CHAPTER I

[Transcriber's Note:

Bold text denoted with =equal signs=, italic text denoted with

_underscores_.]

[Illustration:

[Hand written text:]

Yours sincerly,

A. J. Downing]

STATE OF NEW YORK--DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Twenty-Fourth Annual Report--Vol. 2--Part II

THE

PEACHES OF NEW YORK

BY

U. P. HEDRICK

ASSISTED BY

G. H. HOWE

O. M. TAYLOR

C. B. TUBERGEN

Report of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station for the Year 1916

II

ALBANY

J. B. LYON COMPANY, PRINTERS

1917

NEW YORK AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION,

GENEVA, N. Y., _January 31, 1917_.

_To the Honorable Board of Control of the New York Agricultural

Experiment Station_:

GENTLEMEN:--I have the honor to transmit herewith the manuscript of

the fifth in our series of fruit-publications, to be known as "The

Peaches of New York," and to constitute Part II of the report of this

institution for 1916.

Peach-growing is an important industry in the State of New York. In

certain counties the production of this fruit has been a main factor in

the well-known prosperity of many owners of peach-orchards. Moreover,

the peach, when at its best, is a luscious article of food and adds

greatly not only to the enjoyment, but to the healthfulness, of our

diet.

The commercial and dietary importance of the peach is, therefore, the

justification for the preparation of this volume.

Because the numerous varieties of peaches differ greatly in quality and

in their adaptation to varying conditions, a comprehensive study of

those varieties which are, or which may be, grown in this State seemed

greatly worth while.

It is with a feeling of satisfaction, even of pride, that I submit to

you the accompanying manuscript. Its preparation reflects great credit

upon Prof. Hedrick and his associates and upon the makers of the plates.

W. H. JORDAN,

_Director_.

PREFACE

The present volume is the fifth in the plan of the New York

Agricultural Experiment Station to make a more or less complete record

of all of the different fruits grown in this region. This work differs

from the preceding fruit-books but little or not at all in nature

and purposes, yet a statement of its contents, even though it be

almost identical with that in the prefaces of the preceding volumes,

is necessary for those who may not have the other books and may be a

convenience to those who have all of the series.

The title implies that _The Peaches of New York_ is written for the

confines of a state; but all varieties of the peach grown in North

America, as well as many known only in other continents, Europe

especially, have been considered, under the supposition that all might

be grown in New York and are therefore of interest to the peach-growers

of the State. Broadly speaking, then, the design is to make the book as

complete a record as possible of the development of the peach, wherever

grown, up to this time.

The book contains: An account of the history and uses of the peach; a

discussion of the botanical characters of the species of cultivated

peaches; an account of the peach-regions and of peach-growing in New

York with the most important statistics relating to this fruit; and,

lastly and in greatest detail, the synonymy, bibliography, economic

status, and full descriptions of all the most important cultivated

peaches, with briefer notices of varieties of minor importance and of

those appearing in peach-literature which are now no longer grown.

In foot-notes running through the text, biographical sketches are

published of the persons who have done most in America toward improving

the peach. Incidentally, all that was thought would be helpful in

breeding peaches was included. So, too, whatever appeared to be of

interest to students of ecology has been given a place.

As in the preceding books, color-plates occupy prominent places in this

volume. Pains and expense have not been spared in the attempt to make

the plates the best possible with the present knowledge of reproduction

in colors. All who have seen the plates in this and the first four

fruit-books of the series will agree that the reproductions of peaches

are more accurate than those of the apples, grapes, plums or cherries,

and yet these are not as exact as might be wished. Although most

carefully selected, an illustration of one or two fruits does not give

an adequate picture of a variety. Neither does the camera take colors

quite as the eye sees them nor can the plate-maker quite reproduce what

the camera takes. The illustrations are of life-size as the peaches

grow on the grounds of this Station and represent specimens of average

size and color. The fruits, as shown in the plates, look small for the

reason that a flat picture of a round object minifies size.

In all of these fruit-books it has been difficult to decide what

varieties merit color-plates and full descriptions. Briefly, the choice

of sorts to be illustrated and described in detail has been determined

by the following considerations: (1) By the value of the variety for

home or commercial orchards; (2) the probable value if the peach is a

new sort on probation; (3) its desirability as a parent in breeding

new peaches or to show combinations of varieties, to illustrate

new characters, or to show the range in variation--in a word to

enlighten the peach-breeder; (4) not a few varieties are described and

illustrated to show the trend of peach-evolution--for their historical

value; (5) to show relationships of varieties.

The peach is profoundly influenced by soil, climate and culture, and a

discussion of its status is not complete without taking full account of

the environment in which it is growing. For this reason, chiefly, the

peach-regions and peach-growing in New York are discussed as fully as

space permits. This part of the book is designed, also, to serve the

prospective peach-planter in this State in the selection of locations

and soils and in the culture of the peach. Since the cultivation of any

plant changes from year to year, though, experiment station bulletins

and circulars and treatises on the culture of the peach should supply

growers of this fruit with better information on the year-to-year

management of the peach-plantation.

The botany of the peach, as compared with its congeners, the plum

and the cherry, is simple, indeed, and is well agreed upon by

botanical writers, so that this book may be said to be almost wholly a

horticultural one. Yet the few pages devoted to the botany of the peach

may make plainer, to the horticulturist at least, the botany of this

fruit.

The chief contribution _The Peaches of New York_ makes to pomology

is in the descriptions of varieties it contains. All who grow or

use peaches are dependent on descriptions of fruit and tree for the

identification of varieties. From a well-written description one should

get an exact mental picture of the fruit--we try to present such a

pen-picture. With a few exceptions the descriptions of major varieties

have been made from peaches growing on the Station grounds, though in

many cases fruits from several localities have been compared with those

grown at home.

The fruits, it must be said at once, have been described with other

ends in view than identification. Chief of these is the effort to set

forth the elementary characters, or unit-characters, of the peach. It

is now certain that the characters of plants are independent entities

thrown into various relationships with each other in individual plants.

On this conception of unit-characters the improvement of plants is

founded. An important part of the work in describing fruits has been

to discover what seem to be unit-characters in peaches, thereby aiding

in building a foundation in breeding peaches. To improve the peach we

must combine the characters of species and varieties; we must know what

these are before we can rearrange them in an improved peach.

In the marked attention paid to the improvement of plants, following

the work of Mendel and others, the peach is bound to receive

consideration. Never was information more needed in regard to the

processes that have brought peaches from their primitive condition to

their present perfection. We have done our utmost to give all that

could be learned of the origin and history of varieties with the hope

that such knowledge may be helpful to those who are trying to improve

the peach.

We wish again to call attention to the great value of definite

knowledge regarding the soils, climates and other environmental

conditions under which species and varieties of fruits thrive.

It is obvious to all thinking pomologists and biologists that,

when the ecological conditions under which the several fruits

and their many varieties are grown can be accurately specified,

valuable generalizations can be made regarding life-zones and

plant-distribution. In _The Peaches of New York_, as in the preceding

books, we state as accurately as possible the regions in which and

the conditions under which, species and varieties of the peach are

successfully grown.

So few species have been considered in _The Peaches of New York_ that

we have had no need to refer to codes of botanical nomenclature. In

the use of horticultural names, lacking a better code, we have kept

before us the revised rules of the American Pomological Society though

in many cases we have not seen fit to follow these rules as the changes

required by their strict observance would augment rather than diminish

confusion.

The references given are those that have been used in ascertaining the

history and the economic status or in verifying the description of

the variety that follows. All of the synonyms created by pomologists

to whose works we have had access have been noted but in no case have

we published synonyms quoted by other writers. The work of reading

references and seeking out synonyms is a tremendous one, involving

nearly three years' work for several persons. We hope that this work

sets straight in high degree the great confusion in the names of

peaches, but that we, no matter how painstaking, could bring perfection

out of chaos, no one could expect.

Again we call attention to the biographical sketches found in the

foot-notes. Some men in every profession surpass their fellows in

true greatness. Such men there are in pomology, and a knowledge of

their career is indispensable to a full comprehension of the industry

of growing fruit. In the conquest of America we have honored, so

far, only the men who have expressed their energy in conquering the

mines, the forests, the fisheries and to a small degree those who have

developed the soils; we have shamefully neglected the great men who

have developed our native fruits and vegetables and adapted to the

conditions of the New World the agricultural products of the Old World.

The brief biographical sketches in these fruit-books are written in an

effort to give in some measure the credit and honor due to those who

have improved fruits.

In the preparation of _The Peaches of New York_, besides those whose

names appear on the title page, I am indebted to R. D. Anthony, for

reading proof; to the Station editor, F. H. Hall, for his assistance;

to the Zeese-Wilkinson Company, New York City, for the beautiful

color-plates of peaches; and to the J. B. Lyon Company, Albany, New

York, for good workmanship in printing the book.

