Niagara is a variant of a peach which all growers lament as being less

and less grown, the Crawford. The Crawford group, though a dominant

type, is, as we have several times pointed out, a little too capricious

as to soil and climate to suit the needs of commercial peach-growers,

failing to bear regularly or abundantly in most soils. For this reason

the once very popular Early and Late Crawfords are now seldom grown.

All who know these varieties regret that a sort of their type, without

their faults, has not yet come to light. In New York the best of

the comparatively new Crawford-like peaches is Niagara, said to be a

seedling of one of the Crawfords. The fruit ripens later than Early

Crawford, averages larger, is borne more abundantly and holds its

size better to the end of the season. But Niagara's great point of

merit, as compared with Crawford, is that it is more dependable in

all tree-characters, being, especially, less capricious as to soil

and climate. Niagara, as the color-plate shows it, is a beautiful

fruit, yellow, with a handsome over-color of red. The flesh, too,

is attractive and delectable--yellow, thick and firm, with a rich,

sweet flavor which makes it one of the most palatable peaches of its

season. It is, as are most of its type, a freestone. Niagara fails in

productiveness in some localities, having in this respect the fault

of all its tribe; but it should have a welcome place in any home

collection and, where it proves productive, is one of the best for

general market.

Niagara probably came originally from Maryland to Julius Harris,

Ridgeway, New York. Later it was sold to a grower near Lockport, New

York, who disposed of it to a Mr. Corwin, Newfane, Niagara County, New

York, who called it Corwin's Crawford. It then came into possession

of the Rogers Nurseries, Dansville, New York, from whom this Station

received its trees under the name Niagara. It is probably a seedling

of Early Crawford. Niagara was added to the fruit-list of the American

Pomological Society in 1909.

[Illustration: NIAGARA]

Tree large, upright-spreading, hardy, medium in productiveness;

trunk thick and smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown

mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets thick, red intermingled

with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous,

large, raised lenticels.

Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and three-fourths

inches wide, flattened or curled downward, oval to

obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green,

rugose along the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; apex

acuminate; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown

glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one

to five small, globose, raised, reddish-brown glands variable

in position.

Flower-buds large, long, conical or pointed, very plump,

pubescent, usually free; blossoms open in mid-season; flowers

one inch across, white near the center of the petals changing

to dark pink near the edges; pedicels very short, thick,

glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored

within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, acute,

glabrous within, pubescent without; petals round-oval, tapering

toward the apex, broadly notched near the base, contracting to

claws red at the base; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal

to or shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary,

longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-half inches long,

two and three-eighths inches wide, round-cordate to oval,

compressed, with equal halves; cavity medium to deep, flaring

to abrupt, with very tender skin, often splashed with red;

suture shallow, deepening toward the apex and often extending

beyond; apex rounded or pointed, with a mamelon and sometimes

recurved tip; color orange-yellow, blushed with deep, dull red,

with stripes and splashes of darker red; pubescence short,

thick, fine; skin thick, tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh

yellow, deeply tinged with red near the pit, juicy, coarse

but tender, sprightly; very good in quality; stone free, one

and five-eighths inches long, one and one-eighth inches wide,

broadly ovate, plump, with long point at the apex, usually with

grooved surfaces and with few pits, tinged with red; ventral

suture very deeply grooved along the sides, winged, rather

wide; dorsal suture deeply grooved, wing-like.

OLDMIXON CLING

=1.= Coxe _Cult. Fr. Trees_ 218. 1817. =2.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._

231. 1832. =3.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:23. 1832. =4.= Downing

_Fr. Trees Am._ 497. 1845. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 211. 1856.

=6.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 198. 1908. =7.= Waugh _Am. Peach

Orch._ 205. 1913.

_Oldmixon_. =8.= Hoffy _Orch. Com._ =1=:1841-42. =9.= Elliott

_Fr. Book_ 278. 1854.

Without question one of the oldest American peaches, going back at

least 150 years, Oldmixon Cling is still well worthy a place in

every orchard where high quality is a prime requisite. It is a rich,

luscious, white-fleshed peach, ripening late, which, besides being

excellent in quality for dessert and culinary purposes, is uncommonly

handsome--a combination of characters possessed by few other peaches.

The color-plate is almost a perfect picture of the variety and could

the flavor be as well conveyed to readers, Oldmixon Cling might again

take on some of its one time popularity. We can discover but one fault

in the fruits as they grow on the Station grounds--the pits crack

badly. The variety, however, seems to be passing out because the trees

are not, as a rule, fruitful though in all other respects they are

seemingly near perfection.

There is no trace of when, where or how Oldmixon Cling originated.

Coxe[264] first set forth its merits in 1817. It is reported to have

been introduced from Europe by Sir John Oldmixon but Downing

believes that it was the pit and not the tree which Oldmixon brought

to America. At any rate the variety takes its name from its supposed

introducer. If the pit were planted by Sir John Oldmixon, this must be

the oldest of our peaches for Oldmixon came to America nearly 200 years

ago. He was, by the way, the author of one of the early and notable

books on America, _The British Empire in America_, published in London

in 1741. Pomologists from time to time have made two words of the name

making it appear that old and new Mixon peaches existed. Oldmixon Cling

was placed in the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society in

1856 and ever since has retained a place there. In 1881 the Society

changed the name from Old Mixon Cling to Oldmixon Cling.

[Illustration: OLDMIXON CLING]

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, rather

unproductive; trunk medium to thick, smooth; branches stocky,

smooth, reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets

of medium thickness and length, with tendency to rebranch, red

intermingled with dull green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with

numerous conspicuous, large, raised lenticels.

Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and one-half

inches wide, flattened or curled downward, oval to

obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth

becoming rugose along the midrib; margin finely serrate, tipped

with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long,

with one to four small, globose glands variable in color and

position.

Flower-buds large, conical or pointed, plump, pubescent,

appressed or somewhat free; blossoms appear in mid-season;

flowers three-fourths inch across, light pink at the center

deepening to darker pink at the margins, often in twos,

sometimes in threes; pedicels short, green; calyx-tube

reddish-green at the base, greenish-yellow within, obconic,

glabrous; calyx-lobes short, narrow, acute, glabrous within,

pubescent without; petals round-oval, nearly entire, tapering

to claws tinged with red at the base; filaments three-eighths

inch long, equal to or longer than the petals; pistil pubescent

near the base, usually equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures late; about two and one-half inches in diameter,

round or roundish-oval, bulged along one side, compressed, with

unequal halves; cavity medium to deep, wide, variable in shape;

suture shallow, becoming deeper toward the apex and extending

beyond; apex round, with a recurved, mucronate or prominent

and prolonged mamelon tip; color creamy-white, with a blush of

lively red and faint splashes of darker red; pubescence fine,

short, thick; skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh

white, faintly stained with red near the pit, juicy, stringy,

tender, melting, sweet but sprightly, pleasantly flavored;

very good in quality; stone clinging, one and seven-sixteenths

inches long, one and one-eighth inches wide, ovate to

oval, bulged on one side, flattened near the base, plump,

long-pointed, with grooved surfaces; ventral suture deeply

grooved along the edges, furrowed; dorsal suture grooved, with

tendency to wing.

OLDMIXON FREE

=1.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 221. 1832. =2.= Prince _Pom. Man._

=2=:23. 1832. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 484. 1845. =4.=

_Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 51. 1848. =5.= Elliott _Fr. Book_

278. 1854. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 45, 183, 211. 1856. =7.=

Fulton _Peach Cult._ 187, 188. 1908. =8.= Waugh _Am. Peach

Orch._ 205. 1913.

_Oldmixon Clearstone._ =9.= Coxe _Cult. Fr. Trees_ 222. 1817.

Oldmixon Free is a variant of Oldmixon Cling, differing, essentially,

as the name implies, in having a free stone; it is, also, more

sprightly in flavor and not quite as well endowed with the characters

that constitute high quality. Side by side, outwardly, the two peaches

can hardly be told apart. Since Oldmixon Cling is sometimes semi-free

and Oldmixon Free often clings more or less, the two are often confused

in orchards and markets. Both of these Oldmixons, as those who live

in regions where cold and frost do frequent damage should know, are

as hardy in wood and bud as any of the white-fleshed varieties. The

blossoms of both, too, appear in late mid-season, thereby often

escaping frosts. The trees of Oldmixon Free, like those of Oldmixon

Cling, have the fault of being unproductive.

Oldmixon Free is supposed to be an American seedling of Oldmixon Cling,

a fruit for the introduction of which we are indebted to Sir John

Oldmixon of early colonial fame. At the Convention of Fruit-Growers

held in 1848, Oldmixon Free was placed on the list of recommended

peaches. In 1856 it appeared in the fruit-list of the American

Pomological Society where it still remains.

[Illustration: OLDMIXON FREE]

Tree very large, vigorous, upright to spreading, hardy, rather

unproductive; trunk thick, smooth; branches stocky, smooth,

reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets of

medium thickness and length, with tendency to rebranch, dark,

deep red intermingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth,

glabrous, with conspicuous, numerous, raised lenticels.

Leaves six and seven-eighths inches long, one and three-fourths

inches wide, curled downward or flattened, oval to

obovate-lanceolate, leathery, dull, dark green, smooth; lower

surface grayish-green; apex acuminate; margins finely serrate,

tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch

long, glandless or with one to four small, globose glands

variable in color and position.

Flower-buds half-hardy, conical to pointed, plump, pubescent,

free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers three-fourths inch

across, pale pink near the center becoming darker pink at the

outside, often in twos; pedicels very short, glabrous, green;

calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, greenish-yellow within,

obconic; calyx-lobes short, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent

without; petals oval, faintly notched near the base, tapering

to narrow, long claws tinged with red at the base; filaments

three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil

pubescent near the base, equal to or longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures late; two and one-half inches long, two and

three-fourths inches wide, round-cordate, usually bulged on

one side, often compressed, with unequal sides; cavity medium

to deep, abrupt or flaring, tinged with red; suture shallow,

becoming deeper toward the apex and extending beyond; apex

roundish, with a mucronate or recurved, mamelon tip; color

creamy-white more or less overspread with a lively red blush

in which are faint splashes and mottlings of darker red;

pubescence coarse, thick; skin thin, tough, separates from

the pulp; flesh white, deeply tinted with red near the pit,

juicy, stringy, tender and melting, sweet, with more or less

sprightliness; very good in quality; stone free or nearly free,

one and three-eighths inches long, one and one-eighth inches

wide, oval to ovate, bulged, flattened near the base, with

grooved and purplish-brown surfaces; ventral suture deeply

grooved near the edges, furrowed, faintly winged; dorsal suture

grooved.

OPULENT

=1.= _Ill. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 209. 1906. =2.= _Fancher Creek Nur.

Cat._ 31. 1907. =3.= _Burbank Cat._ 5. 1911.

Opulent is a white-fleshed, freestone peach of very mediocre character

as it grows on the Station grounds. The fruits are attractive in

appearance but not uncommonly so and are often marred, as they grow

in New York, by peach-scab. The quality is scarcely better than the

average and is ruined for most peach-lovers by a bitter tang, though to

others this almond-like bitterness in the flavor may be a commendation.

The variety ripens in mid-season. The trees are scarcely more

satisfactory on the Station grounds than the fruits, being unproductive

and none too vigorous. The chief claim this peach has to public notice

is that it is a cross between a peach and a nectarine. Though as

yet not thoroughly tried in New York, it is safe to say that it is

worthless for this region.

Opulent was sent out several years ago by Luther Burbank, Santa Rosa,

California, as a hybrid between the Muir peach and New White Nectarine.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading with a tendency to

droop, medium in productiveness; trunk smooth; branches

stocky, smooth, reddish-brown with a light ash-gray tinge;

branchlets slender, long, with medium to long internodes, dull

red intermingled with green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with

conspicuous, large, raised lenticels few in number.

Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and one-half inches

wide, flattened or curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate,

leathery, dark green, smooth becoming rugose along the midrib;

lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with

reddish-brown glands; petiole one-half inch long, with one to

six small, globose and reniform, reddish-brown glands variable

in position.

Flower-buds tender, large, long, conical or obtuse, pubescent,

plump, free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers one and

one-eighth inches across, white at the center of the petals

becoming dark pink near the margins; pedicels short, glabrous,

green; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within,

campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, narrow, acute,

glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval or roundish,

broadly notched, tapering to long, narrow claws red at the

base; filaments five-sixteenths inch long, equal to the petals

in length; pistil pubescent at the ovary, longer than the

stamens.

Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and one-half inches

long, two and seven-sixteenths inches wide, round-oval,

compressed, with unequal halves; cavity deep, abrupt, often

marked with red; suture a mere line or very shallow, often a

slight depression just beyond the point; apex roundish, with a

mucronate and recurved tip; color creamy-white, with a faint

blush, speckled and striped with darker red; pubescence short;

skin tough, separates from the pulp; flesh white, juicy,

stringy, tender, melting, sweet but sprightly; fair in quality;

stone free, one and five-sixteenths inches long, seven-eighths

inch wide, ovate to slightly oval, flattened at the base,

plump, short-pointed, with pitted surfaces marked by few

grooves; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the edges, medium

in width, furrowed; dorsal suture deeply grooved.

PALLAS

=1.= _Ga. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 55. 1885. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._

46. 1891. =3.= _La. Sta. Bul._ =17=:499. 1891. =4.= _Tex. Sta.

Bul._ =39=:805. 1896. =5.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:239, 240. 1898.

=6.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:222. 1899. =7.= Budd-Hansen _Am.

Hort. Man._ =2=:353. 1903. =8.= _Fla. Sta. Bul._ =73=:150.

1904. =9.= _Ala. Sta. Bul._ =156=:134. 1911.

_Pallas Honeydew._ =10.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._ =170=:178. 1906.

Pallas is about the best of the several honey-flavored, beaked peaches

that have fruited on the Station grounds. This is one of the sorts

supposed to thrive only in warm climates but here, in a location none

too favorably situated as to climate, the trees are vigorous, appear to

be hardy and differ from northern varieties, so far as life events are

concerned, only in holding their leaves longer. The fruits run small

and lack uniformity in size, faults that will not permit Pallas ever

to become a commercial sort in New York. Moreover, the peaches are not

attractive in appearance, suffer terribly from brown-rot and do not

ship well--further disqualifications for competition in commerce. In

quality, especially, to those who have a taste for sweets, Pallas is

almost unapproachable--so rich, sweet, aromatic and delicious as well

to justify the sobriquet, "Honeydew," frequently bestowed upon it. This

variety might well be planted in every home orchard.

Pallas is one of the many seedlings of Honey and originated in

1878 with L. E. Berckmans, Augusta, Georgia. In 1891 the American

Pomological Society added Pallas to its list of fruits as a noteworthy

variety for southern fruit-districts.

[Illustration: PALLAS]

Tree medium in vigor, upright-spreading, round-topped,

productive; trunk rough; branches roughened by the lenticels,

brownish intermingled with ash-gray and a little red;

branchlets slender, with internodes of medium length, dark

pinkish-red mingled with green, smooth, glabrous, with numerous

conspicuous, small, raised, russet-colored lenticels.

Leaves fall late in the season, six inches long, one and

one-half inches wide, variable in position, ovate-lanceolate,

thin, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, smooth; lower

surface olive-green; margin sharply and often doubly serrate,

glandular; petiole three-eighths inch long, stout, glandless or

with one to three small, globose glands usually at the base of

the leaf.

Flower-buds large, long, conical, plump, pubescent,

conspicuous, usually free; flowers appear in mid-season, light

pink changing to darker red; pedicels thick, glabrous, green;

calyx-tube red, yellowish-green within, obconic, glabrous;

calyx-lobes obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without;

petals oval, entire, red at the base; filaments shorter than

the petals; pistil pubescent, longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and one-fourth inches

long, two inches wide, pointed-oval, compressed, with halves

equal; cavity shallow, flaring, with tender skin; suture

shallow; apex a characteristically long, straight tip; color

pale white or greenish-white occasionally with a bright red

blush but mostly with dull mottlings; pubescence medium in

amount; skin thick, tough; flesh white, scarcely stained at

the pit, very juicy, sweet, tender and melting, high-flavored;

very good in quality; stone free, one and five-sixteenths

inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, oval to ovate, slightly

wedge-shaped at the base, plump, conspicuously winged,

long-pointed, with pitted and grooved surfaces; ventral suture

narrow, furrowed; dorsal suture grooved.

PEARSON

=1.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:105. 1901. =2.= _N. Y. State Fr. Gr.

Assoc. Rpt._ 21. 1912.

Pearson is a newcomer among peaches which will bear watching if it does

as well in other parts of New York as on the Station grounds. It is

a large, handsomely-colored, white-fleshed, freestone peach of good

quality which ripens ten days before Champion. There are, it is true,

a good many white-fleshed peaches at this season but Pearson is an

exceptionally good one, much excelling Mamie Ross with which it might

have to compete although the latter ripens a little later. The trees

are very vigorous, productive and, so far, about as healthy as any on

the Station grounds.

Pearson originated with J. M. Pearson, McKinney, Texas. Its parentage

is unknown. The variety was introduced by E.W. Kirkpatrick of McKinney,

who thinks it may be a seedling of Chinese Cling.

[Illustration: PEARSON]

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, the lower branches drooping,

very productive; trunk medium in thickness, smooth; branches

stocky, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray;

branchlets slender, short, with short internodes, dark red

mingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with few

inconspicuous lenticels variable in size and raised toward the

base.

Leaves seven inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide,

variable in position, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery;

upper surface dark, dull green, smooth becoming rugose along

the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; apex long and narrow;

margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands;

petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to four

small, globose, reddish-brown glands usually at the base of the

blade.

Flower-buds hardy, long, heavily pubescent, conical to

obtuse, plump, appressed or partly free; blossoms appear

very early; flowers nearly two inches across, pink, usually

single; pedicels short, of medium thickness, glabrous, green;

calyx-tube dark, dull reddish-green, greenish-yellow within,

campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes broad, often emarginated,

acute or obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without;

petals oval to roundish-obovate, tapering to long, narrow

claws; filaments about one-half inch long, shorter than the

petals; pistil pubescent only at the base, equal to the stamens

in length.

Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and one-fourth inches

long, two and three-sixteenths inches wide, round-oval or

somewhat cordate, compressed, with unequal halves, bulged near

the apex; cavity medium to deep, abrupt or flaring, with tender

skin; suture quite variable in depth; apex round or depressed,

with a small, mucronate or recurved, mamelon tip; color

greenish-white, with a blush covering much of the surface,

more or less mottled; pubescence thin, fine, short; skin

thin, tough, semi-free; flesh white, faintly tinged with red

near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender and melting, pleasantly

flavored; good in quality; stone semi-clinging or free, one and

three-eighths inches long, one inch wide, oval, flattened at

the base, winged, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply

grooved near the edges, narrow; dorsal suture grooved, winged.

PEENTO

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 41. 1877. =2.= _Gard. Mon._ =19=:114,

301. 1877. =3.= _Gard. Mon._ =26=:61. 1884. =4.= _U. S. D.

A. Rpt._ 650. 1887. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 32. 1889. =6.=

_Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 114-116. 1889. =7.= _Fla. Sta. Bul._

=62=:506-509, Pl. 1. 1902. =8.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 202. 1908.

_Chinese Flat._ =9.= Prince _Treat. Hort._ 16, 17. 1828. =10.=

Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 225, 226. 1832.

_Flat Peach of China._ =11.= Lindley _Guide Orch._ 247, 248.

1831. =12.= _Horticulturist_ =1=:383, 384, fig. 92. 1846-47.

=13.= _Fla. Sta. Bul._ =62=:512, 513. 1902.

_Platt Pfirsich._ =14.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 410. 1889.

For the history and a discussion of the horticultural characters

of Peento, the reader is referred to page 108. The variety is too

tender to cold to be grown in New York; in fact it succeeds only in

Florida and the warmest parts of the other Gulf States. The American

Pomological Society listed Peento in its fruit-catalog in 1889. The

following description, as it applies to the tree, has been compiled:

[Illustration: PEENTO

[Reproduced from Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London

IV: 512. 1822.]]

Tree vigorous, open-topped, too tender for the North, variable

in productiveness; leaves mature late, four and one-half inches

long, one and seven-sixteenths inches wide, oblong-oval, thin,

leathery; upper surface light olive-green, smooth; lower

surface grayish-green; margin coarsely serrate, tipped with

dark glands; petiole with two or three reniform glands of

medium size, gray or greenish-yellow, usually at the base.

Fruit matures early; one and three-eighths inches long, two

and seven-sixteenths inches wide, strongly oblate; cavity

shallow, very wide, flaring, twig-marked; suture deep, wide,

extending two-thirds around the fruit; apex depressed, set in

a large, wide, flaring basin; color creamy-yellow, mottled

and delicately pencilled with red, often blushed toward the

apex; pubescence short, thick; skin thick, tough, nearly

free; flesh white, stained red at the stone, juicy, stringy,

tender and melting, sweet, mild, with an almond-like flavor;

very good in quality; stone clings, red, one-half inch long,

fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, strongly oblate, with corrugated

surfaces; ventral suture very deep at the edges, narrow at the

base, becoming wide at the apex; dorsal suture a wide, deep

groove, merging into a line at the apex.

PROLIFIC

=1.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:240. 1898.

_New Prolific._ =2.= _Col. O. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ =32.= 1892. =3.=

_Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 190. 1895. =4.= _Ohio Hort. Soc. Rpt._

=59.= 1896-97. =5.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:221. 1899. =6.=

Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:352. 1903. =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc.

Cat._ 38. 1909.

Prolific was heralded a quarter-century ago as one of the great

acquisitions to the peach-flora of the country. Time has not dealt

kindly with the variety and it is doubtful if it is as popular now

as it was a few years after its introduction. The trees are very

satisfactory, excelling most of their orchard-associates in vigor,

size, health, hardiness and productiveness but the peaches fall below

the mark in several characters. The fruits are of but medium size and

not uncommonly attractive in color, though handsome enough, but too

poor in quality to rate high among the peaches of its season which is

a few days before Elberta. The flesh is yellow, firm, dry and little

attacked by rot. With the qualities just named, the variety is, of

course, a good shipper and might be in demand in the markets for

culinary purposes. We doubt whether the peach should be largely planted

in New York.

Further than that Prolific comes from Michigan, nothing is known of

its parentage, the originator or the date of origin. It was introduced

about 1890 by Greening Brothers, Monroe, Michigan, under the name New

Prolific. In 1909 the American Pomological Society added this peach to

its fruit-list as New Prolific.

[Illustration: PROLIFIC]

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, becoming drooping,

open-topped, very productive; trunk rough; branches stocky,

smooth, reddish-brown with a very light tinge of ash-gray;

branchlets deep, dull red intermingled with green, glossy,

smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, numerous lenticels raised

near the base.

Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and one-half inches

wide, variable in position, oval to obovate-lanceolate,

leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, smooth, becoming

rugose near the midrib; lower surface grayish-green;

apex long-acuminate; margin finely serrate, tipped with

reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with

from one to five small, globose glands variable in color and

position.

