the fruits of the generation just past--a large, white and red, white-fleshed, freestone peach. The variety is best known as Stevens Rareripe but the last part of the name is inapt for the true rareripes are earlier ripening peaches while with Stevens lateness is one of its prime assets. In quality the fruits are extra good, the flesh-characters pleasing in every respect. The flavor is a pleasing mingling of sweet and sour not found in many other peaches so late in the season. The appearance of the peach is as alluring as the taste. The color-plate shows the variety almost perfectly in color and shape but the peaches as depicted are rather smaller than the average. These late, white-fleshed peaches now seldom sell well, usually reaching the markets in poor condition, but they are choice fruits for home use and for this purpose Stevens should be planted in every home orchard. The variety has the reputation of being hardy in both wood and buds.
Stevens originated about 1858 on the farm of B. Stevens, Morristown, New Jersey. Its parentage is unknown. It was listed in the American Pomological Society's catalog in 1889 as Stevens Rareripe. Later the name was shortened to Stevens in accordance with the Society's rules of nomenclature.
Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, with the lower branches inclined to droop, productive; trunk of medium thickness, rough; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets thick, dark reddish-brown with but little green, glossy, smooth, with numerous large and small lenticels.
Leaves six inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, folded upward and slightly recurled, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dark green, glossy, rugose along the midrib; lower surface light green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to six small, reniform glands usually at the base of the leaf; flower-buds intermediate in size and length, conical to pointed, somewhat appressed, pubescent; flowers small.
Fruit matures late; about two and eleven-sixteenths inches in diameter, round to round-oval, with nearly equal sides; cavity deep, wide, flaring to abrupt; suture medium to deep, often extending beyond the tip; apex roundish, with a strongly mucronate and recurved tip; color greenish-white overlaid with attractive purplish-red, often mottled or splashed with darker red; pubescence short, fine; skin thick, tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh white, tinted with red near the pit and reddish underneath the deepest surface blush, juicy, coarse, sweet, sprightly; good in quality; stone nearly free, one and five-eighths inches long, one and one-eighth inches wide, obovate, flattened at the base, plump, with grooved surfaces; ventral suture medium to deeply grooved along the edges, intermediate in width, furrowed; dorsal suture deeply grooved, winged.
STUMP
=1.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:817. 1896. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 22. 1897. =3.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:227. 1899. =4.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:357. 1903.
_Stump the World._ =5.= _U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt._ 299. 1854. =6.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 304. 1859. =7.= _Horticulturist_ =14=:106, 107, Pl. 1859. =8.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 80. 1862. =9.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 193. 1865. =10.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 232. 1866. =11.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 633. 1869. =12.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:242. 1898. =13.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 189, 190. 1908.
_Stump-of-the-World._ =14.= _N. J. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 41, 42. 1878.
_Pêche du New-Jersey._ =15.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =6=:195, 196 fig. 1879.
_Late Stump._ =16.= _Ark. Sta. Bul._ =43=:102. 1896.
Stump has long been a favorite white-fleshed, freestone, late peach of the Oldmixon type. It is not a handsome fruit, the color-plate flattering rather than detracting from its appearance, but makes up in quality what it lacks in looks. The flesh is melting, juicy, sparkling, rich and good though dry and very mediocre if permitted to overripen. The peaches are too tender for distant shipment and the variety is of value only for local markets and home use. The trees are large, vigorous, hardy, healthy and productive, with a shapely, upright-spreading, dense-topped head--about all that could be desired in a peach-tree. In spite of the high quality of the peaches and the splendid tree-characters, Stump is steadily waning in popularity and will, no doubt, soon pass from cultivation.
We can say little of the history of Stump other than that it originated in New Jersey at least three-quarters of a century ago. A Mr. Brant, Madison, New Jersey, in a report on peaches at the meeting of the New Jersey Horticultural Society in 1878 mentions a variety as Stump-of-the-World which originated on the farm of Samuel Whitehead in Middlesex County, New Jersey, about 1825. Mr. Brant, however, considered this sort distinct from Stump although very similar to it. From the description he gives it seems certain that he was describing the true Stump. In 1862 the American Pomological Society listed this sort in its catalog as Stump the World. The name was shortened to Stump in 1897 by the committee on nomenclature in accordance with pomological rules.
Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense-topped, productive; trunk medium in diameter, smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets thick, inclined to rebranch, long, with internodes dark red mingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with many conspicuous, small, raised lenticels.
Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded downward, broad-oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, rugose along the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, often in two series, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole seven-sixteenths inch long, with one to four globose glands variable in color and position.
Flower-buds semi-hardy, pubescent, conical to pointed, plump, usually more or less free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers thirteen-sixteenths inch across, white at the center, becoming pink near the margin; pedicels long, slender; calyx-tube dull reddish-green, yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes acute, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval, faintly notched near the base, tapering to very short claws tinged with red near the base; filaments five-sixteenths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent at the ovary, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures late; about two and one-half inches in diameter, round-oval to cordate bulged near the apex, compressed, with markedly unequal halves; cavity shallow, wide, uneven in outline, flaring or abrupt, with tender skin; suture shallow, often extending beyond the tip; apex round or pointed, with a recurved, mucronate tip; color creamy-white, blushed, mottled and splashed with red; pubescence long, thick, coarse; skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh white, strongly stained with red near the pit, juicy, tender and melting, sweet, rich, pleasantly flavored, aromatic; very good in quality; stone nearly free, one and one-half inches long, one and one-sixteenth inches wide, ovate to oval, plump, flattened toward the base, tapering to a long point, with grooved surfaces; ventral suture deeply marked along the edges, narrow, sometimes winged; dorsal suture grooved.
SUMMER SNOW
=1.= _Okla. Sta. Bul._ =2=:15. 1892. =2.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =118=:31. 1895. =3.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 691. 1897. =4.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:227. 1899. =5.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =7=:55. 1900.
Summer Snow is a curiosity with some value for culinary purposes Its distinctive peculiarities are a skin almost pure white and flesh white as snow from skin to pit. The quality is poor and the flesh clings to the pit so tenaciously that the variety has no value, whatsoever, for dessert but is said to be excellent for pickling and to make a very good and a very distinctive canned product.
There are no records of the origin of this peach but it is doubtful if it dates back more than a quarter of a century. The variety is very similar to the old Snow, which was probably its prototype, differing essentially in having a clinging stone while the stone of Snow is free. In New York the name is a misnomer as the fruit does not ripen until the last of September or early in October. Albino peaches date back to the early records of this fruit and seem to be known wherever peaches are grown. Whenever seedling peaches are grown in large numbers, an occasional albino appears.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, slightly drooping, productive; trunk thick and, smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with very light ash-gray; branchlets very long, inclined to rebranch, with internodes of medium length, olive-green intermingled with light brown, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, russet-colored lenticels.
Leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, flattened or curved downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thin; upper surface dull green, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to six small, globose and reniform glands variable in color and position.
Leaf-buds semi-hardy, small, short, variable in shape, plump, appressed or slightly free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers one and five-eighths inches across, white, sometimes in twos; pedicels short, thick, glabrous, green; calyx-tube tinged with green, yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes variable in length, medium to narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals often pointed at the apex, round-ovate, broadly notched at the base, tapering to broad, short claws; filaments seven-sixteenths inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent near the base, as long as the stamens.
Fruit matures late; two and three-eighths inches long, two and five-sixteenths inches wide, round-cordate, somewhat angular, bulged at one side, compressed, with unequal sides; cavity deep, narrow, abrupt, contracted about the sides, twig-marked; suture shallow, becoming deeper toward the tip; apex roundish or depressed, with a mucronate or sometimes a small, mamelon tip; color greenish-white changing to creamy-white, without blush; pubescence long, thick, coarse; skin thin, tender, adherent to the pulp; flesh white to the pit, juicy, meaty, mildly sweet to sprightly; fair in quality; stone firmly clinging, one and nine-sixteenths inches long, one and one-eighth inches wide, broad-oval, often bulged near the apex, winged, with pitted surfaces marked with short grooves; ventral suture rather narrow, winged, with furrows of medium depth along the sides; dorsal suture grooved, with winged sides.
SURPASSE
=1.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:227. 1899. =2.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:357. 1903.
_Surpasse Melocoton._ =3.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 33. 1874. =4.= Barry _Fr. Garden_ 407. 1883. =5.= _R. I. Sta. Bul._ =7=:41. 1890.