U. P. HEDRICK,

_Horticulturist, New York Agricultural Experiment Station_.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

PREFACE v

INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS xi

CHAPTER I.--HISTORY OF THE PEACH 1

CHAPTER II--BOTANICAL AND HORTICULTURAL CLASSIFICATIONS

OF THE PEACH 68

CHAPTER III.--COMMERCIAL PEACH-GROWING IN AMERICA 98

CHAPTER IV.--PEACH-GROWING IN NEW YORK 131

CHAPTER V.--LEADING VARIETIES OF PEACHES 178

CHAPTER VI.--MINOR VARIETIES OF PEACHES 291

BIBLIOGRAPHY, REFERENCES AND ABBREVIATIONS 499

INDEX 511

INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS

PORTRAIT OF ANDREW JACKSON DOWNING _Frontispiece_

FACING PAGE

DESCRIPTION OF A PEACH 76

MAP SHOWING PEACH REGIONS IN NEW YORK 134

VARIETIES

ADMIRAL DEWEY 178

ALEXANDER 180

ALTON 180

ARP 182

BELLE 184

BEQUETTE FREE 184

BERENICE 186

BLOOD CLING 188

BLOOD LEAF 188

BRIGDON 190

CANADA 190

CAPTAIN EDE 192

CARMAN 194

CHAIRS 194

CHAMPION 196

CHILI 198

CHINESE CLING 198

CLIMAX 200

CROSBY 202

DAVIDSON 204

EARLY CRAWFORD 206

EARLY YORK 208

EDGEMONT 208

ELBERTA 210

ENGLE 212

EUREKA 212

FAMILY FAVORITE 214

FITZGERALD 214

FOSTER 216

GENERAL LEE 216

GEORGE IV 218

GOLD DROP 220

GOVERNOR HOGG 220

GREENSBORO 222

HALE EARLY 222

HEATH CLING 224

HEATH FREE 226

HILEY 226

HYNES 228

ILLINOIS 230

IMPERIAL 230

IRON MOUNTAIN 232

J. H. HALE 234

JENNIE WORTHEN 236

KALAMAZOO 236

KENTUCKY (NECTARINE) 84

LAMONT 238

LATE CRAWFORD 240

LATE RARERIPE 242

LEMON FREE 244

LOLA 246

MAMIE ROSS 246

MAY LEE 248

MORRIS WHITE 250

MOUNTAIN ROSE 250

MUIR 252

NEWTON (NECTARINE) 84

NIAGARA 254

OLDMIXON CLING 254

OLDMIXON FREE 256

PALLAS 258

PEARSON 260

PEENTO 260

[Reproduced from Transactions of the Horticultural Society of

London IV: 512. 1822.]

PROLIFIC 262

_PRUNUS DAVIDIANA_ 86

RAY 262

RED CHEEK MELOCOTON 264

REEVES 266

RIVERS 266

ROCHESTER 268

ST. JOHN 270

SALWEY 272

SCHUMAKER 274

SMOCK 274

STEVENS 276

STUMP 278

SUMMER SNOW 278

SURPASSE 280

THURBER 280

TRIANA 282

TRIUMPH 282

WADDELL 284

WAGER 286

WATERLOO 288

WHEATLAND 288

YELLOW RARERIPE 290

PEACH BLOSSOMS

ALTON (LARGE FLOWERED) 78

BLOOD LEAF 78

CHINESE FREE (MEDIUM FLOWERED) 80

CROSBY (SMALL FLOWERED) 80

KENTUCKY (NECTARINE) 82

SUMMER SNOW (WHITE FLOWERED) 82

THE PEACHES OF NEW YORK

CHAPTER I

HISTORY OF THE PEACH

The history of the peach follows step by step the history of

agriculture. The beginning of agriculture, as depicted in the

traditions and embellished in the poetry of ancient peoples, was the

creation of useful plants by some Divinity. But, counting unwritten

history and poetic fancy as naught and coming to recorded facts--those

of history as we now have it--the beginning of agriculture is marked by

two recorded events. The first occurred 2700 years B. C. when Emperor

Chenming, Ruler of China, instituted ceremonies for the sowing of

various vegetables and grains. The second event was the building of the

Great Pyramid of Gizeh by some ruler who lorded it over Egypt between

2500 to 2000 years B. C. and who ornamented his handiwork with drawings

of figs.

Yet these early records in China and Egypt were not made at the

beginnings of agriculture in those countries. Plants were undoubtedly

cultivated centuries before it occurred to Emperor Chenming that rice,

wheat and other crops deserved ceremonial sowings. The pyramids of

Gizeh could only have been built by an organized, civilized people

with cultivated fields on which to levy toll for the dormant season

and lean years--pyramids could hardly be raised by a people forced to

skim a day-to-day existence from wild plants. "Art is long and time

is fleeting" in agriculture, and between the obscure beginnings of

this ancient art, when naked men following the chase began to vary a

meat diet with fruits, grains and roots plucked from the wild, and the

regular cultivation of useful plants, as implied by these old records

from China and Egypt, there are many steps and thousands and thousands

of years.

If, then, the history of the peach begins with the history of

agriculture, and the beginnings of agriculture are lost in the

obscurity of antiquity, it is useless to speculate as to how long the

peach has been cultivated. The statements of the early historians as to

the age of the domesticated peach are so at variance that they serve

only to confuse. Indeed, were we to attempt to bring into agreement the

diverse assertions of historians we should never know even the place

of origin of the peach; for it is upon data from botany that we must

depend most in determining the habitat of our fruit. This subject we

now come to discuss in detail.

THE ORIGIN OF THE PEACH

Names frequently breed misunderstandings and in the case of the peach a

fine brood of mistakes as to the origin of the fruit has come from the

name. As all know, "peach" and most of its equivalents in the countries

of Europe are derived from "Persia" and this has given rise to the

supposition that the original habitat of the fruit is Persia. The

ancient authors who mention the peach, as Theophrastus, Columella and

Pliny, agree that the home of the peach was Persia and, even until our

own time, to be written in any of these worthies is proof conclusive.

While negative evidence counts for but little, the notion is so firmly

fixed that some, at least, of the races of peaches are Persian products

that it seems best to clear the way for positive evidence by first

proving that the first home of the peach was not Persia.

Persia is pictured as a land of fruits before agriculture had begun in

Greece and Rome. The quince and the pomegranate probably originated

here and, with the olive, grape, almond, and, to the north at least,

the cherry and plum, have been cultivated from three to four thousand

years.

At very early times the quince, pomegranate, olive and grape were

introduced from Persia, according to De Candolle, still our best

authority, into Greece and Rome and even the cherry and plum, from

countries to the north if not from Persia, reached southern Europe long

before the peach. It seems certain, as De Candolle suggests,[1] that

if the peach had been a native of Persia, had it existed there during

all time, so beautiful and so delectable a fruit would have been taken

earlier into Asia Minor and Greece. As gratifying to all the senses by

which we judge fruits as any other product of the orchard, as easily

transported and propagated as any--more so than most--it cannot be

believed that the other fruits named would have been given preference

over the peach by conquerors or travelers carrying Persian luxuries to

westward countries.

Moreover, as De Candolle further points out, the several Hebrew

and Sanskrit peoples did not speak in sacred or vulgar writings of

the peach as they did many times of the olive, quince, grape and

pomegranate. Yet these peoples radiated from the valleys of the

Euphrates and were at all times in close communication with Persia.

Since, according to the authoritative De Candolle, Xenophon, who

retreated with the ten thousand 401 B. C., does not mention the peach,

this fruit probably did not reach Greece until Alexander's expedition

and was first mentioned by Theophrastus 332 B. C. (if the fruit

mentioned by Theophrastus is the peach) and did not reach Rome until

after the beginning of the Christian era.

The more one examines historical records the more evident it becomes

that Greek and Roman writers assumed that the habitat of the peach,

which they called the Persian apple, was Persia because it came

thence to their countries. Ancient historians very commonly and very

confusingly made the assumption that the region from which a plant

product came to their country was its first habitat.

The best means of establishing the origin of a plant is to discover in

what country it grows spontaneously. This would be a simple matter,

indeed, if one could be sure that a given plant found growing wild

is not an escape from cultivation. Here is the trouble in the case

of the peach. According to the botanists the tree is now growing

wild in Persia, as it is in nearby countries, and for that matter in

other parts of the Old World and in many places in the New World. The

painstaking De Candolle, who has carefully sifted the evidence of the

leading botanists until his time of writing, 1882, concludes that the

peach has never been truly wild in Persia. An examination of the works

of botanists writing since De Candolle's study of the subject does not

show that any offers proof that the peach was originally wild in Persia.

Without going into the matter further it seems safe to say that the

Greek and Roman writers were at fault in naming Persia as the home

of the peach. To summarize: its late distribution, as compared with

that of other Persian fruits argues against such an origin; philology,

which usually affords indications touching the habitat of a species, is

against the Persian theory of origin since neither Hebrew nor Sanskrit

names the peach; lastly, botany, the most direct means of discovering

the geographic origin of a plant, offers no positive evidence that

Persia is the home of the peach. The fallacy that the peach comes from

Persia, written in nearly all horticultural and botanical works for

2000 years, now being disposed of, we may take up the claim of China

that the peach is another of its great gifts to the world.

A survey of the subject is convincing that the peach comes from China.

Necessarily, such a survey must be brief, yet it is important that no

doubt be left as to the origin of the peach, thus freeing pomological

literature from the train of misunderstandings following the current

opinion that part of our peaches, at least, come from Persia. The terms

"Persian peaches" and the "Persian race of peaches" are misleading and

should be discarded. Data from botany and history furnish the chief

proofs that the fruit of this discussion is of Chinese origin.

Botany and history are a hard team to drive but when the two do travel

together in determining the origin of a plant the matter, as a rule,

is settled. Does botany accord with history in placing the original

peach in China? Botanists and explorers from first to last agree

that the peach is, and long has been, wild in China but there is no

agreement as to the nature of its wildness. Some say it is indigenous

and others that it may be an escape from cultivation. The peach runs

wild so quickly in countries to which it is adapted that it is almost

impossible to say, from the evidence to be found, whether it is an

original or only a naturalized inhabitant of China. But it seems more

nearly to approach a truly feral condition in China than in any other

country unless it be America and all know that in the New World it is

an introduced plant.