Flower-buds hardy, conical to obtuse, plump, somewhat

pubescent, appressed or free; blossoms open early; flowers

one and five-sixteenths inches across, white near the center

becoming pink along the edges; pedicels very short, glabrous,

green; calyx-tube dull, dark reddish-green, orange-colored

within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow, acute,

glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals

roundish-ovate to oval, broadly notched near the base, tapering

to narrow claws red at the base; filaments seven-sixteenths

inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent at

the ovary, as long as the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-fourth inches long,

two and three-eighths inches wide, round-oval to cordate,

bulged on one side, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity

deep, usually abrupt, frequently mottled with red; suture a

line, becoming deeper toward the tip; apex round or somewhat

pointed, with a recurved, mamelon tip; color light orange,

mottled and blushed with red; pubescence thick, fine; skin

thin, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh light yellow,

stained with red near the pit, medium juicy, coarse, stringy,

tender, sweet, mild, pleasantly flavored; good in quality;

stone free, one and three-eighths inches long, one inch wide,

ovate, bulged on one side, plump, with long, pointed apex,

with surfaces grooved and marked by small pits; ventral suture

deeply grooved along the sides, slightly winged near the base;

dorsal suture a deep groove, faintly winged.

RAY

=1.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:106. 1901. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._

38. 1909. =3.= _N. J. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 35. 1912. =4.= Harrison

_Cat._ 27. 1915.

This is another of the many early, white-fleshed, freestone peaches

which are competing for favor among peach-growers. We doubt if

Ray, however, should find a place on the peach-list for New York.

Several faults condemn it; worst of all, the trees are not

productive. Add to unproductiveness, lack of uniformity in size, shape,

color and flavor and the variety is out of the race as a commercial

sort. This far north, too, the trees suffer from winter injury. The

variety is remarkable for its foliage. Were it not for the fact that

Ray is well spoken of in several other states, and the possibility

that it might do better in other parts of New York than on the Station

grounds, we should not place it among the major varieties in _The

Peaches of New York_. It is said to be an excellent shipper.

This peach is occasionally confused with Raymond Cling, which

originated in Mississippi many years ago and which has long since

passed from cultivation. The present variety originated with D. Ray,

Tyler, Texas. Its parentage is unknown. The American Pomological

Society placed Ray on its fruit-list in 1909.

[Illustration: RAY]

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, the lower branches

drooping, medium in productiveness; trunk thick, nearly smooth;

branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown with a light tinge

of ash-gray; branchlets slender, dark red intermingled with

olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous raised

lenticels variable in size.

Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and five-eighths

inches wide, flattened or curled downward, oval to obovate

lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth;

lower surface medium green; margin finely serrate, tipped

with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long,

glandless or with one to three small, globose glands variable

in position.

Flower-buds half-hardy, short, heavily pubescent, conical

to pointed, plump, usually appressed; blossoms appear in

mid-season; flowers one inch across, light pink becoming darker

pink along the edges; pedicels short; calyx-tube reddish-green,

greenish-yellow within, obconic; calyx-lobes long, narrow,

obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals

ovate, with claws medium in length and width; filaments

three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil

pubescent at the base, longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; two and three-eighths inches long,

two and one-half inches wide, roundish-conic to oblong-conic,

slightly compressed, with nearly equal halves; cavity narrow,

abrupt, with tender skin; suture shallow, deepening toward and

often extending beyond the tip; apex round, with a mucronate

tip; color greenish-white changing to white, scarcely blushed

or with a bright pinkish-red blush varying from a small amount

to about one-third of the surface, faintly mottled; pubescence

coarse, thick, long; skin very thin, tough, separates from the

pulp; flesh greenish-white, stained with red near the pit,

juicy, stringy, firm but tender, aromatic, sprightly; good in

quality; stone semi-free to free, one and seven-sixteenths

inches long, slightly more than one inch wide, oval to ovate,

plump, with short point at the apex, with grooved and pitted

surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved along the edges,

narrow, furrowed; dorsal suture grooved.

RED CHEEK MELOCOTON.

=1.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:31, 32. 1832. =2.= Downing _Fr.

Trees Am._ 492. 1845. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 32. 1867.

_Red Cheek Malacotan._ =4.= Coxe _Cult. Fr. Trees_ 225. 1817.

=5.= Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 186. 1846.

_Early Yellow Malacatune._ =6.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 220. 1832.

_Yellow_ or _Red Cheek Malacatune_. =7.= _Ibid._ 225. 1832.

_Hogg's Malacatune._ =8.= _Ibid._ 190. 1841.

_Red Cheek._ =9.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 288. 1854. =10.= _Mich.

Sta. Bul._ =169=:223, 224. 1899. =11.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort.

Man._ =2=:354. 1903. =12.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 195, 196. 1908.

=13.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 39. 1909.

_Malacatune._ =14.= Hooper _W. Fr. Book_ 225. 1857.

For nearly a century, beginning soon after the Revolutionary War, Red

Cheek Melocoton had few rivals among yellow-fleshed, freestone peaches.

Even yet it is surpassed in quality only by members of the Crawford

family of which, by the way, it is supposed to be the immediate

ancestor--certainly all Crawford-like peaches resemble it in both fruit

and tree-characters. Lack of vigor and unproductiveness have driven

Red Cheek Melocoton from common cultivation--indeed it is now almost

impossible to obtain the trees. We give the variety attention in _The

Peaches of New York_, not because of present worth, but because of

the prominent part it has played in the peach-industry of the country

in the past. The color-plate is an admirable reproduction of this

old peach though possibly the fruits run a little larger than in the

illustration. The derivation of "Melocoton," so often used in this

text, is given on page 51.

Red Cheek Melocoton is an American seedling which, according to William

Prince, sprang from a bud of a stock on which Lemon Cling had been

grafted, at the Prince farm, Flushing, New York. The Princes were so

impressed with the seedling that they propagated it, giving it the name

Red Cheek Malacatune, the name Malacatune at that time being given to

all yellow peaches having little red. The discovery of the variety in

the Prince orchards dates back considerably over one hundred years.

From Red Cheek Melocoton the Crawfords and several other notable

peaches are said to have come. In 1867 the American Pomological Society

placed this variety in its catalog as Red Cheek Melocoton but in 1909

shortened the name to Red Cheek. We prefer to preserve the old name.

[Illustration: RED CHEEK MELOCOTON]

Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright-spreading, lacking in

productiveness; trunk intermediate in thickness and smoothness;

branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with light

ash-gray; branchlets thick, variable in length, with medium

to long internodes, deep, dark red intermingled with green,

glossy, roughened by the lenticels, glabrous, with a few

smallish, inconspicuous lenticels which are raised toward the

base.

Leaves seven and one-fourth inches long, nearly two inches

wide, variable in position, oval to obovate-lanceolate, medium

in thickness, leathery, dark olive-green, smooth, becoming

rugose toward the midrib; margin sharply serrate; petiole

three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to three small,

globose, alternate glands variable in color and in their

position; flower-buds intermediate in size and length, conical

or pointed, plump, free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers

small.

Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-fourth inches

long, about two and one-half inches wide, roundish-cordate,

compressed, with halves nearly equal; cavity wide, deep,

flaring or abrupt; suture shallow; apex roundish, with a

mucronate or mamelon tip; color deep golden-yellow, splashed,

blushed and mottled with red; pubescence heavy; skin thick,

tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh rayed with red near the pit,

yellow, juicy, firm but tender, sweet, pleasantly flavored;

good in quality; stone free, one and one-half inches long, one

inch wide, ovate, more or less bulged at one side and drawn out

near the base, plump, rather long-pointed, with short grooves

and pits in the surfaces; ventral suture winged, medium in

thickness, deeply grooved and furrowed along the edges; dorsal

suture a narrow groove, winged.

REEVES

=1.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:814. 1896. =2.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._

=169=:224. 1899. =3.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:354.

1903. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 39. 1909.

_Reeves' Favorite._ =5.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 288. 1854. =6.=

Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 633. 1857. =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._

30. 1875. =8.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 193. 1908.

_Reeves' Late._ =9.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 458. 1883.

Reeves is another of the old favorites now rapidly passing out of

cultivation. In its day it was justly celebrated for the high quality

of its yellow-fleshed, freestone fruits which are as handsome as they

are palatable. The peaches have but two minor defects to keep them from

perfection--they are a little too irregular in shape and sometimes

fall short in size. In texture of flesh, juiciness, taste and aroma

they are scarcely surpassed. The fault that condemns the variety is

unproductiveness in the trees. Under average conditions, Reeves is

scarcely as productive as the Crawfords which are rated by all as about

the poorest bearers. Making up in some degree for unfruitfulness,

the trees are vigorous and more than usually hardy. It can hardly be

expected that so poor a bearer will prove profitable in commercial

plantations but Reeves is worthy of perpetuation for home orchards.

This attractive peach came from a chance seedling found about sixty

years ago by Samuel Reeves, Salem, New Jersey. The variety has for many

years gone under the name Reeves' Favorite and was so listed in the

fruit-catalog of the American Pomological Society in 1875 but in 1909

the name was shortened by the Society to Reeves.

[Illustration: REEVES]

Tree medium to large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy,

rather unproductive; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown

with light ash-gray; branchlets intermediate in thickness and

length, with a tendency to rebranch, dark pinkish-red with

some olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with moderately

conspicuous lenticels raised and breaking the bark near the

base.

Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and three-fourths

inches wide, variable in position, oval to obovate-lanceolate;

upper surface dark olive-green, smooth becoming rugose along

the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; apex acuminate;

margin finely serrate, with reddish-brown glands; petiole

three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to three small,

globose glands variable in position.

Flower-buds tender, medium in size and length, pubescent,

conical or pointed, plump, free; blossoms open late;

flowers seven-eighths inch across, light and dark pink,

well distributed; pedicels very short, glabrous, greenish;

calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, orange-colored within,

obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes medium to narrow, acute,

glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval to ovate,

tapering to claws red at the base; filaments three-eighths inch

long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent near the

base, as long as the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; two and three-eighths inches

long, two and one-half inches wide, round-cordate, bulged at

one side, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity often very

deep, flaring or abrupt, the skin tender and often marked with

red; suture shallow, sometimes extending beyond both cavity

and tip; apex pointed or rounded, with a prominent, recurved,

mamelon tip; color deep yellow, blushed with dull red,

striped, splashed and mottled with brighter red; pubescence

thick, long; skin thick, tough, separates from the pulp;

flesh yellow, tinged with red near the pit, juicy, stringy,

tender and melting, pleasantly flavored, mild, sweet; very

good in quality; stone free, one and three-eighths inches

long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, ovate to oval, more or

less bulged near the apex, sometimes winged along the ventral

suture, with pitted and grooved surfaces; ventral suture deeply

furrowed along the sides, narrow, grooved; dorsal suture small,

grooved.

RIVERS

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 34. 1883. =2.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta.

Rpt._ =6=:22 fig. 1899. =3.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:106. 1901.

=4.= _Can. Hort._ =25=:464. 1902. =5.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort.

Man._ =2=:354. 1903.

_Early Rivers._ =6.= _Jour. Hort._ N. S. =17=:38, 58. 1869.

=7.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 1st App. 120, 121. 1872. =8.=

_Gard. Chron._ 1262. 1872. =9.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 28. 1875.

=10.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 445. 1884. =11.= _Rev. Hort._ 388.

1890. =12.= _Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 98 fig. 1906.

_Rivers' Frühe._ =13.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._ =VI=: No. 9, Pl.

1882.

_Précoce Rivers._ =14.= Baltet _Cult. Fr._ 239 fig. 138. 1908.

Rivers and one other, Salwey, are the only foreign peaches now commonly

cultivated in America. The peach, of all tree-fruits, best proves

the general rule that American varieties of fruits are best adapted

to American conditions. Perhaps to Rivers may be added three or four

more exotic peaches which are now and then planted in this country

but all are passing out so rapidly that we shall soon be standing on

a basis in peach-growing which is wholly American. Earliness and high

quality of fruit keep Rivers alive in private places in America. No

one would think of planting it in a commercial orchard because of its

small fruit, tender skin and flesh which show every bruise, and its

susceptibility to brown-rot. It is a white-fleshed freestone, tender,

juicy and with an exceedingly rich, sugary flavor with a savoring smack

of the nectarine. This variety stands almost alone in beauty of flesh

which is white to the stone, translucent and more or less mottled and

interspersed with white veins. At its best the fruits are rather large

and quite handsome as they grow in America, but even so they are but a

shadow of the peach described under this name in European fruit-books.