As Surpasse grows on the Station grounds, it has most of the qualities of a first-class yellow-fleshed, freestone peach. The fruits are large, handsome and of excellent quality, while the trees are satisfactory in every respect except, possibly, in productiveness. The variety has been grown sufficiently long in New York to have been well tested and has not found favor, so that we must conclude that it does not do as well elsewhere as here and that it is doomed to go into the discard.
Surpasse originated more than forty years ago on the grounds of Ellwanger & Barry, Rochester, New York, and has long been sold by this nursery firm. It has never been widely nor largely grown commercially but is not uncommon in western New York.
Tree above medium size, vigorous, upright-spreading, with a tendency to droop, rather unproductive; trunk thick and smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets thick, inclined to rebranch, long, dark pinkish-red with some green, smooth except for the lenticels, glabrous, with very conspicuous, numerous, large and small, raised lenticels.
Leaves six inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, variable in position, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dark olive-green, rugose along the midrib; apex acuminate; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole seven-sixteenths inch long, glandless or with one to four small, globose glands variable in color and position.
Flower-buds tender, pubescent, conical to pointed, plump, usually free; blossoms open in mid-season; flowers seven-eighths inch across, light pink but darker along the edges, usually single; pedicels short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes long, narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals ovate, with short, indistinct claws; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil as long as the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-half inches long, two and three-eighths inches wide, round-cordate, irregular, compressed, much bulged near the apex, with unequal halves; cavity deep, wide, flaring to abrupt, with tender, reddish skin; suture a line becoming deeper toward the tip; apex pointed, usually with an erect, mamelon tip; color pale yellow or orange-yellow, mottled and splashed more or less with red and overspread with a lively, dark red blush; pubescence medium in length, thick, fine; skin thin, separates from the pulp; flesh light yellow, red near the pit, very juicy, rather coarse, stringy, tender and melting, sprightly, highly flavored; good to very good in quality; stone free, one and three-eighths inches long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, ovate, rather plump, tapering to a long point, sometimes slightly winged along the ventral suture, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved along the edges, below medium in width, furrowed; dorsal suture grooved, winged.
THURBER
=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 75. 1873. =2.= _Gard. Mon._ =17=:175. 1875. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 2nd App. 144. 1876. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 32. 1881. =5.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:109 fig. 8, 110. 1901. =6.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:357. 1903.
Thurber is mediocre in all of its characters in New York, though perhaps it is a little better in quality than the average white-fleshed, mid-season freestone. In the South, however, it seems to be considered one of the best of its class not only in quality but in size and appearance. The fruits are small in New York, as the color-plate shows, while all descriptions of them in the South say they are large. The variety is possibly worth planting, because of good quality, in home orchards in this State.
Thurber is a seedling of Chinese Cling grown by L. E. Berckmans, Rome, Georgia, more than forty years ago. The variety was named in honor of Dr. George Thurber, American botanist, naturalist and editor. It is similar to its parent but is a freestone and the trees are more compact and thrifty than those of Chinese Cling. The American Pomological Society added Thurber to its fruit-list in 1881, a place it still holds.
Tree above medium size, vigorous, upright-spreading, productive; trunk thick and smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets slender, often very long, olive-green with some red, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, raised lenticels variable in size, usually russetted toward the base.
Leaves six inches long, over one and one-half inches wide, flattened or curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, smooth becoming rugose along the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to four small, globose glands variable in color and position.
Flower-buds tender, large, medium to short, heavily pubescent, obtuse, very plump, usually free; blossoms open in mid-season; flowers one and one-eighth inches across, light pink, darker along the edges, usually single; pedicels long, slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube reddish-green, greenish-yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes acute, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without, flattened; petals ovate, tapering to short, narrow claws; filaments seven-sixteenths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and three-eighths inches long, two and one-eighth inches wide, round-oval, somewhat compressed, with unequal halves; cavity shallow, narrow, flaring or abrupt, often tinted with red, compressed about the sides; suture a line or very shallow, often extending beyond the tip; apex round, with a recurved, mucronate or mamelon tip; color green or creamy-white, with few splashes of dull red over a lively red blush; pubescence long, coarse, thick; skin thin, tough, variable in adherence to the pulp; flesh white, deeply stained with red near the pit, juicy, tender and melting, pleasantly sprightly, aromatic; good in quality; stone free, one and one-half inches long, more than an inch wide, red, obovate to oval, flattened toward the base, plump, tapering to a short point, often winged on the ventral suture, with surfaces pitted and marked by short grooves; ventral suture deeply grooved along the edges, narrow; dorsal suture grooved, slightly winged.