Of the botanists and explorers who report finding the peach wild in

China, Frank N. Meyer[2] of the United States Department of Agriculture

is most explicit. Meyer, in sending seeds of wild peaches from China,

accompanies them with the following remarks:

"40001. Wild peaches having larger fruits than the ordinary wild ones,

said to come from near Tze Wu, to the south of Sianfu, but some also

probably collected from trees in gardens which were raised from wild

seeds. When seen wild this peach generally assumes a low bush form of

spreading habit; when planted in gardens and attended to, it grows

up into a small tree, reaching a height of 12 to 20 feet, with a

smooth trunk of dark mahogany-brown color. The leaves are always much

smaller and more slender than in cultivated varieties, while their

color is much darker green. They seem to be somewhat less subject to

various diseases than the cultivated sorts and they are most prolific

bearers, although the fruit is of very little value on account of its

smallness and lack of flavor. In gardens around Sianfu this wild peach

is utilized as a stock for improved varieties. It is also grown as an

ornamental; said to be literally covered in spring with multitudes of

shell-pink flowers."

"40002. Wild peaches, occurring in the foothills of the higher

mountains at Tsing Ling Kang, Shensi, at altitudes from 2000 to 5000

feet, generally found at the edges of loess cliffs and on rocky slopes.

There is a great deal of variation to be observed as regards size and

shape of leaves, density of foliage and general habits."

"40003. Wild peaches found on a mountain side, near Pai dja dien,

Shensi, at an elevation of 4000 feet; these small trees and bushes had

borne such a heavy crop that the ground beneath them was covered with a

layer, a few inches thick, of the small, yellowish, hairy fruits. The

local inhabitants didn't consider them worth collecting even, and they

were rotting and drying up."

"40004. Wild peaches occurring as tall shrubs in loess cliffs, at the

Tibetan frontier, Kagoba, Kansu, at elevations of 6000-8000 feet.

Save for some children who eat these wild peaches, they are otherwise

considered worthless wild fruit. Local name _Yeh t'ao_, meaning 'wild

peach,' and _Mao t'ao_, meaning 'hairy peach.'"

"40005. Wild peaches found on stony mountain slopes in a wild, very

sparsely populated country, near Kwa tsa, on Siku River, Kansu. No

fruit trees whatsoever are cultivated by the local settlers in the

mountains, and the way some of these peach bushes grow excludes them

from ever having been brought there by any man or even any quadruped;

only birds might have transported them."

In a letter to the author,[3] Mr. Meyer says further:

"Where did I find the peach wild? Well, I first came across it in loess

cliffs in southern Shensi at an elevation of about 4000 feet above sea.

Later on I found plenty of them in central Shensi, in southern Kansu

and in the Tibetan borderland, up to 7000 feet elevation above sea. All

the plants I found were freestone types, and according to the natives

they all have shell-pink flowers. In the mountains of the Chekiang

Province, however, I found a type which seems to be clingstone."

In still another letter sent me from the United States Department of

Agriculture, Mr. Meyer says:

"It is about one month ago since I wrote you last, and so far as real

distance is concerned, I have not advanced much, but we went over some

very interesting territory and I was lucky enough to discover the

_real wild peach_, growing in loess ravines some 2-3 days to the East

from here, near a village called _Tchao yu_. The plants are of smaller

dimensions than our cultivated strains, and the stones are somewhat

different as regards shape and grooves, but still on the whole there is

little difference between a very poor seedling-peach and this wild one.

These wild peaches are locally cut for firewood, for the fruits are

pretty near inedible, being small and having hard, sourish flesh. They

grow at the edges of deep loess ravines and on the steep, sloping

bottom of such ravines. The Chinese locally do not call this peach

'_yeh tao_' or '_shan tao_' but '_Mao t'ao_,' meaning 'hairy peach.'

In the vicinity where they grow, no peaches are cultivated although

half a day's journey lower down, one meets with some poor looking trees

in gardens.

The elevation I found them was almost exactly 4000 feet above sea.

I gathered some fruits, but they are not quite ripe; I am trying to

ripen them off, however, so that we may obtain at least a few ripe

seeds. As a stock, however, it has not the value the _Davidiana_ peach

has, not being as vigorous and apparently being attacked by the same

pests that infest cultivated peaches. This 'find' is of great interest,

however, showing that wild peaches exist much nearer the coast than

we suspected, and that the peach naturally is a native of semi-arid

regions."

The explorations made by Mr. Meyer cover, of course, but a small part

of the vast empire of China. Further search will, no doubt, show many

other localities in Central and Eastern Asia where the peach grows

naturally and has probably done so from time immemorial.

As all who consult them know, ancient authors are often at fault in

matters of history in determining the origin of cultivated plants but

they are usually fairly accurate in stating the date of culture of a

plant in a country. In the case of the peach the date of culture can

be established as so much earlier in China than elsewhere that history

alone all but proves its previous existence there in the wild state.

In short, the peach was a cultivated fruit in China before there were

other agricultural communities from which it could come; for, be it

remembered, in China, according to De Candolle, our best authority,

agricultural and horticultural arts flourished long before they had

even begun elsewhere, unless, possibly, Egypt be excepted, and here the

peach, where it may be grown at all, is surely an introduced plant.

A statement of the first known dates of peach-culture in various

countries is strong proof that its cultivation began in China.

According to De Candolle[4] the culture of the peach was "spoken

of 2000 years before its introduction into the Greco-Roman world,

a thousand years before its introduction into the lands of the

Sanskrit-speaking race." As we have said, the Bible and other Hebrew

books do not mention the peach and there is no Sanskrit name for it.

Of the Greeks, Xenophon, 401 B. C., makes no mention of the peach but

Theophrastus, a little later, 322 B. C., speaks of it as a fruit of

Persia. Coming to the Romans, no mention is made of the peach by Cato,

201 B. C., nor by Varro, 117-27 B. C., but Pliny, A. D. 79, expressly

states that the peach was imported by the Romans from Persia not long

before.

De Candolle gives no authority for his statement that the peach was

spoken of 2000 years before its introduction into Europe and I cannot

verify it; but a search through even such Chinese literature as is

accessible to one who does not read the Chinese language shows that the

peach was commonly spoken of in the literature of China several hundred

years before the Christian era. Two examples must suffice, taking

those that seem most authentic as to the identity of the peach. In the

Shi-King, or book of poetry, a collection of ancient Chinese poems made

by Confucius (551-478 B. C.) the peach, in common with the plum, pear,

jujube and other fruits, is several times mentioned. According to the

translator all of these poems were written before the Sixth Century B.

C., the oldest dating back eighteen centuries. Thus in Book I,[5] Odes

of Chow in the South, is the following bit of verse:

In Praise of a Bride

"Graceful and young the peach-tree stands;

How rich its flowers, all gleaming bright!

This bride to her new home repairs;

Chamber and house she'll order right.

Graceful and young the peach-tree stands;

Large crops of fruit it soon will show.

This bride to her new home repairs;

Chamber and house her sway shall know.

Graceful and young the peach-tree stands;

Its foliage clustering green and full.

This bride to her new home repairs;

Her household will attest her rule."

Other references to the peach may be found in Book IX,[6] The Odes of

Wei, and Book XIII,[7] The Odes of Kwei.

Superstitions and legends throw light on the antiquity of the objects

with which they are connected. It is significant that the Chinese

alone ascribe miraculous powers to the peach, their traditions of the

properties of different forms of this fruit being both numerous and

very ancient. M. Cibot, a French missionary among the Chinese, in a

series of cyclopedic volumes on China, devotes a chapter to the peach

in which, after describing the peaches of the country and giving a

full discussion of methods of culture, he mentions numerous Chinese

superstitions concerning this fruit. He writes:[8]

"The Chinese have for a long time preserved the history of the first

ages either in their books or in their traditions. The oldest of their

books have perished. They have saved only a part of their ancient

national works on the great wars and general uprisings, and the

original traditions, changed in a thousand ways, made into fables,

finally corrupted by idolatry, are today only chaos; but this chaos

is not without any ray of light. Many of these traditions, although

disfigured, bear back too exactly to the marvelous tales of the lost

books to be able to mistake the beliefs of the early ages. Thus, there

are many traditions referring to the peach. Some call it the tree of

life, others the tree of death. Peaches lengthened to a point, of

large size, and colored red on one side, are regarded by the Chinese

as the symbol of a long life. In consequence of these ancient national

superstitions, peaches enter into all the ornaments of painting and

sculpture. They are saved for the salute to the new year. Here are

several ancient texts on the peach and its fruits:

From Chin-non-King: 'The peach 'Yu' signifies death and eternal life.

If one has been able to eat it enough times, it saves the body from

corruption till the end of the world.' From Chin-y-King: 'There is

in the Orient a peach whose almond, eaten, makes eternal life.' From

Chou-y-Ki: 'Whoever eats this fruit (the peach 'Yu' from the Koue-liou

Mountain) obtains immortal life.'

Still other texts could be cited but I will merely remark that in all

the peach is connected with immortality. Again we find that certain

peaches can not be offered by the ancients in sacrifice, and that the

premature blossoming of another peach signifies great calamities. To

quote again: From Sin-lin: 'In the garden of Yang was the peach of

death; whoever approached it must die.' From Fong-fou-teng: 'It is said

in the book of Hoang-ti that two brothers found on a mountain a peach

tree under which were a hundred demons to cause death to men.' From

Lietchouen, on the subject of the evils which afflict the earth: 'the

tree of Knowledge is the peach.'"

Very interesting and illuminating as to the age of the peach in China,

is an account given by Dr. Yamei Kin[9] who was asked by a member of

the staff of the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction, United

States Department of Agriculture, for information concerning the

peach-blossoms. After describing the several kinds of blossoms borne

by Chinese peaches, the writer gives some of the superstitions and

legends which the Chinese connect with the peach.