The trees are fairly satisfactory in all essential characters.

Rivers originated with Thomas Rivers, Sawbridgeworth, England, about

1865 as a seedling of Early Silver. Soon after its introduction in

England it was brought to America. The American Pomological Society

listed the variety in its fruit-catalog in 1875 as Early Rivers but in

1883 changed the name to Rivers though it is still popularly known as

Early Rivers.

[Illustration: RIVERS]

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, with inclination to

droop, round-topped, hardy, productive; trunk thick; branches

stocky, smooth, dark reddish-brown overspread with light

ash-gray; branchlets long, with internodes olive-green overlaid

with thin brownish-red, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous

conspicuous, large and small lenticels.

Leaves five and three-fourths inches long, one and five-eighths

inches wide, folded upward and somewhat recurved, oval to

obovate-lanceolate, thin, leathery, dark green, smooth or

sometimes rugose; lower surface grayish-green, not pubescent,

with a prominent midrib; apex acuminate; margin finely serrate,

tipped with fine, reddish-brown glands; petiole one-fourth inch

long, with one to six reniform, greenish-yellow glands variable

in position.

Flower-buds large, long, conical, heavily pubescent, appressed;

season of bloom early; flowers pink, one and one-half

inches across, often in pairs; pedicels short, glabrous,

green; calyx-tube dull reddish-green, light yellow within,

campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, narrow, acute to

obtuse, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals

round-ovate, bluntly notched near the base, tapering to long,

narrow claws occasionally with a reddish base; filaments

one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent

at the ovary, equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures early; two and three-eighths inches long, two and

one-fourth inches wide, round-oval, compressed, with unequal

halves; cavity shallow, contracted, irregular, abrupt; suture

medium to shallow; apex roundish, somewhat mucronate; color

creamy-white, blushed with red; pubescence short, heavy;

skin thick but tender, adherent to the pulp; flesh white,

translucent, veined, juicy, melting, sweet or mildly sprightly;

good in quality; stone nearly free, one and five-sixteenths

inches long, one inch wide, oval, plump, bulged on one side,

light colored, short-pointed at the apex, with grooved

surfaces; ventral suture very deeply grooved along the sides,

narrow, winged; dorsal suture grooved, more or less winged.

ROCHESTER

=414=:6, 7, Pl. 1916. =3.= _N. Y. State Fr. Gr. Assoc. Rpt._

18. 1916.

Fruit-growers have long desired an early, yellow, freestone peach with

suitable tree-characters for a commercial plantation. There are several

competitors for the place, the latest of which is Rochester, a member

of the Crawford group and in several respects a marked improvement

on the well-known Early Crawford. Rochester, in season, regarding

the crop as a whole, certainly precedes Early Crawford several days,

ripening soon after the middle of August. The introducers say that it

is two weeks earlier, a statement made possible by the fact that its

season is very long, a few specimens ripening extremely early. The

great length of season of this variety under some circumstances may

be an asset, under others a liability. As the color-plate shows, the

peaches are large, yellow, with a handsome over-color of mottled red,

more rotund than either of the two Crawfords or Elberta, making, all

in all, a strikingly beautiful peach. The flesh, too, meets all the

requirements of a good peach--thick and firm, marbled yellow, stained

with red at the pit, juicy, rich, sweet and in all respects fully up

to the high standard of palatability found in peaches of the Crawford

group. While the variety must be classed as a freestone, yet there is

a slight clinging which may disappear under some conditions and may be

augmented under others. Rochester seems to be sufficiently productive

for a good commercial fruit but it remains to be seen how generally it

is adapted to soils and climates. Should its range of adaptability be

great, Rochester, by virtue of earliness, good quality and handsome

appearance, at once takes a high place in commercial peach-growing in

New York.

Rochester came from a seed planted about 1900 on a farm owned by a Mr.

Wallen, near Rochester, New York. It was introduced by the Heberle

Brothers Nurseries, Brighton, New York, in 1912.

[Illustration: ROCHESTER]

Trees large, vigorous, upright-spreading, more upright than

Elberta, productive; trunk medium to thick, somewhat shaggy;

branches stocky, smooth, ash-gray over red; branchlets

slender, long, with long internodes, green mottled with

brownish-red, smooth, glabrous, with numerous inconspicuous,

small lenticels.

Leaves six inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide,

folded upward and slightly recurled, oval to ovate-lanceolate,

thin, leathery; upper surface dark green but often with a

lighter tinge, smooth; lower surface grayish-green; apex

acuminate; margin shallowly crenate; petiole one-half inch

long, thick, with two to eight large, reniform glands variable

in position.

Fruit matures in early mid-season; variable in size, the

larger specimens varying from three to three and one-half

inches in diameter, round-oblate, compressed, with unequal

halves, often bulged near the apex; cavity wide, deep, flaring;

suture shallow, becoming deeper near the tip; apex variable,

often with a mucronate tip; color lemon-yellow changing to

orange-yellow, blushed with deep, dark red, mottled; pubescence

heavy; skin thick, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh

yellow, stained with red near the pit, very juicy, tender

and melting, sweet, highly flavored, sprightly; very good in

quality; stone free, one and three-eighths inches long, more

than one inch wide, oval, plump, flattened near the base, with

roughened surface marked by large, deep pits and short grooves;

ventral suture deeply furrowed along the edges, rather wide;

dorsal suture grooved deeply, wide.

ST. JOHN

=1.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 320. 1890. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc.

Cat._ 46. 1891. =3.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 68. 1891. =4.=

_Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:814. 1896. =5.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._

=9=:8 fig. 1902. =6.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 207. 1913.

_Flater's St. John._ =7.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 613. 1869.

_Yellow St. John._ =8.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 18. 1871.

=9.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 64. 1871. =10.= _Ohio Sta. Bul._

=170=:182. 1906.

_Fleitas St. John._ =11.= _Pa. Bd. Agr. Rpt._ 586. 1878. =12.=

_Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:235. 1898.

_May Beauty._ =13.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 148. 1883.

_Crane._ =14.= _Mich. Sta. Sp. Bul._ =44=:34. 1910.

Unproductiveness and uncertainty in bearing keep this magnificent

yellow-fleshed dessert fruit from being one of the most popular early

peaches. Even with these handicaps, to which may be added small size

in many situations, St. John has maintained great popularity for home

orchards and in many peach-regions is grown for the markets. It is one

of the earliest of the Crawford-like peaches, a perfect freestone,

handsome in appearance, sweet, rich and delicious in flavor and

pleasing in all of the flesh attributes of a good dessert peach. St.

John resembles Early Crawford in size and shape but is a little more

rotund, runs somewhat smaller, is not quite as high in quality and

ripens several days earlier. The trees are all that could be asked for

in size, vigor and hardiness, falling short only in the characters

noted in the opening sentence. St. John should always be planted in the

home orchard and it would seem that it is more often worth planting in

commercial orchards. The color-plate does not do the variety justice

in size, color or shape, the Station grounds being one of the many

places in which the variety cannot be had at its best.

Where, by whom and when St. John originated and what its parentage,

are unknown. It is more than half a century old, came from the South,

and has been widely planted in southern peach-districts, especially

along the southern coast of Alabama. The variety reproduces itself from

seed and this fact has led to its being distributed under a number of

different names as is shown by the synonyms listed in the references.

In Michigan the variety was grown for some time as Crane, or Crane's

Early Yellow, having come from the orchard of Charles G. Crane of

Fennville. Mr. Crane, it appears, had lost the true name of the peach

and after fruiting his supposed seedling for a time it was discovered

by T. T. Lyon[265] to be identical with St. John. In 1871 the American

Pomological Society added this peach to its fruit-list as Yellow St.

John but dropped "Yellow" from the name in 1891, the variety having

appeared since that time in the Society's catalog as St. John.

[Illustration: ST. JOHN]

Tree medium to large, vigorous, upright-spreading, with the

lower branches drooping, unproductive; trunk stocky, medium

to smooth; branches thick, smooth, reddish-brown covered

with light ash-gray; branchlets with internodes of medium

length, dark pinkish-red with a trace of green, glossy, smooth,

glabrous, with a few lenticels variable in size, raised at the

base.

Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and three-fourths

inches wide, flattened or slightly curled downward, oval to

obovate-lanceolate, thick; upper surface dull, dark green,

smooth; lower surface grayish-green; apex acuminate; margin

finely serrate, often in two series, tipped with reddish-brown

glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one

to five small, globose glands variable in color and position.

Flower-buds obtuse, pubescent, plump, appressed or free;

blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers seven-eighths inch

across, white toward the base of the petals, becoming dark

pink near the edges; pedicels short, glabrous, pale green;

calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, obconic;

calyx-lobes obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals

small, ovate to oval, notched near the base, tapering to narrow

claws; filaments seven-sixteenths inch long, equal to the

petals in length; pistil pubescent near the base, as long as

the stamens.

Fruit matures early; two and one-half inches long, two and

three-fourths inches wide, round-oval, often bulged near the

apex, usually compressed, with oblique sides; cavity medium to

deep, wide, abrupt or flaring, often tinged with red; suture

deep near the tip; apex round or depressed, with a mucronate

or pointed tip; color deep yellow, blushed and splashed with

carmine; pubescence thick and long; skin medium to thick,

tough, variable in adherence to the pulp; flesh light yellow,

tinged with red near the pit, juicy, tender, pleasantly

sprightly, highly flavored; very good in quality; stone free,

one and one-fourth inches long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide,

ovate, plump, tapering to a long point, with rough surfaces

marked by large and small pits; ventral suture deeply grooved

along the edges, furrowed; dorsal suture a large, deep groove.

SALWEY

=1.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =6=:270, 271 fig. 1879. =2.= Hogg

_Fruit Man._ 460. 1884. =3.= Bunyard _Cat._ 36. 1913-14.

_Salway._ =4.= _Horticulturist_ N. S. =8=:168. 1858. =5.=

_Gard. Chron._ 944. 1861. =6.= Mas _Le Verger_ =7=:51, 52, fig.

24. 1866-73. =7.= _Am. Hort. Ann._ 80, 81 fig. 38. 1870. =8.=

_Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 56. 1871. =9.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._

1st App. 122. 1872. =10.= _Horticulturist_ =27=:248. 1872.

=11.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 30. 1875. =12.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._

=169=:225. 1899. =13.= _Kan. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 48, 49. 1901.

=14.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:355. 1903. =15.= _Cat.

Cong. Pom. France_ 114 fig. 1906.

Salwey is one of the two European peaches cultivated on a commercial

scale in America, Rivers being the other. Both find their greatest

usefulness in extending the peach-season, this variety being one of the

latest and Rivers one of the earliest sorts. It is a yellow-fleshed,

freestone peach of attractive appearance and of good quality, neither

handsome enough nor good enough in quality, however, to be considered

a first-class dessert fruit. On the other hand it is one of the best

sorts for canning, preserving and evaporating. The trees are vigorous,

hardy, healthy and very productive but unfortunately ripen their crop

so late in New York that the variety cannot be depended upon. Early

freezes often destroy the fruit and cold, wet weather usually hinders

maturity so much that the peaches are seldom at their best in this

State. Possibly no other peach is more widely grown than Salwey. It is

a standard sort in France, England and in peach-regions in America from

the Atlantic to the Pacific and from Canada to the Gulf. This uncommon

adaptability to diverse soils and climates ought to make it a valuable

sort in peach-breeding. It has the reputation of coming true to seed

but we do not find that many varieties have come from it.

The history of Salwey is not clear. Pomologists generally credit

Thomas Rivers, Sawbridgeworth, England, with being the originator and

introducer of the variety. It is known that Rivers grew it on his

grounds but it is doubtful if he originated it. Other accounts say that

it was raised in 1844 by Colonel Salwey, Egham Park, Surrey, England,

from the seed of an Italian peach. Some say that a Charles Turner,

Slough, England, brought the Italian peach seed from Florence, Italy,

while others state that Turner introduced the new peach. The variety

has long been known in America as Salway but Colonel Salwey, after whom

the peach was named, spelled his name with an "e" and the correction is

made in this text. In 1875 the American Pomological Society added this

peach to its list of recommended fruits under the name Salway.