TRIANA
=1.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:819. 1896. =2.= _Fla. Sta. Bul._ =73=:152. 1904. =3.= _Glen St. Mary Nur. Cat._ 23. 1906. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 39. 1909.
Triana is another of the honey-fleshed, beaked peaches supposed to thrive only in the far South. It can be grown, however, with about as much certainty in New York as many of the standard varieties of the North. Its small size and poor shipping qualities debar it from competing with commercial peaches in this region but it is well worth planting in home orchards for the sake of variety and because of its delicious flavor--a sort of scented sweetness wholly unknown in northern varieties. The good health, vigor, size and hardiness of these honey-peaches on the Station grounds is a constant surprise to those who have believed that they could be grown only in the Gulf States.
Triana originated a quarter of a century or more ago at the Glen Saint Mary Nurseries, Glen Saint Mary, Florida. It was introduced in 1892 by the originators. The American Pomological Society added Triana to its fruit-list in 1909.
Tree of medium size, upright-spreading, open-topped, productive; branches greenish-red; branchlets slender, long, with a tendency to rebranch, dark red with some olive-green, rough, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, large, raised lenticels.
Leaves five and one-half inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, folded upward and recurled, slightly lanceolate, thin, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface grayish-green, with prominent mid-rib; margin finely serrate; petiole three-eighths inch long, with one to five small, reniform glands variable in position.
Flower-buds half-hardy, short, pubescent, conical, plump, usually appressed; blossoms one and one-half inches across, pale red, in dense clusters, usually single; pedicels long, slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube reddish-green, dark greenish-yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval to long-ovate, tapering to short claws; filaments seven-sixteenths inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, often longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in late mid-season; two and one-eighth inches long, one and thirteen-sixteenths inches wide, oval, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity shallow, flaring; suture of medium depth; apex a long, mucronate tip; color creamy-white, blushed, splashed and mottled with bright red; pubescence short, fine; skin thin, tender, adhering to the pulp; flesh white, faintly stained with red near the pit, tender, sweet, mild; good in quality; stone nearly free, one and one-fourth inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, oval or elliptical, usually with pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved along the edges; dorsal suture grooved.
TRIUMPH
=1.= _Gard. & For._ =8=:20. 1895. =2.= _U. S. D. A. Pom. Rpt._ 44. 1895. =3.= Kan. Hort. Soc. _Peach, The_ 49. 1899. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 34. 1899. =5.= _Can. Hort._ =24=:401, fig. 2158. 1901. =6.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =9=:38. 1902. =7.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:358. 1903. =8.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =170=:182. 1906. =9.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 196, 208. 1913.
_Triomphe._ =10.= _Rev. Hort._ 79. 1895.
Triumph is an extra early, yellow-fleshed peach so inferior in appearance and quality of fruit and so subject to brown-rot that it is not worth growing in any but the most northern peach-regions where, because of great hardiness in wood and bud, it becomes a valuable variety. It is grown more or less, however, both north and south because it is one of the earliest yellow-fleshed sorts and because the trees bear regularly and abundantly. The dark color and the great amount of fuzzy pubescence detract materially from the appearance of the peach. The specimens shown in the color-plate are from unthinned trees; the size can be increased by thinning. Small pits somewhat offset the small size of the fruits. The peaches, if not attacked by brown-rot, stand shipment splendidly, a character which adds to its value for early markets. Though often put down as a clingstone it is, when well grown, a semi-cling and sometimes the stone is free.
Triumph is one of several seedlings grown by J. D. Husted, Vineyard, Georgia. It is supposed to be an offspring of Alexander. The date of origin is unknown but references go back to 1895. Triumph was placed on the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society in 1899.
Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright-spreading, with lower branches drooping, hardy, very productive; trunk intermediate in thickness and smoothness; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown intermingled with very light ash-gray; branchlets slender, long, with internodes of medium length, dark pinkish-red with some green, glossy, very smooth, glabrous, with many conspicuous, small, raised lenticels.