"The ordinary name for pink is peach flower color, and notwithstanding

the love of Chinese for color, it is used sparingly, in fact, owing to

its being associated with the peach blossom, seems to have an unsavory

significance, as I found when I came home one day with a pink satin

brocade gown that I had just purchased. My people held up their hands

in horror, and exclaimed it was a mercy that I did not intend to wear

that here, it would only do for outside countries that did not know

about peach flowers, which remarks led me to leave it in America when

I came back, though it was a very lovely delicate color and one of my

prettiest gowns.

The reason for this prejudice is owing to its symbolism. Just as the

violet is considered in western lands to be the symbol of modest worth,

so the plum is that of feminine virtue in China and the peach flower

the opposite. Not even the beauty of its color, whether delicate pink

or deep cerise, redeems it from this fatal significance. In order

that there may be no possible opportunity for a 'peach flower heart'

to spring up unawares in some girl of respectable family, it is not

considered wise to plant a peach of any kind near the bed room windows

of the court yards inhabited by the women, yet peach wands are supposed

to be especially useful to beat off all evil spirits, only they must

be plucked during a solar eclipse and a hole bored through one end

for hanging up by, during a lunar eclipse, which perhaps accounts for

their fewness, as during those times in the old days the people were

generally busily occupied in beating gongs and firing off crackers to

drive away the heavenly dogs which were supposed to be devouring those

luminaries, and no one had time to think of making peach wands. The

lucky possessor of an efficacious peach wand is supposed to be able to

sleep at night with it under his pillow in full confidence that no evil

spirits can harm him.

Taoism from early days has taken the peach as its particular fruit,

signifying longevity, much as the apples of Hesperides were symbolic in

the Grecian mythology.

Furthermore peach stones are often made into rosaries which are

considered specially fine. There is a collection of tales by one

Cornaby to be found in almost every library called 'A String of

Peach Stones.' And a host of legends cluster around the tale of Sun,

the stone monkey, eating the peaches of immortality stolen from the

gardens of the genii, whereby he attains immortality. This theme is

seen elaborated in many scenes, that decorate pottery, textiles, and

congratulatory scrolls.

I wish that I were not tied down so much by tedious detail in the

medical work, as there is a most interesting book that needs to be

translated telling much of the folk lore of the peach interwoven

with the plot, which is supposed to be the journey of Hsien tsang to

bring back the sacred sutras of Buddha from India. It is said that

this is an actual historic occurrence, but this tale is evidently

semi-religious and allegorical, as well, combining in itself the

characteristics of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Hans Christian

Andersen, and the Arabian Nights, if you can imagine such a mixture,

yet giving graphic pictures of Chinese life in various phases that are

as true as when the book was written.

One of the most charming legends of peach flower lore is that of

the 'Peach Blossom Fountain,' an allegory written by T'ao Yuan Ming

between A. D. 365-427, describing how a fisherman got lost one day and

penetrating up a river finds himself in a creek bordered with many

peach trees full of bloom, at the end of which he comes upon a small

mountain in which is a cave which he traverses and enters on a new

country where there is every sign of prosperity, every one is courteous

to each other, kindliness and contentment prevail, but they wear the

garb of the times of the First Emperor some five centuries previous and

have been lost to the rest of the country ever since. The fisherman

returns after a sojourn with them, and tells his fellow villagers of

this wonderful country and stirs up so much interest that finally

the governor of the province joins in the search for this wonderful

country, but it is all of no avail and at last the fisherman realizes

that he will never more see the peach blossom days of his youth with

its rosy dreams and ideals that come but once in a lifetime."

Lastly, a significant fact suggesting the Chinese origin of the peach

is found in the behavior of this fruit in America. The peach is more at

home in North America than in any other part of the world unless it be

China. Now, that there is a pomological alliance between eastern Asia

and eastern America is well known. The remarkable relationship between

the plants of the two regions was first set forth by Asa Gray and

subsequent writers have added much to what he told us. The explanation

lies, as all agree, in similarities in climate. Now, with this

relationship of the wild and cultivated floras of eastern America and

China in mind, the rapid acclimation and acclimatization of the peach

in the United States are readily understood if we accept China as the

habitat of this fruit. On the other hand, the natural plant-products of

Persia find life anything but easy in eastern America.

There is but one further consideration before beginning the history

of the peach as a cultivated fruit. Thomas Andrew Knight and Charles

Darwin contended that the peach is a modified almond. This hypothesis

would scarcely deserve consideration were it not for the high authority

of the men who espoused it--the judgments of a Knight and a Darwin

cannot be overlooked.

HAS THE PEACH COME FROM THE ALMOND?

In the light of evolution every plant has been preceded by another and

since the peach and almond have many characters in common, one may have

descended from the other. But as to which, if either, is the parent

species it would seem idle to speculate with the shreddy and patchy

knowledge we now possess of the descent of plants. Yet Thomas Andrew

Knight, the greatest horticultural authority of his time and one of

the leading experimenters of all time in this field of agriculture,

maintained that the peach is a modified almond. His theory received the

support of several of the leading English horticulturists of the last

century and Darwin gave it credence to the extent of collecting data

for its substantiation.

Knight believed that the almond and the peach constituted a single

species and that by selection under cultivation an almond could

ultimately be turned into a peach.[10] He sought proof for his theory

in hybridization and on a tree raised from the seed of an almond

fertilized by peach-pollen produced a fruit with soft and melting flesh

and in all characteristics more like the peach than the almond. This

experiment, which in the light of our present knowledge of the laws of

inheritance does not in the least illuminate the hypothesis with which

Knight started, carried on in the medieval days of plant-breeding,

convinced not only Knight in his belief that the peach may be bred from

the almond but led others, even down to our own time, to accept the

theory.

Thus, a writer, presumably Lindley, in _The Gardener's Chronicle_[11]

in 1856 says "we are justified in the conclusion that the Almond

bears about the same relation to the Peach that the Crab bears to the

Cultivated Apple." Later, in the same article, the descent is pictured

as follows:

"1. Almond became more fleshy--Bad clingstone.

2. Bad clingstone became more fleshy--Good clingstone.

3. Good clingstone became more fleshy--Our soft peaches.

4. Soft peach sported, receding toward the original fleshy type

and lost its wool--Nectarine."

Another high authority in his time, Thomas Rivers,[12] in 1863, held

that peaches, if left to a state of nature would degenerate into

thick-fleshed almonds and makes the positive statement that he has "one

or two seedling peaches approaching very nearly to that state."

Darwin,[13] in 1868, considers Knight's supposition at length and while

he does not positively accept it, yet lends it his support by quoting

several authors who put forth proofs in favor of it. His most positive

statement in discussing the theory referring to facts regarding the

origin of the peach is: "The supposition, however, that the peach is a

modified almond which acquired its present character at a comparatively

late period, would, I presume, account for these facts."

Carrière,[14] one of the most eminent French pomologists of the last

century, is the chief French champion of the theory that the peach

came from the almond and devotes several pages in his estimable work,

_Variétés De Pêchers_, in demonstrating that the one is a form of the

other. His arguments, however, are but amplifications of those of

Knight and Lindley though he cites more intermediate forms than either

of the English writers--so many that they go far toward convincing one

of the correctness of his views. There is the feeling, however, in the

case of Carrière, in the light of present knowledge, that his botanical

evidence is pushed a little too far for full credulity.

Knight, Lindley, Rivers, Darwin and Carrière, the men holding the

theory whose opinions are most worthy consideration, fell into error,

as we think, through attaching too much importance to likenesses in

the fruits of the peach and almond and because they became confused

in following the behavior of the two fruits under hybridization. As

we shall show later in discussing the characters of the peach, this

fruit differs from the almond in other characters than those of the

fruit--characters not at all likely to be changed by cultivation

and selection as would all those of the fruits. Knight's proof from

hybridization was purely speculative. The fact that the peach and

almond may be crossed, giving intermediate forms, nowadays would not be

looked upon as proof that the two necessarily belong to one species.

However, in the light of the knowledge in existence at the beginning

of the last century regarding the crossing of plants, we need not

apologize for the inference that Knight drew from his simple experiment.

Students of heredity would find almost conclusive proof that the peach

is not a modified almond--a descendant, say, in this geologic period at

least--in the fact that there is no recorded case of a peach fertilized

by a peach producing an almond, or _vice versa_. If the relationship

were at all close, if the two species had had a common origin even

though in rather remote times, if they were nearly enough related

readily to hybridize or be hybridized, it would be expected that now

and then, as in the case of a nectarine, the peach would produce an

almond or the almond a peach.

Geographical botany also opposes Knight's hypothesis, as De

Candolle[15] points out, for, as he plainly shows, the almond had its

origin in western Asia, it being found truly wild in many parts of

south-western Asia and having been cultivated many centuries before

the peach was known in these regions. On the other hand, the almond

was not known in China before the Christian era whereas the peach had

been cultivated there at least 2000 years anterior to the introduction

of the almond. With such widely separated habitats, the two fruits can

hardly be considered as parent and offspring.

We cannot close our eyes to the patent relationships of the peach and

the almond. That the two constitute but one species, as we now consider

species, or that they bear the close relationship of the peach and

the nectarine, probably no one now in high authority will concede.

But for the weight of the names we have used, and the fact that the

theory still finds supporters, Knight's hypothesis, the outcropping of

a speculative mind in a speculative age, might have been overlooked or

dismissed with a word.

THE PEACH IN ASIA

We must have more knowledge of the peach in Asia than the bare fact

that it originated somewhere in the vast empire of China. We want,

first, to know what the characters of the prototypal peach were. If we

can get some idea of the original wild peach of China we shall know

something of how this fruit has been improved by man and, perhaps,

something of its future potentialities. Second, though not essential

to this study, it will be profitable to peach-growers to inquire

whether there are types of peaches still remaining in China that might

be improved under western cultivation. If so, we want them, since our

cultivated peaches are not free from faults, some of which we might

get rid of by the interjection of new blood. It is now about seventy

years since Robert Fortune, the adventurous English plant-collector,

began dipping into the horticultural treasures of China; and recent

explorations make plain that there are still riches in plants in that

country--the fact that they can now be brought through the "open door,"

instead of as spoils to be smuggled out, makes it easier to obtain any

new types of peaches that may now be found.