[Illustration: SALWEY]

Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright-spreading, becoming

drooping, dense-topped, hardy, very productive; trunk thick,

smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with

very light ash-gray; branchlets slender, very long, with a

tendency to rebranch near the tips; internodes dull pinkish-red

with but little if any green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with

numerous raised lenticels.

Leaves seven inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide,

folded upward and recurled, oval to ovate-lanceolate, leathery;

apex acuminate; upper surface dark, dull green, smooth,

becoming rugose near the midrib; margin finely serrate, tipped

with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long,

glandless or with one to six small, globose and reniform glands

variable in color and position.

Flower-buds hardy, conical or pointed, pubescent, appressed

or partly free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers

seven-eighths inch across, white at the center of the petals,

becoming pink near the margins; pedicels very short, nearly

sessile, thick; calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored

within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, narrow,

acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals round,

broadly oval, widely notched near the base, tapering to long,

narrow claws red at the base; filaments five-sixteenths inch

long, equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent, longer

than the stamens.

Fruit matures very late; two and nine-sixteenths inches long,

two and one-half inches wide, round-cordate, bulged near the

apex, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity deep, abrupt,

often splashed with red; suture shallow, often extending

beyond the tip; apex usually a small, elongated point; color

greenish-yellow, usually with a brownish-red blush splashed

dark red; pubescence short, thick, fine; skin thin, tough,

adherent to the pulp; flesh golden-yellow, faintly tinged with

red near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender, becomes dry with

age, sweet, pleasantly flavored, aromatic; good to very good

in quality; stone free, one and one-half inches long, one and

one-sixteenth inches wide, oval to roundish-oval, very plump,

pointed at the base, with large pits and short grooves in the

surfaces; ventral suture narrow, deeply furrowed along the

edges; dorsal suture winged, a narrow groove.

SCHUMAKER

=1.= _Gard. Mon._ =22=:276. 1880. =2.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc.

Rpt._ 115. 1880. =3.= _Gard. Mon._ =25=:111 fig. 1883. =4.=

_Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 314, 315. 1889. =5.= _R. I. Sta. Bul._

=7=:41. 1890. =6.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:356. 1903.

_Shoemaker's Seedling._ =7.= _Cult. & Count. Gent._ =41=:631.

1876.

Schumaker, now grown only in western New York and Pennsylvania, for

a long time was described as the earliest of the white-fleshed,

clingstone peaches. There are other peaches as early but, on the

Station grounds, this is the best flavored of the early peaches.

Moreover, when fully ripe it is almost a freestone. It is a handsome

peach in color and shape but the fruits are too small though this can

be remedied in part by thinning. The trees are large, hardy, vigorous

and productive to a fault. With all of these good qualities, the wonder

is that Schumaker is not more popular as a commercial variety to open

the season but for some reason peach-growers are not pleased with

it--probably because of the small size of the peaches. For a peach of

its season, Schumaker is remarkably free from brown-rot. Nurserymen

often substitute Alexander for this variety and vice versa.

This variety originated as a seedling with Michael Schumaker, Fairview,

Erie County, Pennsylvania. Its parentage is unknown. It fruited for the

first time in 1877 and was for a few years grown commercially but its

popularity has long been on the wane.

[Illustration: SCHUMAKER]

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, becoming drooping,

open-topped, productive; trunk thick, smooth; branches stocky,

smooth, reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets

long, pinkish-red with but a trace of green, glossy, smooth,

glabrous, with large, conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and five-eighths

inches wide, variable in position, oval to obovate-lanceolate,

leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, smooth; lower surface

grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown

glands; petiole seven-sixteenths inch long, glandless or with

one to four small, globose, reddish-brown glands variable in

position.

Flower-buds hardy, pubescent, conical or pointed, plump,

usually free; blossoms appear early; flowers one and one-half

inches across, pink; pedicels very short, glabrous, green;

calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, greenish-yellow within,

obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, acute, glabrous within,

pubescent without; petals oval to ovate, tapering to claws

sometimes red at the base; filaments one-half inch long,

shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the base, as long

as the stamens.

Fruit matures very early; about two and one-eighth inches in

diameter, round, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity deep,

flaring; suture shallow; apex ending in a recurved, mucronate

tip but variable; color creamy-white, heavily blushed and often

mottled with dark red; pubescence short, thick; skin thin,

tender, separates from the pulp when fully ripe; flesh white,

very juicy, stringy, tender, sweet, aromatic, highly flavored;

very good in quality; stone clinging, becoming semi-cling when

fully mature, one and one-fourth inches long, three-fourths

inch wide, oval, plump, inconspicuously winged, with corrugated

surfaces.

SMOCK

=1.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 193, 194. 1865. =2.= Mas _Le Verger_

=7=:75, 76, fig. 36. 1866-73. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 28.

1873. =4.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =6=:279 fig., 280. 1879. =5.=

_Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:225, 226. 1899. =6.= Fulton _Peach

Cult._ 196, 197. 1908.

_Saint George._ =7.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 193. 1841.

_Smock Freestone._ =8.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 492. 1845. =9.=

Bridgeman _Gard. Ass't_ Pt. =3=:108. 1857. =10.= _Am. Pom. Soc.

Cat._ 78. 1862.

Though little grown now, during the last half of the last century Smock

was one of the leading commercial peaches of its season. The variety

has so little to recommend it, however, that we cannot but believe that

reputation more than merit kept up its popularity. The trees are about

all that could be desired but the peaches are of but mediocre quality

and not at all attractive in appearance, lacking in size and color,

are ungainly in shape and have but little uniformity in size, color or

shape. It is one of the latest yellow-fleshed peaches and is said to be

excellent for all culinary purposes. With so many better varieties of

late yellow-fleshed, freestone peaches, Smock is not worth planting for

any purpose.

Smock originated three-quarters of a century or more ago with a

Mr. Smock, Middletown, New Jersey. Variations under such names as

Smock X and Smock (Hance) have arisen as distinct varieties but all

have proved to be identical with the old sort. The name Smock Cling

appears in peach-literature but whether the peach was distinct we

cannot say. Years after the introduction of Smock a peach was put

out under the name "Beers Smock." The differences claimed are that

Beers Smock runs larger and is better in quality than Smock. All

descriptions of the two sorts, however, are so nearly identical that

we believe that the two names are given to the same peach. In 1862 the

American Pomological Society listed Smock in its catalog as Smock

Freestone. In 1873 the name was shortened to Smock and it so appears

today.

[Illustration: SMOCK]

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, somewhat drooping,

dense-topped, tall, usually very productive; trunk medium to

thick, rough; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown with very

light ash-gray tinge; branchlets slender, medium to long, with

short internodes, dark red intermingled with olive-green,

glossy, smooth, glabrous, with large, raised lenticels.

Leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and one-half inches

wide, flattened or curved downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate,

thick; upper surface dull, dark green; smooth; lower surface

grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with dark red

glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with none to five

small, globose or reniform glands variable in color and

position.

Flower-buds tender, conical or pointed, slightly pubescent,

appressed or free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers less

than one inch across, white at the center of the petals, light

or dark pink near the edges, often in twos; pedicels short,

glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube reddish-green at the base,

orange-colored within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes

broad, acute, serrate, glabrous within, pubescent without,

partly reflexed; petals oval, irregular in outline near the

base, tapering to long, narrow claws often reddish at the base;

filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in

length; pistil pubescent near the base, equal to or longer than

the stamens.

Fruit matures very late; two and one-half inches long, two

and three-eighths inches wide, oval, irregular, often bulged

near the apex, compressed, with halves unequal and somewhat

angular; cavity narrow, abrupt, contracted around the sides,

twig-marked; suture a mere line, becoming deeper toward the

apex; apex roundish, with a recurved, mucronate tip; color

greenish-yellow or sometimes orange-yellow, specked and

mottled with dull, dark red or sometimes faintly tinted with a

bronze blush; pubescence very heavy, thick, fine; skin thin,

tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh yellow, faintly tinged with

red near the pit, variable in juiciness, tender, sprightly,

pleasantly flavored; good in quality; stone free, one and

five-eighths inches long, one and one-sixteenth inches wide,

oval or obovate, bulged near the apex, flattened toward the

base, with deeply grooved surfaces; ventral suture narrow,

winged, deeply grooved along the sides; dorsal suture a wide

and deep groove, winged.

STEVENS

=1.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:356, 357. 1903.

_Stevens Rareripe._ =2.= _N. J. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 42. 1878. =3.=

_Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 32. 1889. =4.= _Ont. Fr. Gr. Assoc. Rpt._

=22=:31, 32. 1890. =5.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:227. 1899. =6.=

_Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =9=:38. 1902. =7.= Waugh _Am. Peach

Orch._ 207. 1913.

Stevens is one of the fruits of the generation just past--a large,

white and red, white-fleshed, freestone peach. The variety is best

known as Stevens Rareripe but the last part of the name is inapt for

the true rareripes are earlier ripening peaches while with Stevens

lateness is one of its prime assets. In quality the fruits are extra

good, the flesh-characters pleasing in every respect. The flavor is a

pleasing mingling of sweet and sour not found in many other peaches so

late in the season. The appearance of the peach is as alluring as the

taste. The color-plate shows the variety almost perfectly in color and

shape but the peaches as depicted are rather smaller than the average.

These late, white-fleshed peaches now seldom sell well, usually

reaching the markets in poor condition, but they are choice fruits for

home use and for this purpose Stevens should be planted in every home

orchard. The variety has the reputation of being hardy in both wood and

buds.

Stevens originated about 1858 on the farm of B. Stevens, Morristown,

New Jersey. Its parentage is unknown. It was listed in the American

Pomological Society's catalog in 1889 as Stevens Rareripe. Later the

name was shortened to Stevens in accordance with the Society's rules of

nomenclature.

[Illustration: STEVENS]

Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, with the lower branches

inclined to droop, productive; trunk of medium thickness,

rough; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with

light ash-gray; branchlets thick, dark reddish-brown with but

little green, glossy, smooth, with numerous large and small

lenticels.

Leaves six inches long, one and five-eighths inches

wide, folded upward and slightly recurled, oval to

obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dark green, glossy,

rugose along the midrib; lower surface light green; margin

finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole

three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to six small,

reniform glands usually at the base of the leaf; flower-buds

intermediate in size and length, conical to pointed, somewhat

appressed, pubescent; flowers small.

Fruit matures late; about two and eleven-sixteenths inches

in diameter, round to round-oval, with nearly equal sides;

cavity deep, wide, flaring to abrupt; suture medium to deep,

often extending beyond the tip; apex roundish, with a strongly

mucronate and recurved tip; color greenish-white overlaid

with attractive purplish-red, often mottled or splashed with

darker red; pubescence short, fine; skin thick, tough, adherent

to the pulp; flesh white, tinted with red near the pit and

reddish underneath the deepest surface blush, juicy, coarse,

sweet, sprightly; good in quality; stone nearly free, one and

five-eighths inches long, one and one-eighth inches wide,

obovate, flattened at the base, plump, with grooved surfaces;

ventral suture medium to deeply grooved along the edges,

intermediate in width, furrowed; dorsal suture deeply grooved,

winged.

STUMP

=1.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:817. 1896. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc.

Cat._ 22. 1897. =3.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:227. 1899. =4.=

Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:357. 1903.

_Stump the World._ =5.= _U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt._ 299. 1854. =6.=

Elliott _Fr. Book_ 304. 1859. =7.= _Horticulturist_ =14=:106,

107, Pl. 1859. =8.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 80. 1862. =9.= _U.

S. D. A. Rpt._ 193. 1865. =10.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 232. 1866.

=11.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 633. 1869. =12.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._

=42=:242. 1898. =13.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 189, 190. 1908.