Leaves six inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, flattened or curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thin, leathery; upper surface dull, dark olive-green, rugose near the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely and shallowly serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to four very small, globose glands variable in position.
Flower-buds hardy, small, short, pubescent, obtuse or pointed, plump, appressed or free; blossoms unfold early; flowers one and five-eighths inches across, dark pink, sometimes in twos; pedicels short, slender, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, orange-colored within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals broadly oval to ovate, widely notched near the base, tapering to claws with reddish base; filaments seven-sixteenths inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent near the base, equal in length to the stamens.
Fruit matures early; two inches long, two and one-eighth inches wide, roundish-oval, compressed, with unequal sides; cavity deep, abrupt, with tender skin; suture shallow; apex roundish, with a mamelon and recurved tip; color pale yellow overlaid with dark red; pubescence thick and long; skin thin, adherent to the pulp; flesh yellow, stained with red near the pit, juicy, firm until fully ripe, sprightly; fair in quality; stone semi-free to free when fully ripe, one and one-fourth inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, obovate, flattened wedge-like at the base, bulged at one side near the apex, plump, with deeply grooved surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved along the edges, furrowed; dorsal suture winged, deeply grooved, rather wide.
TROTH
=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 35. 1899. =2.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:228. 1899. =3.= _Am. Gard._ =24=:413. 1903.
_Troth's Early Rareripe._ =4.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 183. 1841.
_Troth's Early Red._ =5.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 304. 1859. =6.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 634. 1869.
_Troth's Early._ =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 80. 1862. =8.= _Am. Jour. Hort._ =3=:341. 1868. =9.= Fulton
_Peach Cult._ 183, 184. 1908.
Troth, the standard early peach in the middle of the last century, is now all but out of cultivation. It is still listed in a few nursery catalogs and is still on the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society. Among the multitude of early peaches now grown, Troth cuts but a sorry figure in either tree- or fruit-characters. It is worth discussing here only because it is a milestone in the evolution of cultivated peaches.
Troth, first known as Troth's Early Red, originated in the first years of the Nineteenth Century, probably in New Jersey. Nothing is known of its parentage or of the originator. It ripens with Early York and some pomologists have confused it with this variety and also with Haines but, while similar to both, Troth is distinct. The American Pomological Society placed the variety upon its fruit-list in 1862 under the name Troth's Early Red but dropped it in 1891. In 1899 it was once more recommended by the Pomological Society, being listed as Troth.
Tree above medium in size, vigorous, upright-spreading, the lower branches drooping, very productive; trunk somewhat stocky; branches thick, smooth, reddish-brown covered with light ash-gray; branchlets slender, long, with short internodes, dark pinkish-red intermingled with green, with conspicuous, very numerous, large and small lenticels; leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, flattened and slightly curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery, dark, dull green, smooth becoming rugose near the midrib; margin finely and shallowly serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole seven-sixteenths inch long, with one to five very small, globose, reddish-brown glands; flower-buds half-hardy, of medium size and length, more or less pubescent, obtuse or conical, plump, usually appressed; blossoms small, appear in mid-season.
Fruit matures in early mid-season; two inches long, two and one-eighth inches wide, roundish-oblate, slightly bulged at one side, somewhat compressed, with halves decidedly unequal; cavity of medium depth and width, abrupt, somewhat irregular, contracted about the sides, often dotted and striped with red; suture rather shallow, extending considerably beyond the point; apex roundish or depressed, with a mucronate or slightly pointed tip; color greenish-white or creamy-white, blushed with dark, dull red and with more or less heavy mottlings extending over more than half of the surface; pubescence thick, short; skin thin, tender, adheres somewhat to the pulp; flesh whitish, tinged with red near the pit, variable in juiciness, tender, nearly melting, pleasant flavored; fair to good in quality; stone free, one and one-eighths inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, oval, flattened toward the base, acute at the apex, with grooved surfaces; ventral suture medium in width; dorsal suture grooved.
WADDELL
=1.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:242. 1898. =2.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:111 fig. 9. 1901. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 249. 1903. =4.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:358. 1903. =5.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =170=:182. 1906. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 39. 1909. =7.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 208. 1913.