What were the characters of the prototypal peach in China? The few

records that have come down through the ages do not enable us to form

much of a picture of the primitive peach. But plants do not change

quickly in China, for their orchard-cultivation is not as intensive nor

selection as assiduously practiced as in western countries, so that

we are warranted in assuming that cultivation for forty centuries has

not greatly changed this fruit. Besides, it is probable that the wild

forms, whether truly wild or reverted escapes from cultivation, now

represent closely the original indigenous stocks of the peach. Luckily,

we have trustworthy sources of information in regard to both the wild

and the cultivated peaches as they now grow in China. We are at this

time concerned, it should be said, only with the common peach, _Prunus

persica_.

Fortune began botanical explorations in China in 1844, since which

time one enthusiast after another, thirsting for botanical spoils and

honors, has brought from eastern Asia and Europe to America, varieties

and species of ornamental and agricultural plants. In the accounts of

these exploring and collecting expeditions, there are many records of

peaches, wild and cultivated, that are now growing in China and from

these we may piece out a fair description of the original races of

this fruit. The United States Department of Agriculture, through its

agricultural explorers, collaborators and correspondents in the Office

of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction, has given special attention

to agricultural plants and from the accounts of the workers in this

department alone, we can get a good picture of the peach of the

Twentieth Century in China which, as we think, will represent very well

the original stock from which all peaches have come.

It is now almost the unanimous judgment of scientists that the

characters of plants are independent entities which are thrown

into various relationships with each other in individuals and

groups of individuals as varieties and species. This conception of

unit-characters lies at the foundation of botanical and horticultural

descriptions and of plant-breeding. It is more important, then, to know

what the characters of Chinese peaches were and are than to attempt to

describe in full the wild and cultivated peaches of China. In this, a

horticultural study, it answers our purpose to consider chiefly the

characters of the fruits.

The fruit-characters that differentiate races and varieties of

cultivated peaches in America are ten, as follows: Downy skin; smooth

skin; white flesh; yellow flesh; red flesh; flesh clinging to the

stone; flesh free from the stone; shape more or less round; shape

roundish but decidedly beaked; shape distinctly flat. Let us see by

direct quotations from the workers in the United States Department of

Agriculture how many of these ten fruit-characters are named in the

wild and cultivated Chinese peaches of today.

_Downy skin._--A downy skin is the normal condition of the peach.

This character is found in all of the peaches to be mentioned in this

discussion except those under the next heading.

_Smooth skin._--"28963--From Samarkand, Turkestan."[16]

"A small nectarine of very firm flesh and of subacid flavor; red

throughout; from a distance resembles a crab apple more than anything

else. Said to come from Chartchui."

"29227[17]--From Samarkand, Russian Turkestan. A yellow clingstone

nectarine of medium size; meat very firm and of medium sweet taste, not

melting."

"30325[18]--From Khotan, Chinese Turkestan. A nectarine called

_Dagatch_. Fruits red, of medium size, clingstone."

"30332[19]--From Karghalik, Chinese Turkestan. A nectarine called

_Anar-shabdalah_. Fruits rather small, whitish pink in color, and of

sweet, aromatic flavor. This is a medium-late ripen er and a rare local

variety."

"30334[20]--From Shagra-bazar, Chinese Turkestan. A nectarine called

_Kizil-dagatch_. Fruits small, red; medium early."

"30335[21]--From Upal, Chinese Turkestan. A nectarine called

_Ak-tagatch_. Fruits large, white; a late ripener; of good keeping and

shipping qualities."

"30336[22]--From Yarkand, Chinese Turkestan. A nectarine called

_Ak-dagatch_. Fruits medium-sized, of white color; clingstone; late in

ripening; of good keeping and shipping qualities."

"30341[23]--From Upal, Chinese Turkestan. A nectarine called _Kizil

tagatch_. Fruits large, red throughout; meat firm; of good keeping and

shipping qualities."

"30359[24]--From Kashgar, Chinese Turkestan. A very large, red,

clingstone nectarine; late ripener; can be kept for several weeks after

being fully ripe."

"30647[25]--From Khotan, Chinese Turkestan. A nectarine called _Togatch

Moneck_."

"30648[26]--From Guma, Chinese Turkestan. A small late variety of

nectarine, white in color, of fresh, sweet taste and good keeping

qualities."

_White flesh._--"27111[27]--Chinese name _Ta po tao_. A large white

peach, native in Shantung Province, China (Chefoo district)."

"30324[28]--From Khotan, Chinese Turkestan. A peach called

_Ak-shabdalah_. Fruits large, white, juicy, and aromatic; an early

ripener."

"30337[29]--From Shagra-bazar, Chinese Turkestan. A peach called

_Kok-shabdalah_. Fruits medium large, of greenish-white color; taste

sweet; medium late; not a keeper."

"30338[30]--From Yarkand, Chinese Turkestan. A peach called

_Taka-shabdalah_. Fruits very large, of whitish color with a slight

blush; late in ripening; can be kept for several weeks."

"30339[31]--From Karawag, Chinese Turkestan. A peach called

_Ak-shabdalah_. Fruits large, white in color; flavor very sweet and

pleasing; early in ripening."

"17167[32]--From Tung-chow. A large, white peach, considered a fine

fruit by the Chinese. Non-melting flesh."

"20239[33]--From Kirin. A pale colored, medium-sized peach. Kirin is

the most northern locality where I have as yet found peaches."

"27111[34]--Chinese name _Tah-buy-tower_. A large white peach native in

Shantung Province, China."

_Yellow flesh._--"30333[35]--From Shagra-bazar, Chinese Turkestan. A

peach called _Serech-shabdalah_. Fruits very large, of yellow color

throughout; meat very firm; clingstone. Stands shipping well, but does

not keep long; late in ripening (October)."

"35201[36]--From Mengtsz, Yunnan, China. Seeds of Mengtsz white peach

and yellow free peach. This fruit is grown all over this province and

occasionally attains an enormous size, and in that respect could easily

compete with the best French peaches.'"

_Red flesh._--"6543[37]--From Sai Tseo. Long, rather pointed,

red-fleshed, freestone."

"34275[38]--From Soochow, China. This is a mixed lot of peach seeds

containing some from red clingstones and some from white freestones."

"17728[39]--From Matou. A peach described to me by the natives as very

large, red meated, and juicy."

"21991[40]--From Hangchow, Chehkiang, China. A flat, red-meated peach,

not very sweet in taste. Chinese name _Hung pien tao_."

_Clingstone._--"30340[41]--From Karawag, Chinese Turkestan. A peach

called _Ais-shabdalah_. Fruits large, pinkish-white; meat firm, sweet;

clingstone. It is said here that it can be kept for several months."

"21989[42]--From Feitcheng, Shantung, China. The most famous peach

of northern China, called the _Fei tao_. The fruits grow as heavy

as one pound apiece and are pale yellowish colored, with a slight

blush; meat white, except near the stone, where it is slightly red;

taste excellent, sweet, aromatic, and juicy. Is a clingstone. Has

extraordinary keeping and shipping qualities. The branches need

propping up on account of the weight of the fruits."

"29991[43]--Seeds of a peach from Tsinanfu, Shantung, China. It is a

cling and though rather inconvenient for eating, is very large and

luscious, coming into market about the middle of September and lasting

for a month or more."

_Freestone._--"6635[44]--From mountains near Ichang. Flowers late,

fruit ripens in September. Freestone. Fruit small and quite hairy."

"30357[45]--From Kashgar, Chinese Turkestan. A large, red, freestone

peach, fine flavored; a medium-late ripener, and a most prolific

bearer."

"30358[46]--From Kashgar, Chinese Turkestan. A large, pale reddish,

freestone peach of very fine flavor; medium-late ripener; not a keeper."

"39428[47]--Amygdalus sp.--Seeds of a wild peach from Sianfu, Shensi,

China. Stones of the real wild peach, growing in the mountains, one

day's journey south of Sianfu. The fruits are small, hard and sourish,

but there is considerable variation in them as regards size and taste.

They are apparently all freestones and while some have red flesh near

the stone, others are white throughout."

_Round peaches._--Roundness is one of the characteristics of the

peach and it but labors the argument to give space to show that this

character is found in Chinese varieties. All peaches mentioned in this

discussion are round or roundish except those coming under the heading

"flat."

_Round and beaked._--"8331 to 8334[48]--Eagle Beak peach from Canton,

China. From orchard trees growing near the Great North Gate of Canton,

at Ngau lan Kong, of the _Ying tsui t'o_ or Eagle Beak peach. This

variety resembles the Honey closely, except that the pointed tip of

the fruit is more curved, according to Dr. J. M. Swan, of the Canton

Hospital."

"9805[49]--From Canton, China. _Hung Wat tim._ A variety of the 'Honey'

type, reported to be good for preserves and not so sweet as the _Ying

tsui_ or Eagle Beak variety. It is medium early."

"22650[50]--Shanghai. These peaches are called the _Honey_ peach, and I

think are very fine."

_Flat._--"6541[51]--From Sai Tseo, above Hankow. Flat, freestone,

ripens in May."

"6542[52]--From near Sai Tseo, above Hankow. White, fine fleshed, flat,

freestone, ripening the middle of May."

"6544[53]--From Sai Tseo. Medium size, flat, freestone, ripening in

May."

"6545[54]--From Sai Tseo. Flat, freestone, quality very good. Ripens in

June."