_Stump-of-the-World._ =14.= _N. J. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 41, 42.

1878.

_Pêche du New-Jersey._ =15.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =6=:195, 196

fig. 1879.

_Late Stump._ =16.= _Ark. Sta. Bul._ =43=:102. 1896.

Stump has long been a favorite white-fleshed, freestone, late peach

of the Oldmixon type. It is not a handsome fruit, the color-plate

flattering rather than detracting from its appearance, but makes

up in quality what it lacks in looks. The flesh is melting, juicy,

sparkling, rich and good though dry and very mediocre if permitted to

overripen. The peaches are too tender for distant shipment and the

variety is of value only for local markets and home use. The trees

are large, vigorous, hardy, healthy and productive, with a shapely,

upright-spreading, dense-topped head--about all that could be desired

in a peach-tree. In spite of the high quality of the peaches and the

splendid tree-characters, Stump is steadily waning in popularity and

will, no doubt, soon pass from cultivation.

We can say little of the history of Stump other than that it originated

in New Jersey at least three-quarters of a century ago. A Mr. Brant,

Madison, New Jersey, in a report on peaches at the meeting of the

New Jersey Horticultural Society in 1878 mentions a variety as

Stump-of-the-World which originated on the farm of Samuel Whitehead

in Middlesex County, New Jersey, about 1825. Mr. Brant, however,

considered this sort distinct from Stump although very similar to it.

From the description he gives it seems certain that he was describing

the true Stump. In 1862 the American Pomological Society listed this

sort in its catalog as Stump the World. The name was shortened to Stump

in 1897 by the committee on nomenclature in accordance with pomological

rules.

[Illustration: STUMP]

Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense-topped,

productive; trunk medium in diameter, smooth; branches stocky,

smooth, reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets

thick, inclined to rebranch, long, with internodes dark red

mingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with many

conspicuous, small, raised lenticels.

Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and three-fourths

inches wide, folded downward, broad-oval to obovate-lanceolate,

leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, rugose along the

midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate,

often in two series, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole

seven-sixteenths inch long, with one to four globose glands

variable in color and position.

Flower-buds semi-hardy, pubescent, conical to pointed, plump,

usually more or less free; blossoms appear in mid-season;

flowers thirteen-sixteenths inch across, white at the center,

becoming pink near the margin; pedicels long, slender;

calyx-tube dull reddish-green, yellow within, campanulate,

glabrous; calyx-lobes acute, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent

without; petals oval, faintly notched near the base, tapering

to very short claws tinged with red near the base; filaments

five-sixteenths inch long, equal to the petals in length;

pistil pubescent at the ovary, longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures late; about two and one-half inches in diameter,

round-oval to cordate bulged near the apex, compressed, with

markedly unequal halves; cavity shallow, wide, uneven in

outline, flaring or abrupt, with tender skin; suture shallow,

often extending beyond the tip; apex round or pointed, with a

recurved, mucronate tip; color creamy-white, blushed, mottled

and splashed with red; pubescence long, thick, coarse; skin

thin, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh white, strongly

stained with red near the pit, juicy, tender and melting,

sweet, rich, pleasantly flavored, aromatic; very good in

quality; stone nearly free, one and one-half inches long, one

and one-sixteenth inches wide, ovate to oval, plump, flattened

toward the base, tapering to a long point, with grooved

surfaces; ventral suture deeply marked along the edges, narrow,

sometimes winged; dorsal suture grooved.

SUMMER SNOW

=1.= _Okla. Sta. Bul._ =2=:15. 1892. =2.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._

=118=:31. 1895. =3.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 691. 1897. =4.=

_Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:227. 1899. =5.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta.

Rpt._ =7=:55. 1900.

Summer Snow is a curiosity with some value for culinary purposes Its

distinctive peculiarities are a skin almost pure white and flesh white

as snow from skin to pit. The quality is poor and the flesh clings to

the pit so tenaciously that the variety has no value, whatsoever, for

dessert but is said to be excellent for pickling and to make a very

good and a very distinctive canned product.

There are no records of the origin of this peach but it is doubtful if

it dates back more than a quarter of a century. The variety is very

similar to the old Snow, which was probably its prototype, differing

essentially in having a clinging stone while the stone of Snow is free.

In New York the name is a misnomer as the fruit does not ripen until

the last of September or early in October. Albino peaches date back to

the early records of this fruit and seem to be known wherever peaches

are grown. Whenever seedling peaches are grown in large numbers, an

occasional albino appears.

[Illustration: SUMMER SNOW]

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, slightly drooping,

productive; trunk thick and, smooth; branches stocky, smooth,

reddish-brown mingled with very light ash-gray; branchlets very

long, inclined to rebranch, with internodes of medium length,

olive-green intermingled with light brown, smooth, glabrous,

with conspicuous, russet-colored lenticels.

Leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and five-eighths

inches wide, flattened or curved downward, oval to

obovate-lanceolate, thin; upper surface dull green, smooth;

lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped

with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long,

glandless or with one to six small, globose and reniform glands

variable in color and position.

Leaf-buds semi-hardy, small, short, variable in shape, plump,

appressed or slightly free; blossoms appear in mid-season;

flowers one and five-eighths inches across, white, sometimes in

twos; pedicels short, thick, glabrous, green; calyx-tube tinged

with green, yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes

variable in length, medium to narrow, acute, glabrous

within, pubescent without; petals often pointed at the apex,

round-ovate, broadly notched at the base, tapering to broad,

short claws; filaments seven-sixteenths inch long, shorter than

the petals; pistil pubescent near the base, as long as the

stamens.

Fruit matures late; two and three-eighths inches long, two and

five-sixteenths inches wide, round-cordate, somewhat angular,

bulged at one side, compressed, with unequal sides; cavity

deep, narrow, abrupt, contracted about the sides, twig-marked;

suture shallow, becoming deeper toward the tip; apex roundish

or depressed, with a mucronate or sometimes a small, mamelon

tip; color greenish-white changing to creamy-white, without

blush; pubescence long, thick, coarse; skin thin, tender,

adherent to the pulp; flesh white to the pit, juicy, meaty,

mildly sweet to sprightly; fair in quality; stone firmly

clinging, one and nine-sixteenths inches long, one and

one-eighth inches wide, broad-oval, often bulged near the apex,

winged, with pitted surfaces marked with short grooves; ventral

suture rather narrow, winged, with furrows of medium depth

along the sides; dorsal suture grooved, with winged sides.

SURPASSE

=1.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._ =169=:227. 1899. =2.= Budd-Hansen _Am.

Hort. Man._ =2=:357. 1903.

_Surpasse Melocoton._ =3.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 33. 1874.

=4.= Barry _Fr. Garden_ 407. 1883. =5.= _R. I. Sta. Bul._

=7=:41. 1890.

As Surpasse grows on the Station grounds, it has most of the qualities

of a first-class yellow-fleshed, freestone peach. The fruits are large,

handsome and of excellent quality, while the trees are satisfactory in

every respect except, possibly, in productiveness. The variety has been

grown sufficiently long in New York to have been well tested and has

not found favor, so that we must conclude that it does not do as well

elsewhere as here and that it is doomed to go into the discard.

Surpasse originated more than forty years ago on the grounds of

Ellwanger & Barry, Rochester, New York, and has long been sold by this

nursery firm. It has never been widely nor largely grown commercially

but is not uncommon in western New York.

[Illustration: SURPASSE]

Tree above medium size, vigorous, upright-spreading, with a

tendency to droop, rather unproductive; trunk thick and smooth;

branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown mingled with light

ash-gray; branchlets thick, inclined to rebranch, long, dark

pinkish-red with some green, smooth except for the lenticels,

glabrous, with very conspicuous, numerous, large and small,

raised lenticels.

Leaves six inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide,

variable in position, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery;

upper surface dark olive-green, rugose along the midrib; apex

acuminate; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown

glands; petiole seven-sixteenths inch long, glandless or

with one to four small, globose glands variable in color and

position.

Flower-buds tender, pubescent, conical to pointed, plump,

usually free; blossoms open in mid-season; flowers

seven-eighths inch across, light pink but darker along the

edges, usually single; pedicels short, glabrous, green;

calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, campanulate,

glabrous; calyx-lobes long, narrow, acute, glabrous within,

pubescent without; petals ovate, with short, indistinct claws;

filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in

length; pistil as long as the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-half inches long,

two and three-eighths inches wide, round-cordate, irregular,

compressed, much bulged near the apex, with unequal halves;

cavity deep, wide, flaring to abrupt, with tender, reddish

skin; suture a line becoming deeper toward the tip; apex

pointed, usually with an erect, mamelon tip; color pale yellow

or orange-yellow, mottled and splashed more or less with red

and overspread with a lively, dark red blush; pubescence

medium in length, thick, fine; skin thin, separates from

the pulp; flesh light yellow, red near the pit, very juicy,

rather coarse, stringy, tender and melting, sprightly, highly

flavored; good to very good in quality; stone free, one and

three-eighths inches long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, ovate,

rather plump, tapering to a long point, sometimes slightly

winged along the ventral suture, with pitted surfaces; ventral

suture deeply grooved along the edges, below medium in width,

furrowed; dorsal suture grooved, winged.

THURBER

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 75. 1873. =2.= _Gard. Mon._ =17=:175.

1875. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 2nd App. 144. 1876. =4.=

_Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 32. 1881. =5.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:109

fig. 8, 110. 1901. =6.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:357.

1903.

Thurber is mediocre in all of its characters in New York, though

perhaps it is a little better in quality than the average

white-fleshed, mid-season freestone. In the South, however, it seems

to be considered one of the best of its class not only in quality

but in size and appearance. The fruits are small in New York, as the

color-plate shows, while all descriptions of them in the South say they

are large. The variety is possibly worth planting, because of good

quality, in home orchards in this State.

Thurber is a seedling of Chinese Cling grown by L. E. Berckmans, Rome,

Georgia, more than forty years ago. The variety was named in honor of

Dr. George Thurber, American botanist, naturalist and editor. It is

similar to its parent but is a freestone and the trees are more compact

and thrifty than those of Chinese Cling. The American Pomological

Society added Thurber to its fruit-list in 1881, a place it still holds.

[Illustration: THURBER]

Tree above medium size, vigorous, upright-spreading,

productive; trunk thick and smooth; branches stocky, smooth,

reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets slender,

often very long, olive-green with some red, glossy, smooth,

glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, raised lenticels variable

in size, usually russetted toward the base.

Leaves six inches long, over one and one-half inches wide,

flattened or curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate,

leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, smooth becoming

rugose along the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin

finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole

three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to four small,

globose glands variable in color and position.

Flower-buds tender, large, medium to short, heavily pubescent,

obtuse, very plump, usually free; blossoms open in mid-season;

flowers one and one-eighth inches across, light pink, darker

along the edges, usually single; pedicels long, slender,

glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube reddish-green, greenish-yellow

within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes acute, glabrous

within, heavily pubescent without, flattened; petals ovate,

tapering to short, narrow claws; filaments seven-sixteenths

inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil longer than

the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; two and three-eighths inches

long, two and one-eighth inches wide, round-oval, somewhat

compressed, with unequal halves; cavity shallow, narrow,

flaring or abrupt, often tinted with red, compressed about the

sides; suture a line or very shallow, often extending beyond

the tip; apex round, with a recurved, mucronate or mamelon tip;

color green or creamy-white, with few splashes of dull red over

a lively red blush; pubescence long, coarse, thick; skin thin,

tough, variable in adherence to the pulp; flesh white, deeply

stained with red near the pit, juicy, tender and melting,

pleasantly sprightly, aromatic; good in quality; stone free,

one and one-half inches long, more than an inch wide, red,

obovate to oval, flattened toward the base, plump, tapering

to a short point, often winged on the ventral suture, with

surfaces pitted and marked by short grooves; ventral suture

deeply grooved along the edges, narrow; dorsal suture grooved,

slightly winged.