Waddell is an early mid-season, white-fleshed, semi-cling peach from Georgia, a very evident descendant of Chinese Cling. The variety is now widely grown and is everywhere esteemed as a commercial sort. Its chief competitor is Carman, compared with which the fruit differs in ripening a few days early; is handsomer, in color at least, the two, as the color-plates show, being very similar in size and shape; is of rather finer texture of flesh and is better flavored; and, lastly, according to most reports, Waddell is a better shipper than Carman. The variety has not been nearly as widely nor as generally planted as the better-known Carman but we are of the opinion that it has been a greater factor in the success of a score or more of the big commercial peach-orchards, North and South, of the last few years. It is a particularly pleasing peach in New York and ought to be considered for every commercial plantation where a variety of its season is wanted to precede or to compete with Carman.
Waddell is a chance seedling found by William Waddell, Griffin, Georgia. The variety was introduced by J. H. Hale, South Glastonbury, Connecticut. The American Pomological Society added Waddell to its fruit-list in 1909.
Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright becoming spreading and with the lower branches inclined to droop, hardy, productive; trunk thick, smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets long, inclined to rebranch, dark pinkish-red overspread with green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, raised lenticels variable in size.
Leaves six inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward and curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; apex acuminate; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with one to four small, globose, reddish-brown glands variable in position.
Flower-buds hardy, conical or pointed, pubescent, usually appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers one and three-fourths inches across, red becoming pale pink, in clusters of twos; pedicels short, slender, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, greenish-yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval, crenate, irregular in outline near the base, tapering to claws with reddish base; filaments seven-sixteenths inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent near the base, equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and one-fourth inches long, about two inches wide, oval to roundish-oval, compressed, bulged on one side, with unequal halves; cavity deep, abrupt, with tender skin, tinged with pink; suture shallow, deepening toward the apex and extending beyond; apex roundish, with a small, mucronate tip; color creamy-white, blushed with red and with a few dull splashes of darker red; pubescence thick; skin tough, separates from the pulp; flesh white, stained with pink near the pit, juicy, stringy firm but tender, sweet but sprightly, aromatic; very good in quality; stone semi-free to free, one and three-eighths inches long, one inch wide, ovate; ventral suture deeply grooved along the sides, faintly winged; dorsal suture grooved, not winged.
WAGER
=1.= _Cult. & Count. Gent._ =43=:584. 1878. =2.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 113, 114. 1880. =3.= _Cult. & Count. Gent._ =48=:823. 1883. =4.= Black _Cult. Peach & Pear_ 111. 1886. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 22. 1897. =6.= Kan. Hort. Soc. _Peach, The_ 148. 1899. =7.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:358, 359. 1903.
Hardiness, productiveness and early bearing are the outstanding characters of Wager that give it a high place in the peach-list for New York. It is a yellow-fleshed, freestone peach none too attractive in coloring, always rather small and of only fair quality as a dessert fruit but excellent for canning, drying and all culinary purposes. The variety comes true to seed, or nearly so. The fruits of Wager are not attractive enough and the trees are too small to make the variety of much value in commercial plantations but it is a very good peach for home orchards and one of the best of all where hardiness is a prime requisite. Several quite distinct peaches are sold by nurserymen as Wager.
Wager originated some time previous to 1870 with Benjamin Wager, West Bloomfield, Ontario County, New York. The variety was added to the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society in 1897.
Tree medium in size or small, upright-spreading, hardy, productive; trunk intermediate in thickness and smoothness; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown overlaid with light ash-gray; branchlets rebranching near the tips, dark red with some green, roughened by the lenticels, which are medium in size and number.
Leaves five and one-half inches long, one and one-fourth inches wide, flattened or curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thin, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, rugose along the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; apex acuminate; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole five-sixteenths inch long, with two to four small, globose or reniform glands variable in color and position.