"29991[55]--Chinese Flat Peach. From Tsinan, Shantung, China. Called

_Feicheng_. It is a cling and, though rather inconvenient for eating,

is very large and luscious, coming into market about the middle of

September and lasting for a month or more."

"30482[56]--From about 50 miles southwest of Tsinan, Shantung, China.

_Feicheng._ Chinese flat peach. This is a large, luscious cling, very

much esteemed by the Chinese."

"21990[57]--From Kianchau, Shantung, China. A flat, juicy, white peach

of fine taste. Chinese name _Pai pien tao_."

"21992[58]--From near Chiningchou, Shantung, China. A flat,

pale-fleshed peach, juicy but somewhat insipid."

"22352[59]--From Shifengtse Temple, west of Peking, Chihli, China. Said

to be medium sized, very flat, and of reddish color. Chinese name _Pien

tau_."

_White stone._--"8340[60]--From Canton, China. _Pak Wat tim t'o._ A

slightly sweet, white stone variety of rather small size, preferred by

some to the _Ying tsui t'o_, which, it is said, has too sweet a flavor.

It has no beak like the latter, but is a typical south Chinese shape,

according to Dr. J. M. Swan, of the Canton Hospital, who very kindly

described this variety."

"24915[61]--_Hung wat to_ (red-stone peach)."

"24916[62]--_Paak wat to_(white-stone peach)."

"The _Hung wat to_ is a new variety and so recognized by the Chinese.

From what I can gather they believe the _Paak wat to_ to be the best,

but have some trees of the _Hung wat to_. The _Hung wat to_ seems to

blossom much quicker than the _Paak wat to_."

_Winter peaches._[63]--"The so-called winter peaches they have here are

all clingstones, somewhat watery and not very fine in general."

"30340[64]--From Chinese Turkestan is said locally to keep for several

months."

"Cuttings of nectarines from Chinese Turkestan. Among these are some

from an altitude of 5000 feet, large, late ripeners, and keeping and

shipping well, and one, number 30359,[65] recommended by the British

consul, Mr. Macartney, is said to keep for several weeks after being

fully ripe."

"30482[66]--Cuttings of the Feitcheng peach from about fifty miles

southwest of Tsinan, Shantung, China. It is a late variety, coming into

market about the middle of September or October. It is reported to

have such unusual keeping qualities, that it can be kept, when wrapped

in tissue paper, until February. Though a cling stone it is luscious,

sweet and aromatic, and of unusual size, reaching a pound in weight and

is so prized by the Chinese that as much as 15 cents apiece is paid for

it in the region where it is grown; every year the Feitcheng peaches

are sent as a present to the Imperial court in Pekin."

The evidence given encourages the belief that in the native peaches of

China may be found all of the characters that distinguish cultivated

peaches wheresoever grown. The smooth-skinned peach, or nectarine,

from the evidence at my command, is not common in eastern China but

in Chinese and Russian Turkestan it is evidently one of the commonest

fruits. Neither does yellow flesh appear to be a common character of

peaches of eastern China but is now and again mentioned so that it may

be put down as existing in the peaches of the region. Bear in mind

that the accounts given are but random ones taken by persons not more

interested in peaches than in other agricultural products and covering,

of course, but a very small part of the vast region under the dominion

of China. There is, no doubt, much to be learned about the peaches of

Asia in future explorations.[67]

In America, at least, certain characters of peaches, as flatness,

smooth skin, red flesh and prolonged beak are looked upon as

comparatively new in this fruit. At any rate, varieties having these

relatively rare characters are spoken of as sports and pomologists,

as we shall see, not infrequently announce the date of birth of one

or another of these characters. Now, a careful examination of the

evidence, scant though it is, will carry conviction to all that none of

the prominent characters of peaches have originated within the period

covered by history--all exist in China and probably have so existed

since time beyond record.

The size and color of the blossoms are distinguishing characters

of races and varieties of cultivated peaches, less valuable in

classification than the fruit-characters we have been discussing only

because they are less numerous. Peach-blossoms fall into four very

distinct kinds: Petals large and pink; petals intermediate in size

and pink or red; petals small and red or reddish; and petals large

and white. Through the United States Department of Agriculture, I am

in possession of copies of nine letters from Foreign Seed and Plant

Introduction correspondents of the United States Department in China

who had been asked to report on the size and color of peach-blossoms in

the parts of China in which they lived. The information thus obtained

is most interesting but space forbids considering it further at present

than to say that it indubitably establishes the fact that peaches with

the four kinds of blossoms are found in China. This further encourages

the belief, just set forth, that the essential characters of peaches

are old, of great fixity and originated in China at a time in the past

on which it would be idle to conjecture.

It is interesting to note that there are peaches in China with at least

two characters not found in any American varieties. Two varieties

are mentioned as having "white stones." There is no peach in America

with stones that could be described as white though several early

white-fleshed peaches have light-colored stones. This character is

unimportant and seems, from the brief descriptions of the varieties

having such stones, not to be correlated with other especially

desirable characters, yet such a peach would, at least, add an

interesting novelty to the flora of this fruit. The other character,

that of late keeping, appears to have more value. A peach that would

"keep for several months" or one ripening in September "that can

be kept, when wrapped in tissue paper, until February," is highly

desirable. No doubt through the efforts of the workers in the United

States Department of Agriculture we shall sooner or later be growing

these peaches in America.

As the probable home of the peach, we have given China so much space

in this discussion of the peach in Asia that we can now but briefly

summarize what is known of this fruit in other Asiatic countries.

_The peach in Japan._--From _Fruit Culture in Japan_[68] it is patent

that the peach is one of the leading fruits of the country. In number

of varieties of the several fruits grown in Japan the peach is exceeded

only by the persimmon--ninety-five peaches and two nectarines being

listed, all having Japanese names. The following account gives some

idea of the peach-industry as carried on in Japan:

"There are a number of varieties of our native peaches and nectarines.

From the extreme south of Formosa to Hokkaido, local forms are

cultivated side by side with Western and Chinese varieties, which are

all much superior to ours in all respects. During the past twenty

years, the growing of introduced peaches has replaced the native one

with striking rapidity. Their growing seems to be naturally limited in

Hokkaido to the south part up to about 43 degrees N. L. The mid-season

and late varieties do not properly ripen there and peach growing

consequently does not develop to be a profitable industry in Hokkaido.

Peaches are rather easy to cultivate and seem to be less susceptible

to the effects of climate, than apples, provided suitable sites and

soil be given. Consequently peach orchards are found scattered here

and there all over the country. For the peaches there is no difference

between the two longitudinal halves of Japan. At present, large

orchards of peaches, regularly planted and trained, are found on the

alluvial lowlands and hillsides. The heavy rainfall during June and

July causes an overluxuriance of growth and considerable portion of the

fruits drop down without reaching maturity. To prevent the damage from

the parasites our people have learned through experience the important

operation of bagging. On the loamy soils, good qualities of fruits may

be attained, but the growers are accustomed to prefer light sandy soils

to insure success. Sometimes rather dry hillsides give good results."

_The peach in Turkestan and Persia._--We shall become too deeply

involved if we attempt to trace the cultivation of peaches in all of

the countries of Asia. A sentence each suffices for other regions

than China and Japan, excepting Turkestan, where the peach seems

preeminently at home, and must therefore have more than a word.

The peach is commonly grown in Mongolia and Cochin China.[69] Several

kinds of peaches are cultivated in the north of India.[70] The peach

requires the greatest care to ensure success in the north-east

of India.[71] A correspondent of the United States Department of

Agriculture at Kashgar, British India, describes a nectarine grown

there wanting "a hot but only a short summer."[72] Meyer, Agricultural

Explorer for the United States Department of Agriculture, found a

variety of peach growing at Kirin, Mongolia, not far from Vladivostock,

which he says "is the most northern locality where I have yet found

peaches."[73] These references might be multiplied but enough are given

to show that the peach grows wild or cultivated wherever the climate

permits in central and eastern Asia.

The peach seems to be quite as much at home, as highly prized and as

commonly grown in Russian Turkestan, northern Persia, Trans-Caucasia

and Asia Minor--the countries of western Asia--as in the eastern part

of the continent. The Chinese early discovered trade routes over the

mountains from the center of Asia to Kashmir, Bokhara and northern

Persia. What more probable than that in remote times the seeds of

peaches should have been carried westward from China and the peach

thus have been introduced into western Asia where it at once found a

congenial soil and climate. The peach-tree is so easily raised from the

pit that its diffusion along routes of travel must have been very rapid.

Of many accounts of the peaches of this region, long and short, perhaps

the following from Mr. Albert Regel gives, in the space to be spared,

the best idea of the extent of the peach-region in western Asia and

the races represented--races rather than varieties, for of the latter

there must be legions since we are told the trees are grown from seed.

Regel,[74] a physician by vocation, lived in Turkestan for nine years

and collected fruits and flowers as an avocation. He seems to have

penetrated every nook and corner of Turkestan and adjacent regions. Of

peaches and nectarines he says:

"Next to the pomegranate, the Asiatics prize the peach, and the

Oriental poetry compares its lusciousness to the fruits of Paradise.

The culture of the peach reaches its northern limit in the district

of the Ili. The young plants, which, as throughout Asia, are grown

from the seed, without grafting, suffer greatly there from frost and

require careful covering; nevertheless the large, smooth, red and the

rough, hairy, yellow fruit of the Chinese varieties develop excellent

characteristics. According to the observations of the naturalist

Wilkins, there are 40 varieties in the Kokan district, among them

some Chinese ones. In the South the peach extends to Afghanistan

and Tshotral; its proper home, however, is Northern Persia to the

Caucasus. In Darvas the peach forms trees 30 feet high with broad tops.