TRIANA

=1.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:819. 1896. =2.= _Fla. Sta. Bul._

=73=:152. 1904. =3.= _Glen St. Mary Nur. Cat._ 23. 1906. =4.=

_Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 39. 1909.

Triana is another of the honey-fleshed, beaked peaches supposed to

thrive only in the far South. It can be grown, however, with about

as much certainty in New York as many of the standard varieties of

the North. Its small size and poor shipping qualities debar it from

competing with commercial peaches in this region but it is well worth

planting in home orchards for the sake of variety and because of

its delicious flavor--a sort of scented sweetness wholly unknown in

northern varieties. The good health, vigor, size and hardiness of these

honey-peaches on the Station grounds is a constant surprise to those

who have believed that they could be grown only in the Gulf States.

Triana originated a quarter of a century or more ago at the Glen Saint

Mary Nurseries, Glen Saint Mary, Florida. It was introduced in 1892 by

the originators. The American Pomological Society added Triana to its

fruit-list in 1909.

[Illustration: TRIANA]

Tree of medium size, upright-spreading, open-topped,

productive; branches greenish-red; branchlets slender, long,

with a tendency to rebranch, dark red with some olive-green,

rough, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, large, raised

lenticels.

Leaves five and one-half inches long, one and five-eighths

inches wide, folded upward and recurled, slightly lanceolate,

thin, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface

grayish-green, with prominent mid-rib; margin finely serrate;

petiole three-eighths inch long, with one to five small,

reniform glands variable in position.

Flower-buds half-hardy, short, pubescent, conical, plump,

usually appressed; blossoms one and one-half inches across,

pale red, in dense clusters, usually single; pedicels long,

slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube reddish-green, dark

greenish-yellow within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes

acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval to

long-ovate, tapering to short claws; filaments seven-sixteenths

inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent at the

ovary, often longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures in late mid-season; two and one-eighth inches

long, one and thirteen-sixteenths inches wide, oval,

compressed, with unequal halves; cavity shallow, flaring;

suture of medium depth; apex a long, mucronate tip; color

creamy-white, blushed, splashed and mottled with bright red;

pubescence short, fine; skin thin, tender, adhering to the

pulp; flesh white, faintly stained with red near the pit,

tender, sweet, mild; good in quality; stone nearly free, one

and one-fourth inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide,

oval or elliptical, usually with pitted surfaces; ventral

suture deeply grooved along the edges; dorsal suture grooved.

TRIUMPH

=1.= _Gard. & For._ =8=:20. 1895. =2.= _U. S. D. A. Pom. Rpt._

44. 1895. =3.= Kan. Hort. Soc. _Peach, The_ 49. 1899. =4.= _Am.

Pom. Soc. Cat._ 34. 1899. =5.= _Can. Hort._ =24=:401, fig.

2158. 1901. =6.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =9=:38. 1902. =7.=

Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:358. 1903. =8.= _Ohio Sta.

Bul._ =170=:182. 1906. =9.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 196, 208.

1913.

_Triomphe._ =10.= _Rev. Hort._ 79. 1895.

Triumph is an extra early, yellow-fleshed peach so inferior in

appearance and quality of fruit and so subject to brown-rot that it is

not worth growing in any but the most northern peach-regions where,

because of great hardiness in wood and bud, it becomes a valuable

variety. It is grown more or less, however, both north and south

because it is one of the earliest yellow-fleshed sorts and because

the trees bear regularly and abundantly. The dark color and the great

amount of fuzzy pubescence detract materially from the appearance of

the peach. The specimens shown in the color-plate are from unthinned

trees; the size can be increased by thinning. Small pits somewhat

offset the small size of the fruits. The peaches, if not attacked

by brown-rot, stand shipment splendidly, a character which adds to its

value for early markets. Though often put down as a clingstone it is,

when well grown, a semi-cling and sometimes the stone is free.

Triumph is one of several seedlings grown by J. D. Husted, Vineyard,

Georgia. It is supposed to be an offspring of Alexander. The date of

origin is unknown but references go back to 1895. Triumph was placed on

the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society in 1899.

[Illustration: TRIUMPH]

Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright-spreading, with lower

branches drooping, hardy, very productive; trunk intermediate

in thickness and smoothness; branches stocky, smooth,

reddish-brown intermingled with very light ash-gray; branchlets

slender, long, with internodes of medium length, dark

pinkish-red with some green, glossy, very smooth, glabrous,

with many conspicuous, small, raised lenticels.

Leaves six inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide,

flattened or curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, thin,

leathery; upper surface dull, dark olive-green, rugose near

the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; margin finely and

shallowly serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole

three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to four very

small, globose glands variable in position.

Flower-buds hardy, small, short, pubescent, obtuse or pointed,

plump, appressed or free; blossoms unfold early; flowers

one and five-eighths inches across, dark pink, sometimes in

twos; pedicels short, slender, glabrous, green; calyx-tube

reddish-green at the base, orange-colored within, campanulate,

glabrous; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent

without; petals broadly oval to ovate, widely notched near

the base, tapering to claws with reddish base; filaments

seven-sixteenths inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil

pubescent near the base, equal in length to the stamens.

Fruit matures early; two inches long, two and one-eighth inches

wide, roundish-oval, compressed, with unequal sides; cavity

deep, abrupt, with tender skin; suture shallow; apex roundish,

with a mamelon and recurved tip; color pale yellow overlaid

with dark red; pubescence thick and long; skin thin, adherent

to the pulp; flesh yellow, stained with red near the pit,

juicy, firm until fully ripe, sprightly; fair in quality; stone

semi-free to free when fully ripe, one and one-fourth inches

long, seven-eighths inch wide, obovate, flattened wedge-like at

the base, bulged at one side near the apex, plump, with deeply

grooved surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved along the

edges, furrowed; dorsal suture winged, deeply grooved, rather

wide.

TROTH

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 35. 1899. =2.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._

=169=:228. 1899. =3.= _Am. Gard._ =24=:413. 1903.

_Troth's Early Rareripe._ =4.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 183. 1841.

_Troth's Early Red._ =5.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 304. 1859. =6.=

Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 634. 1869.

_Troth's Early._ =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 80. 1862. =8.= _Am.

Jour. Hort._ =3=:341. 1868. =9.= Fulton

_Peach Cult._ 183, 184. 1908.

Troth, the standard early peach in the middle of the last century, is

now all but out of cultivation. It is still listed in a few nursery

catalogs and is still on the fruit-list of the American Pomological

Society. Among the multitude of early peaches now grown, Troth cuts

but a sorry figure in either tree- or fruit-characters. It is worth

discussing here only because it is a milestone in the evolution of

cultivated peaches.

Troth, first known as Troth's Early Red, originated in the first years

of the Nineteenth Century, probably in New Jersey. Nothing is known of

its parentage or of the originator. It ripens with Early York and some

pomologists have confused it with this variety and also with Haines

but, while similar to both, Troth is distinct. The American Pomological

Society placed the variety upon its fruit-list in 1862 under the name

Troth's Early Red but dropped it in 1891. In 1899 it was once more

recommended by the Pomological Society, being listed as Troth.

Tree above medium in size, vigorous, upright-spreading, the

lower branches drooping, very productive; trunk somewhat

stocky; branches thick, smooth, reddish-brown covered

with light ash-gray; branchlets slender, long, with short

internodes, dark pinkish-red intermingled with green, with

conspicuous, very numerous, large and small lenticels;

leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and three-fourths

inches wide, flattened and slightly curled downward, oval to

obovate-lanceolate, leathery, dark, dull green, smooth becoming

rugose near the midrib; margin finely and shallowly serrate,

tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole seven-sixteenths

inch long, with one to five very small, globose, reddish-brown

glands; flower-buds half-hardy, of medium size and length, more

or less pubescent, obtuse or conical, plump, usually appressed;

blossoms small, appear in mid-season.

Fruit matures in early mid-season; two inches long, two and

one-eighth inches wide, roundish-oblate, slightly bulged at

one side, somewhat compressed, with halves decidedly unequal;

cavity of medium depth and width, abrupt, somewhat irregular,

contracted about the sides, often dotted and striped with

red; suture rather shallow, extending considerably beyond the

point; apex roundish or depressed, with a mucronate or slightly

pointed tip; color greenish-white or creamy-white, blushed with

dark, dull red and with more or less heavy mottlings extending

over more than half of the surface; pubescence thick, short;

skin thin, tender, adheres somewhat to the pulp; flesh whitish,

tinged with red near the pit, variable in juiciness, tender,

nearly melting, pleasant flavored; fair to good in quality;

stone free, one and one-eighths inches long, seven-eighths inch

wide, oval, flattened toward the base, acute at the apex, with

grooved surfaces; ventral suture medium in width; dorsal suture

grooved.

WADDELL

=1.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:242. 1898. =2.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._

=13=:111 fig. 9. 1901. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 249. 1903.

=4.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:358. 1903. =5.= _Ohio

Sta. Bul._ =170=:182. 1906. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 39. 1909.

=7.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 208. 1913.

Waddell is an early mid-season, white-fleshed, semi-cling peach from

Georgia, a very evident descendant of Chinese Cling. The variety is

now widely grown and is everywhere esteemed as a commercial sort. Its

chief competitor is Carman, compared with which the fruit differs in

ripening a few days early; is handsomer, in color at least, the two,

as the color-plates show, being very similar in size and shape; is of

rather finer texture of flesh and is better flavored; and, lastly,

according to most reports, Waddell is a better shipper than Carman.

The variety has not been nearly as widely nor as generally planted as

the better-known Carman but we are of the opinion that it has been a

greater factor in the success of a score or more of the big commercial

peach-orchards, North and South, of the last few years. It is a

particularly pleasing peach in New York and ought to be considered for

every commercial plantation where a variety of its season is wanted to

precede or to compete with Carman.

Waddell is a chance seedling found by William Waddell, Griffin,

Georgia. The variety was introduced by J. H. Hale, South Glastonbury,

Connecticut. The American Pomological Society added Waddell to its

fruit-list in 1909.

[Illustration: WADDELL]

Tree medium in size, vigorous, upright becoming spreading and

with the lower branches inclined to droop, hardy, productive;

trunk thick, smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown

tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets long, inclined to

rebranch, dark pinkish-red overspread with green, glossy,

smooth, glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, raised lenticels

variable in size.

Leaves six inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide,

folded upward and curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate,

leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, smooth; lower surface

grayish-green; apex acuminate; margin finely serrate, tipped

with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long,

with one to four small, globose, reddish-brown glands variable

in position.

Flower-buds hardy, conical or pointed, pubescent, usually

appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers one and

three-fourths inches across, red becoming pale pink, in

clusters of twos; pedicels short, slender, glabrous, green;

calyx-tube reddish-green at the base, greenish-yellow within,

campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, glabrous

within, pubescent without; petals oval, crenate, irregular in

outline near the base, tapering to claws with reddish base;

filaments seven-sixteenths inch long, shorter than the petals;

pistil pubescent near the base, equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and one-fourth inches

long, about two inches wide, oval to roundish-oval, compressed,

bulged on one side, with unequal halves; cavity deep, abrupt,

with tender skin, tinged with pink; suture shallow, deepening

toward the apex and extending beyond; apex roundish, with a

small, mucronate tip; color creamy-white, blushed with red

and with a few dull splashes of darker red; pubescence thick;

skin tough, separates from the pulp; flesh white, stained with

pink near the pit, juicy, stringy firm but tender, sweet but

sprightly, aromatic; very good in quality; stone semi-free to

free, one and three-eighths inches long, one inch wide, ovate;

ventral suture deeply grooved along the sides, faintly winged;

dorsal suture grooved, not winged.

WAGER

=1.= _Cult. & Count. Gent._ =43=:584. 1878. =2.= _W. N. Y.

Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 113, 114. 1880. =3.= _Cult. & Count. Gent._

=48=:823. 1883. =4.= Black _Cult. Peach & Pear_ 111. 1886. =5.=

_Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 22. 1897. =6.= Kan. Hort. Soc. _Peach,

The_ 148. 1899. =7.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:358, 359.

1903.

Hardiness, productiveness and early bearing are the outstanding

characters of Wager that give it a high place in the peach-list for

New York. It is a yellow-fleshed, freestone peach none too attractive

in coloring, always rather small and of only fair quality as a dessert

fruit but excellent for canning, drying and all culinary purposes. The

variety comes true to seed, or nearly so. The fruits of Wager are not

attractive enough and the trees are too small to make the variety of

much value in commercial plantations but it is a very good peach for

home orchards and one of the best of all where hardiness is a prime

requisite. Several quite distinct peaches are sold by nurserymen as

Wager.

Wager originated some time previous to 1870 with Benjamin Wager, West

Bloomfield, Ontario County, New York. The variety was added to the

fruit-list of the American Pomological Society in 1897.

[Illustration: WAGER]

Tree medium in size or small, upright-spreading, hardy,

productive; trunk intermediate in thickness and smoothness;

branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown overlaid with light

ash-gray; branchlets rebranching near the tips, dark red with

some green, roughened by the lenticels, which are medium in

size and number.

Leaves five and one-half inches long, one and one-fourth inches

wide, flattened or curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate,

thin, leathery; upper surface dull, dark green, rugose along

the midrib; lower surface grayish-green; apex acuminate; margin

finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole

five-sixteenths inch long, with two to four small, globose or

reniform glands variable in color and position.

Flower-buds medium in size and length, heavily pubescent,

conical, plump, usually free; blossoms appear in mid-season;

flowers one and one-eighth inches across; pedicels very

short, thick, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green,

orange-colored within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes

narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval,

broadly notched, tapering to claws red at the base; filaments

three-eighths inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil

pubescent at the ovary, longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-half inches long,

two and one-fourth inches wide, oval, bulged near the apex,

sometimes conical, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity

flaring or abrupt, often mottled with red and with tender skin;

suture a line, becoming deeper toward the tip; apex roundish

or pointed, usually with a mamelon, recurved tip; color

orange-yellow, blushed and mottled with dark red; pubescence

thick, long and fine; skin thin, tough, separates from the

pulp; flesh yellow, faintly stained with red near the pit,

meaty but tender, sweet, mild; good in quality; stone free, one

and three-eighths inches long, one inch wide, ovate, flattened

near the base, with pitted surfaces, marked with few short

grooves; ventral suture deeply grooved along the sides, wide,

furrowed; dorsal suture a wide, deep groove.

WATERLOO

=1.= _Cult. & Count. Gent._ =43=:489. 1878. =2.= _W. N. Y.

Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 51. 1879. =3.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 463. 1884.

=4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 34. 1885. =5.= _Ibid._ 22. 1897. =6.=

_Garden_ =66=:112. 1904. =7.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._

=2=:359. 1903. =8.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 173. 1908. =9.= Waugh

_Am. Peach Orch._ 209. 1913.

Waterloo is without honor in its own country but is a standard peach

in England. In spite of the fact that the variety originated within

ten miles of the Station grounds it is all but worthless here as it is

in most parts of New York. Waterloo is an extra-early, white-fleshed,

semi-cling peach very similar to the better-known Canada. The faults

that condemn it are small size, poor quality, susceptibility to

brown-rot and a long period of ripening for the fruit and small

size and unproductiveness in the tree. It is given prominence in

_The Peaches of New York_ only because it is so often noted in the

horticultural press as a standard variety, an opinion, no doubt,

reflected in America from European publications.

Waterloo was first grown by Henry Lisk, Waterloo, Seneca County, New

York, who brought it to notice in 1877. Thomas Rivers introduced

it into England where it has long been grown and esteemed for its

earliness and good quality. The American Pomological Society placed

Waterloo in its fruit-catalog in 1885, where it remained until 1891

when it was dropped, but was replaced in 1897.

[Illustration: WATERLOO]

Tree small, upright-spreading, sometimes productive; trunk

smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown covered with

light ash-gray; branchlets very long, rebranching, with

internodes of medium length, dark pinkish-red mingled with

green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with few large lenticels.

Leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and three-fourths

inches wide, flattened, oval to obovate-lanceolate, leathery;

upper surface dull, dark olive-green, smooth; lower surface

grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown

glands; petiole seven-sixteenths inch long, glandless or with

one to four small, globose and reniform, reddish-brown glands

variable in position.

Flower-buds half-hardy, obtuse or conical, plump, usually free,

pubescent; flowers appear in mid-season; blossoms one and

one-half inches across, light pink, usually single; pedicels

very short, thick, green; calyx-tube lemon-yellow within,

campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, obtuse, glabrous

within, pubescent without; petals ovate, tapering to claws with

reddish base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the

petals; pistil equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures very early; nearly two inches in diameter,

roundish, with equal halves; cavity deep, wide flaring; suture

shallow; apex depressed, with a recurved, mamelon tip; color

creamy-white, blushed and mottled with red; pubescence short,

thick; skin thin, adherent to the pulp; flesh greenish-white,

juicy, stringy, tender and melting, sweet, mild, fair to good

in quality; stone semi-clinging, one and one-sixteenth inches

long, three-fourths inch wide, oval, plump, acutely pointed at

the apex, with pitted surfaces; dorsal suture slightly winging.

WHEATLAND

=1.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 550. 1875-85. =2.= _W. N. Y.

Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 113. 1880. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 3rd

App. 173. 1881. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 34. 1883. =5.= _Tex.

Sta. Bul._ =39=:815. 1896. =6.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._

=2=:359. 1903. =7.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 209. 1913.

Wheatland is a large, yellow-fleshed, freestone peach of excellent

quality which ripens just before Late Crawford. Although the variety

originated in this State it is little grown here now, being somewhat

more popular westward in Michigan and very much grown in Colorado and

Utah. The fruit is about all that could be desired in New York but the

trees are so unproductive that the variety is nowhere grown in this

region with profit. The beauty and high quality of the fruit might make

it desirable for home orchards.

Wheatland is a chance seedling found about 1870 on the grounds of

Daniel E. Rogers, Scottsville, New York. The variety was placed on the

fruit-list of the American Pomological Society in 1883.

[Illustration: WHEATLAND]

Tree medium to large, vigorous, upright-spreading, with the

lower branches drooping, hardy, rather unproductive; trunk

thick and smooth; branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown tinged

with light ash-gray; branchlets long, with long internodes,

inclined to rebranch, dark pinkish-red with but little green,

smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, large and small, raised

lenticels intermediate in number.

Leaves six and one-half inches long, one and three-fourths

inches wide, folded upward and recurved downward, oval to

obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dark green, rugose;

lower surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with

reddish-brown glands; petiole five-sixteenths inch long, with

one to five small, globose and reniform, reddish-brown glands

variable in position.

Flower-buds tender, medium to small, pubescent, conical or

pointed, plump, usually free; blossoms open late; flowers

seven-eighths inch across, light pink becoming darker along

the edges; pedicels very short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube

reddish-green, orange-colored within, campanulate; calyx-lobes

narrow, acuminate, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals

ovate; filaments five-sixteenths inch long, equal to the petals

in length; pistil as long as the stamens, sometimes defective.

Fruit matures in mid-season; large, round; suture shallow;

apex a small, acute point; color yellow, blushed and mottled

with red; skin separates from the pulp; flesh yellow,

stained red around the pit, juicy, firm but tender, sweet,

pleasantly flavored; good in quality; stone free, one and

seven-sixteenths inches long, more than an inch wide, ovate,

broad at the base, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture very

deeply grooved at the edges; dorsal suture deeply grooved.

YELLOW RARERIPE

=1.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 102. 1831. =2.= Kenrick _Am.

Orch._ 229. 1832. 3. Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:14, 15. 1832. =4.=

Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 493. 1845. =5.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 280.

1854. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 80. 1862. =7.= _Mich. Sta.

Bul._ =169=:229. 1899. =8.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 193, 194. 1908.

_Marie Antoinette._ =9.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 187. 1846.

_Early Orange Peach._ =10.= Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._

187. 1846.

_Cutter's Yellow._ =11.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =2=:59, 60, Pl. 1851.

_Rareripe Jaune._ =12.= Mas _Le Verger_ =7=:215, 216, fig. 106.

1866-73.

A century ago Yellow Rareripe was at the head of the list of

yellow-fleshed, freestone peaches--largest, handsomest, hardiest and

best-flavored of all. Even now in fruit- and tree-characters, with

the single exception of productiveness, Yellow Rareripe holds its own

very well with the peaches of its type and season. A glance at the

color-plate shows the peach to be as attractive as any in color and

shape; the size is above the average and in texture and flavor it is

not often surpassed. Its fault is unproductiveness, to make up for

which the trees usually bear regularly and come in bearing early. The

variety is now hardly worth planting commercially in New York, being

equalled by several yellow-fleshed peaches in all characters and

surpassed in productiveness by many, but, if the trees can be obtained,

it might find a welcome place in home orchards. Yellow Rareripe seems

still to have all of the vigor and vitality of the first trees, helping

thereby to furnish evidence that varieties do not run out.

This is another American peach the origin of which is involved in so

much uncertainty that it is impossible to state where, when and by

whom produced. Prince claims to have discovered the original Yellow

Rareripe tree near Flushing, New York, over a hundred years ago. It was

being grown in the vicinity of Boston early in the Nineteenth Century

where it seems to have been first introduced by William Kenrick,

Newton, Massachusetts, under the name Yellow Red Rareripe. Occasionally

another and inferior peach, Yellow Melocoton, was substituted for

Yellow Rareripe. Hovey received peach-trees from Kenrick under the

name Cutter's Yellow which later proved to be Yellow Rareripe. Hovey

retained the name Cutter's Yellow, because it was briefer. The Marie

Antoinette, mentioned by Kenrick in 1841, is without question Yellow

Rareripe and has been listed as synonymous by several authors. Yellow

Rareripe was placed in the American Pomological Society's fruit-catalog

in 1862 where it has since remained as a recommended variety.

[Illustration: YELLOW RARERIPE]

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, rather unproductive;

trunk stocky; branches thick, smooth, reddish-brown mingled

with light ash-gray; branchlets with internodes of medium

length, dark pinkish-red tinged with pale green, glossy,

smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, numerous, large, raised

lenticels.

Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and three-fourths

inches wide, folded upward and curled downward, oval to

obovate-lanceolate, leathery; upper surface dull, dark

olive-green, smooth becoming rugose near the midrib; lower

surface grayish-green; margin finely serrate and sometimes

in two series, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole

three-eighths inch long, glandless or with one to four small,

globose glands variable in color and position.

Flower-buds conical or pointed, pubescent, plump, usually

appressed; blossoms open in mid-season; flowers seven-eighths

inch across, light pink but darker along the edges, usually

single; pedicels short, green; calyx-tube reddish-green,

orange-colored within, campanulate; calyx-lobes narrow, acute,

glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval to ovate,

shallowly and widely notched towards the base, tapering to

claws red at the base; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal

to the petals in length; pistil as long as the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-fourth inches

long, two and three-sixteenths inches wide, round-conic

to round-cordate, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity

contracted and wrinkled about the sides, abrupt or flaring;

suture shallow; apex round or somewhat pointed, with a

mucronate or mamelon tip; color orange-yellow, with a deep

red blush, splashed and mottled with red; pubescence thick,

long, coarse; skin thin, tender, variable in adherence to

the pulp; flesh yellow, tinged with red near the pit, juicy,

fine-grained, tender and melting, sweet, pleasantly flavored;

good to very good in quality; stone free, one and one-fourth

inches long, seven-eighths inch wide, oval to ovate, bulged

near the apex, plump, tapering to a short point, with grooved

and pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply grooved along the

edges, furrowed; dorsal suture grooved, winging.