Flower-buds medium in size and length, heavily pubescent, conical, plump, usually free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers one and one-eighth inches across; pedicels very short, thick, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval, broadly notched, tapering to claws red at the base; filaments three-eighths inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, longer than the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-half inches long, two and one-fourth inches wide, oval, bulged near the apex, sometimes conical, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity flaring or abrupt, often mottled with red and with tender skin; suture a line, becoming deeper toward the tip; apex roundish or pointed, usually with a mamelon, recurved tip; color orange-yellow, blushed and mottled with dark red; pubescence thick, long and fine; skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh yellow, faintly stained with red near the pit, meaty but tender, sweet, mild; good in quality; stone free, one and three-eighths inches long, one inch wide, ovate, flattened near the base, with pitted surfaces, marked with few short grooves; ventral suture deeply grooved along the sides, wide, furrowed; dorsal suture a wide, deep groove.
WATERLOO
=1.= _Cult. & Count. Gent._ =43=:489. 1878. =2.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 51. 1879. =3.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 463. 1884. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 34. 1885. =5.= _Ibid._ 22. 1897. =6.= _Garden_ =66=:112. 1904. =7.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:359. 1903. =8.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 173. 1908. =9.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 209. 1913.
Waterloo is without honor in its own country but is a standard peach in England. In spite of the fact that the variety originated within ten miles of the Station grounds it is all but worthless here as it is in most parts of New York. Waterloo is an extra-early, white-fleshed, semi-cling peach very similar to the better-known Canada. The faults that condemn it are small size, poor quality, susceptibility to brown-rot and a long period of ripening for the fruit and small size and unproductiveness in the tree. It is given prominence in _The Peaches of New York_ only because it is so often noted in the horticultural press as a standard variety, an opinion, no doubt, reflected in America from European publications.
Waterloo was first grown by Henry Lisk, Waterloo, Seneca County, New York, who brought it to notice in 1877. Thomas Rivers introduced it into England where it has long been grown and esteemed for its earliness and good quality. The American Pomological Society placed Waterloo in its fruit-catalog in 1885, where it remained until 1891 when it was dropped, but was replaced in 1897.
Tree small, upright-spreading, sometimes productive; trunk smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown covered with light ash-gray; branchlets very long, rebranching, with internodes of medium length, dark pinkish-red mingled with green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with few large lenticels.
Leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, flattened, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dull, dark olive-green, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole seven-sixteenths inch long, glandless or with one to four small, globose and reniform, reddish-brown glands variable in position.
Flower-buds half-hardy, obtuse or conical, plump, usually free, pubescent; flowers appear in mid-season; blossoms one and one-half inches across, light pink, usually single; pedicels very short, thick, green; calyx-tube lemon-yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals ovate, tapering to claws with reddish base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil equal to the stamens in length.
Fruit matures very early; nearly two inches in diameter, roundish, with equal halves; cavity deep, wide flaring; suture shallow; apex depressed, with a recurved, mamelon tip; color creamy-white, blushed and mottled with red; pubescence short, thick; skin thin, adherent to the pulp; flesh greenish-white, juicy, stringy, tender and melting, sweet, mild, fair to good in quality; stone semi-clinging, one and one-sixteenth inches long, three-fourths inch wide, oval, plump, acutely pointed at the apex, with pitted surfaces; dorsal suture slightly winging.
WHEATLAND
=1.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 550. 1875-85. =2.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 113. 1880. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 3rd App. 173. 1881. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 34. 1883. =5.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:815. 1896. =6.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:359. 1903. =7.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 209. 1913.
Wheatland is a large, yellow-fleshed, freestone peach of excellent quality which ripens just before Late Crawford. Although the variety originated in this State it is little grown here now, being somewhat more popular westward in Michigan and very much grown in Colorado and Utah. The fruit is about all that could be desired in New York but the trees are so unproductive that the variety is nowhere grown in this region with profit. The beauty and high quality of the fruit might make it desirable for home orchards.
Wheatland is a chance seedling found about 1870 on the grounds of Daniel E. Rogers, Scottsville, New York. The variety was placed on the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society in 1883.
Tree medium to large, vigorous, upright-spreading, with the lower branches drooping, hardy, rather unproductive; trunk thick and smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets long, with long internodes, inclined to rebranch, dark pinkish-red with but little green, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, large and small, raised lenticels intermediate in number.
Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward and recurved downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dark green, rugose; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole five-sixteenths inch long, with one to five small, globose and reniform, reddish-brown glands variable in position.