The rough-skinned giant peaches of the garden of Kalaichumb are of

unsurpassed lusciousness and aroma, and most inviting bloom (tinting of

the cheeks). They attain the size of an average apple. The fruitfulness

of this variety is so great that the leaves seem to be concealed by

the peaches. The Bokhariots prize the smaller rough skinned, and red

cheeked variety at Tchaspak, which is distinguished by strong aroma and

firm, almost astringent flesh. The yellow peaches are especially sweet.

The number of rough-skinned kinds at Kalaichumb is considerable.

The smooth-skinned nectarines of this region, among which there are

smaller, pale yellow varieties and very large red cheeked ones, are of

unusually fine flavor and melting flesh; but they are equalled by the

nectarines of Samarkand. There are also small sweet yellow kinds, which

stand half way between the rough coated and smooth coated peaches.

Such an one grows in the exposed region of Paendish. In Jasqulam, a

small rough-skinned, red peach with astringent flesh and musky aroma

flourishes. Roshan, the district of Barpaendsha, and Surshan on the

lower Hund, produce later ripening and less valuable varieties, than

the territory of the lower Paendish."

Another quotation shows the intensity of the orcharding in some parts

of this favored land of fruits. In his chapter on the Zarafshan Valley,

Schuyler says:[75]

"The gardens constitute the beauty of all this land. The long rows

of poplar and elm trees, the vineyards, the dark foliage of the

pomegranate over the walls, transport one at once to the plains of

Lombardy or of Southern France. In the early spring the outskirts of

the city, and indeed the whole valley, are one mass of white and pink,

with the bloom of almond and peach, of cherry and apple, of apricot and

plum, which perfume the air for miles around. These gardens are the

favourite dwelling-places in the summer, and well may they be. Nowhere

are fruits more abundant, and of some varieties it can be said that

nowhere are they better. The apricots and nectarines I think it would

be impossible to surpass anywhere. These ripen in June, and from that

time until winter fruit and melons are never lacking. Peaches, though

smaller in size, are better in flavour than the best of England, but

they are far surpassed by those of Delaware. The big blue plums of

Bukhara are celebrated through the whole of Asia. The cherries are

mostly small and sour. The best apples come either from Khiva, or from

Suzak, to the north of Turkestan, but the small white pears of Tashkent

are excellent in their way. The quince, as with us, is cultivated only

for jams or marmalades, or for flavouring soup."

West-central Asia, "the cradle of races," is, as well, the cradle of

fruits and vegetables and he who would know more of its orchards,

gardens and vineyards should read Schuyler's _Turkestan_ and Lansdell's

_Russian Central Asia_. We have quoted from the first-named book and

now close the discussion of peaches in Asia by a few brief quotations

from Lansdell, taking a few from many to bring out points worth noting.

We usually think of flat peaches as belonging to southeastern Asia,

yet Lansdell found them in west-central Asia:[76] "Here we bought our

first ripe grapes and nectarines. Apricots ripen at Kuldja at the

beginning of July, and we were, therefore, too late for them, but of

late peaches, that ripen early in August, we came in for the last,

flat in form, about an inch and a half in diameter and half an inch in

thickness. They tasted fairly well, but there was little flesh on the

stone."

Nectarines, as we have mentioned before, seem to be especially

plentiful in this region:[77] "In the market (Vierny) we also bought

grapes, and, still better, small but luscious nectarines, the latter

for a halfpenny each, of which, as I sat over my writing at night, I

ate so many as to alarm Mr. Sevier, whose medical instincts led him

to fear for the consequences. All went well, however, and I never

stinted myself from that time onward from Central Asian fruit, and I am

thankful to say was not once inconvenienced thereby."

As throwing light on the wild fruits of this region, we have Lansdell's

statement that there are whole forests of almond trees and many species

of cherries, plums, apples, pears and apricots, but wild peaches are

not mentioned.[78]

On another page we are told that peaches in Bokhara are of three

varieties, red, white and green, and in a foot-note that they are grown

as follows:[79] "When sown, the stone is put in the earth two fingers

deep, before the frosts set in; water is then let in and allowed to

freeze; after that, earth is put over it and left till the following

spring, when the young shoots are transplanted at intervals of four

paces. The best peaches are said to come from Samarkand."

One is tempted to enlarge upon fruit-possibilities in these

west-Asiatic valleys. Without much strain upon the imagination it is

easy to conjure up visions of great fruit-industries in west Asia

rivaling those of our own Pacific Coast when communications with

European markets are opened and if the people now there or those who

may migrate there begin to make use of their opportunities and to take

advantage of the best that art and science now offer horticulture. In

the event of such a development, peaches, fresh and dried, will not be

the least of the products of the region.

THE PEACH IN EUROPE

One finds treasures of experience and inspiration for narrative in the

history of the peach in Europe. But to present a systematic record of

the peach as it traveled from country to country after its introduction

into ancient Greece would require a volume and a long one, which,

interesting and profitable as it might be, could hardly be justified in

this work. Present purposes are best served by attempting only to point

out the landmarks in the history and development of the peach from the

time it left Asia until it reached America. The first landmark is in

the introduction of the peach into Greece.

_The peach in Greece._--As to the approximate date and the manner

in which the peach reached Greece, there is now common accord among

those who may be considered authorities on the history of fruits.

Theophrastus (332 B. C.) was the first Greek to mention the peach,

speaking of it as a "Persian fruit." It may be, of course, that the

peach came to Greece from Asia Minor or Persia at an earlier date. One

might well suspect that if peaches were growing in Persia at the time

of the retreat of the Ten Thousand (401 B. C.), since the army must

have traversed the country in which, according to some, the peach is

native and at least had probably then been introduced, the taste of so

pleasant a fruit would have inspired some soldier of the retreating

Greeks to carry seeds to his western home. But Xenophon, historian

of the retreat and a writer on agriculture as well as of war, does

not mention the peach as he almost certainly would have done had it

occupied a prominent place among the agricultural products of his time.

There is another story of the introduction of the peach into Greece

that may be mentioned to separate fact from fable. Some of the old

writers assert that the peach came to Greece from Persia by the way of

Egypt. Such statements are founded on a traditionary tale first printed

by Pliny to the effect that this fruit was sent into Egypt by the kings

of Persia to poison the Egyptians. Pliny[80] denies that the kings of

Persia had the peach transplanted into Egypt from motives of revenge

but evidently is under the belief that the peach came from Egypt for he

says:

"As to the peach-tree, it has been only introduced of late years, and

with considerable difficulty; so much so, that it is perfectly barren

in the Isle of Rhodes, the first resting-place that it found after

leaving Egypt."

We would like to amplify the bare statement that Alexander brought

the peach to Greece 332 B. C., but this single fact, if it be a fact,

seems to constitute the recorded history of the peach in Greece before

the Christian era. Dioscorides, about 64 A. D., was the next Greek to

mention the peach but he discusses it with reference to its medicinal

properties and does not enlighten us greatly as to its horticultural

standing. The fact that the several Greek writers whose books have

come down to us from the period under consideration do not mention the

peach does not argue that this fruit was not then growing in Greece;

for classicists, then as now, seldom got down to earth and the things

growing in it.

_The peach in Italy._--Naturally one goes to the oldest book in Latin

literature on agriculture to look for the beginnings of peach-culture

in Italy. This, as every student knows, is _De Re Rustica_, a work on

farming, gardening and fruit-growing by Cato (235-150 B. C.) on whom

posterity has bestowed the appellation "Sturdiest Roman of Them All."

Cato mentions most of our common orchard-fruits, as well as our field

crops and garden-plants, but the peach is not in his list of fruits;

neither does Varro (117-27 B. C.), the next great Roman writer on

agriculture, seem to have known the peach though he mentions choice

varieties of cultivated cherries, which at his time had but newly been

introduced into Rome.

To Vergil (71-19 B. C.), we are indebted for the first reference to

the peach in Roman literature. The "Prince of Latin Poets," writing on

agriculture, orcharding and gardening, in the Georgics, mentions the

peach in these graceful lines:

"Myself will search our planted grounds at home,

For downy peaches and the glossy plum."

Columella, writing in the next generation after Vergil, about 40 A. D.,

adopts or starts the story of the peach being a poisonous gift sent

from Persia to Egypt:

"And apples, which most barbarous Persia sent,

With native poison arm'd (as fame relates):

But now they've lost their pow'r to kill, and yield

Ambrosial juice, and have forgot to hurt;

And of their country still retain the name."

Some hold, however, that Columella refers not to the peach, "persica"

but to "persa" a quite different fruit. But unquestionably, according

to commentators, Columella has the peach in mind in these lines:

"Those of small size to ripen make great haste;

Such as great Gaul bestows observe due time

And season, not too early, nor too late."

By these tokens do we know that the peach was cultivated in Italy some

years before the Christian era.

In Pliny's remarkable compend of the natural history lore that existed

at the beginning of the Christian era, we have the first information

worthy of note on the peach in Italy. His statements, though they

throw more light on what the peach then was than the writings of any

one until his time, taking a more utilitarian turn than those of the

Greeks, are confusing and do not enlighten us greatly either as to

the history of the peach, or as to its pomological standing. Still,

Pliny's observations constitute an important landmark in the history

of this fruit and we must give them full consideration. First, let us

give attention to Pliny's account of the introduction of the peach into

Italy. He devotes Chapter 13, Book XV, to "The Peach" confining his

observations to historical references but in it so confounds peaches,

plums and other trees that we learn but little as to when, whence or

how the peach came to the Romans. Since this reference is much quoted,

however, despite its indefiniteness, we give it in full.[81]

"The name of 'Persica,' or 'Persian apple,' given to this fruit,

fully proves that it is an exotic in both Greece as well as Asia, and

that it was first introduced from Persis. As to the wild plum, it is

a well-known fact that it will grow anywhere; and I am, therefore,

the more surprised that no mention has been made of it by Cato, more

particularly as he has pointed out the method of preserving several

of the wild fruits as well. As to the peach-tree, it has been only

introduced of late years, and with considerable difficulty; so much

so, that it is perfectly barren in the Isle of Rhodes, the first

resting-place that it found after leaving Egypt.

It is quite untrue that the peach which grows in Persia is poisonous,

and produces dreadful tortures, or that the kings of that country, from

motives of revenge, had it transplanted in Egypt, where, through the

nature of the soil, it lost all its evil properties--for we find that

it is of the 'persea' that the more careful writers have stated all

this, a totally different tree, the fruit of which resembles the red

myxa, and, indeed, cannot be successfully cultivated anywhere but in

the East. The learned have also maintained that it was not introduced

from Persis into Egypt with the view of inflicting punishment, but say

that it was planted at Memphis by Perseus; for which reason it was that

Alexander gave orders that the victors should be crowned with it in the

games which he instituted there in honour of his ancestor; indeed, this

tree has always leaves and fruit upon it, growing immediately upon the

others. It must be quite evident to every one that all our plums have

been introduced since the time of Cato."

Our author's discussion of the kinds of peaches and of their market

value is somewhat more satisfactory. In Chapter 11, Book XV, entitled

"Six Varieties of the Peach," Pliny again discusses several fruits but

in the last paragraph confines himself to the peach and puts on record

the first account of varieties of this fruit. The chapter follows in

full:[82]

"Under the head of apples, we include a variety of fruits, although of

an entirely different nature, such as the Persian apple, for instance,

and the pomegranate, of which, when speaking of the tree, we have

already enumerated nine varieties. The pomegranate has a seed within,

enclosed in a skin; the peach has a stone inside. Some among the pears,

also, known as 'libralia,' show, by their name, what a remarkable

weight they attain.

Among the peaches the palm must be awarded to the duracinus: the

Gallic and the Asiatic peach are distinguished respectively by the

names of the countries of their origin. They ripen at the end of

autumn, though some of the early kinds are ripe in the summer. It is

only within the last thirty years that these last have been introduced;

originally they were sold at the price of a denarius apiece. Those

known as the 'supernatia' come from the country of the Sabines, but

the 'popularia' grow everywhere. This is a very harmless fruit, and a

particular favourite with invalids: some, in fact, have sold before

this as high as thirty sesterces apiece, a price that has never been

exceeded by any other fruit. This, too, is the more to be wondered at,

as there is none that is a worse keeper: for, when it is once plucked,

the longest time that it will keep is a couple of days; and so sold it

must be, fetch what it may."

The first of Pliny's six varieties is the "Persian Apple"--"_malum

persicum_" in the original text. It is well to note the author's

statement that "Under the head of apples, we include a variety of

fruits." A literal translation of the Latin word _malum_ in Pliny

has brought about many misunderstandings. Beside the peach, pear and

pomegranate grouped here as "apples," the apricot, orange, citron and

no doubt other fruits come "under the head of apples." The "Persian

apple," then, must be counted as one of Pliny's "six varieties of

peaches." From the name we know whence the Romans had the peach.

The second variety is the duracinus, to which, among peaches, "the

palm must be awarded." The name translated literally is "hard-berry"

and must refer to the firmness of the flesh. Despite the fact that De

Candolle[83] and others hold that Pliny does not mention the nectarine,

"duracinus" can hardly be other than the nectarine--at least the name

fits the nectarine better than it does any peach.

The third and fourth of Pliny's peaches are the "Gallic" and "Asiatic,"

"distinguished respectively by the names of the countries of their

origin." Can it be possible that there is a peach native to France? We

should say at once that this is but one of Pliny's inaccuracies were

it not for the fact that several of the highest French pomological

authorities state that certain races of the peach are natives of

southern France. Duhamel Du Monceau[84] and Leroy[85] are chief

champions of this belief and the latter says that Mayer, Calvel and

Carrière, other French authorities, are of the same opinion. These

French writers offer no substantial proofs and botanists do not agree

with them; it seems, weighing the evidence at this distance, as if they

had copied Columella and Pliny too closely. The fact that the peach is

a perfectly naturalized denizen of parts of France, of course, gives

color to the belief that it is a native and not an exotic in that

country. Quite similarly, our early botanists, including so careful

an observer as Bartram, were of the opinion that the peach belonged

to America for the reason that they found it growing wild in our

southern woods--an escape from early Spanish settlers. Pliny's Gallic

peach, probably, was a descendant of an early introduction from some

outside source. How the "Asiatic peach" of our quotation differs from

the "Persian apple" does not appear except in its origin, it probably

having come more or less directly from Asia Minor which in Pliny's time

seems to have been Asia.

The last two of Pliny's six varieties are those known as "supernatia"

which "come from the country of the Sabines" and the "popularia" which

"grow everywhere." Whether supernatia, meaning "from above," refers to

the fact that this peach grows in the high and mountainous country of

the Sabines or to its being a choice variety, cannot be said. Probably,

however, it designates choice peaches while the "popularia" which grow

everywhere refers to the common run of this fruit.

Peaches were profitable in Rome in Pliny's time, for they sold "as high

as thirty sesterces apiece." A sesterce is four and one-half cents so

that the possible price of a peach in Rome 1900 years ago was $1.35.

The Roman peach-grower was at the mercy of the seasons as are those of

nowadays for we read that when once plucked the peach could be kept but

a couple of days, "so sold it must be, fetch what it may."

The statement that the peach is a "particular favorite with invalids,"

reminds us that the ancients ascribe various medicinal properties

to nearly all plants and Pliny sets forth those of the peach as

follows:[86]

"Peaches, again, are more wholesome than plums; and the same is the

case with the juice of the fruit, extracted, and taken in either

wine or vinegar. Indeed, what known fruit is there that is more

wholesome as an aliment than this? There is none, in fact, that has a

less powerful smell, or a greater abundance of juice, though it has

a tendency to create thirst. The leaves of it, beaten up and applied

topically, arrest haemorrhage: the kernels, mixed with oil and vinegar,

are used as a liniment for head-ache."

One other consideration, and we are done with Pliny. In Chapter 13,

quoted on page 28, we are told that the peach "has been only introduced

of late years." This can hardly mean during the day of the author. The

peach had probably been cultivated in ancient Rome for a considerable

length of time before Pliny wrote. Vergil and Columella had mentioned

it as a planted plant; Pliny, himself, speaks of the "popularia" as

being grown "everywhere;" and the facts that it was a common article

of food and used in medicine argue an earlier date of introduction

than we might be lead to suppose from Pliny's statement "introduced

of late years." Indeed, knowing the great length of time it takes in

our days of rapid transportation and quick diffusion of knowledge to

accustom ourselves to new food-plants and to persuade agriculturists

to grow them, we should say that the peach must have been grown in

Rome at least two or three centuries to have become so well known as

it seems to have been in Pliny's time. The chief point established by

these quotations is that the peach was well established in Italy at the

beginning of the Christian era.

After leaving Pliny there is a boundless, uncharted waste before we

find another landmark in the history of the peach. In all matters

relating to agriculture and natural history Roman writers for several

centuries but copied the men from whom we have quoted and it was not

until the Sixteenth Century that we have any substantial account of the

further progress of this fruit. During this century, curiously enough,

about the only books on botany and horticulture were commentaries on

Dioscorides, the Greek botanist, who lived and made his reputation in

Christ's time and who for 1600 years thereafter was the sole authority

on botany. Of the ten or twelve commentaries, that of Matthiolus is

most replete with information on the fruits of the times and especially

in the matter of varieties, which he describes in greater detail than

any other man since Pliny. It must be remembered that at this time,

the closing years of the Middle Ages, there was a great awakening in

agriculture and horticulture in southern and western Europe. As the

second descriptive list of peaches we might well quote what Matthiolus

wrote, but, as in Pliny, few of his varieties can be made out, and

Gerarde, writing later in English, amplifies the Latin author so well

that we shall wait for his account.

_The peach in France._--Peach-culture in France probably began about

as early as in Italy, for both Columella and Pliny, as we have seen,

mention the peaches of Gaul with those of Rome. Introduced thus early,

finding suitable soil and climate and easily propagated, so delicious

a fruit as the peach must at once have become a prime favorite in

the orchards of the monasteries, where, tended by monks who were the

most skilled horticulturists of the times, the peach was disseminated

throughout France with the spread of Christianity. France was the

foster-mother of the peach in Europe--from her nurseries the Belgians,

Dutch, Germans and English had their first peach-trees. The history of

the peach in France, then, is an important chapter in the history of

this fruit.

André Leroy, author of the great French work, _Dictionnaire de

Pomologie_, gives in considerable detail the history of the peach in

France and from him we briefly summarize the material he has brought

together in regard to this fruit up to 1600 after which our purposes

are best met by quoting directly from the originals.

According to Leroy[87] only peaches with a downy skin and soft flesh

which adhered to the stone came from Asia--all others, in his belief,

originated in southern France. That any peach came originally from

France we do not agree, for reasons given on a foregoing page. Leaving

the statements of origin in dispute, the first records of peaches in

France are to be found in the quotations from Columella and Pliny

which we have already discussed. Leroy mentions as the second record a

reference to the peach by Bishop Fortunat of Portiers in 530; a third

from the fourteenth Abbot of the monastery of Saint-Denis near Paris in

the year 784; while the great Charlemagne, who in 800 mentions "peaches

of different kinds," furnishes the fourth of Leroy's early records; the

fifth account is taken from the letters of Lupus, Abbot of Ferrieres,

near Amiens, who sent several varieties of peaches to a brother with

instructions as to how to plant the pits, the approximate date being

860.