Flower-buds tender, medium to small, pubescent, conical or pointed, plump, usually free; blossoms open late; flowers seven-eighths inch across, light pink becoming darker along the edges; pedicels very short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, campanulate; calyx-lobes narrow, acuminate, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals ovate; filaments five-sixteenths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil as long as the stamens, sometimes defective.
Fruit matures in mid-season; large, round; suture shallow; apex a small, acute point; color yellow, blushed and mottled with red; skin separates from the pulp; flesh yellow, stained red around the pit, juicy, firm but tender, sweet, pleasantly flavored; good in quality; stone free, one and seven-sixteenths inches long, more than an inch wide, ovate, broad at the base, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture very deeply grooved at the edges; dorsal suture deeply grooved.
YELLOW RARERIPE
=1.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 102. 1831. =2.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 229. 1832. 3. Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:14, 15. 1832. =4.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 493. 1845. =5.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 280. 1854. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 80. 1862. =7.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:229. 1899. =8.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 193, 194. 1908.
_Marie Antoinette._ =9.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 187. 1846.
_Early Orange Peach._ =10.= Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 187. 1846.
_Cutter's Yellow._ =11.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =2=:59, 60, Pl. 1851.
_Rareripe Jaune._ =12.= Mas _Le Verger_ =7=:215, 216, fig. 106. 1866-73.
A century ago Yellow Rareripe was at the head of the list of yellow-fleshed, freestone peaches--largest, handsomest, hardiest and best-flavored of all. Even now in fruit- and tree-characters, with the single exception of productiveness, Yellow Rareripe holds its own very well with the peaches of its type and season. A glance at the color-plate shows the peach to be as attractive as any in color and shape; the size is above the average and in texture and flavor it is not often surpassed. Its fault is unproductiveness, to make up for which the trees usually bear regularly and come in bearing early. The variety is now hardly worth planting commercially in New York, being equalled by several yellow-fleshed peaches in all characters and surpassed in productiveness by many, but, if the trees can be obtained, it might find a welcome place in home orchards. Yellow Rareripe seems still to have all of the vigor and vitality of the first trees, helping thereby to furnish evidence that varieties do not run out.
This is another American peach the origin of which is involved in so much uncertainty that it is impossible to state where, when and by whom produced. Prince claims to have discovered the original Yellow Rareripe tree near Flushing, New York, over a hundred years ago. It was being grown in the vicinity of Boston early in the Nineteenth Century where it seems to have been first introduced by William Kenrick, Newton, Massachusetts, under the name Yellow Red Rareripe. Occasionally another and inferior peach, Yellow Melocoton, was substituted for Yellow Rareripe. Hovey received peach-trees from Kenrick under the name Cutter's Yellow which later proved to be Yellow Rareripe. Hovey retained the name Cutter's Yellow, because it was briefer. The Marie Antoinette, mentioned by Kenrick in 1841, is without question Yellow Rareripe and has been listed as synonymous by several authors. Yellow Rareripe was placed in the American Pomological Society's fruit-catalog in 1862 where it has since remained as a recommended variety.
Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, rather unproductive; trunk stocky; branches thick, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets with internodes of medium length, dark pinkish-red tinged with pale green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, numerous, large, raised lenticels.
Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward and curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dull, dark olive-green, smooth becoming rugose near the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate and sometimes in two series, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to four small, globose glands variable in color and position.
Flower-buds conical or pointed, pubescent, plump, usually appressed; blossoms open in mid-season; flowers seven-eighths inch across, light pink but darker along the edges, usually single; pedicels short, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, campanulate; calyx-lobes narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval to ovate, shallowly and widely notched towards the base, tapering to claws red at the base; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil as long as the stamens.
Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-fourth inches long, two and three-sixteenths inches wide, round-conic to round-cordate, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity contracted and wrinkled about the sides, abrupt or flaring; suture shallow; apex round or somewhat pointed, with a mucronate or mamelon tip; color orange-yellow, with a deep red blush, splashed and mottled with red; pubescence thick, long, coarse; skin thin, tender, variable in adherence to the pulp; flesh yellow, tinged with red near the pit, juicy, fine-grained, tender and melting, sweet, pleasantly flavored; good to very good in quality; stone free, one and one-fourth inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, oval to ovate, bulged near the apex, plump, tapering to a short point, with grooved and pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved along the edges, furrowed; dorsal suture grooved, winging.