Amydalaceœ.

AMYDALUS PERSICA.

Class XII. ICOSANDRIA. Order I.

MONOGYNIA.

THE PEACH.

Char. Calyx, quinquefid, inferior. Petals, five. Drupe, having a shell perforated with pores. Skin, pubescent. Spe. Char. All the serratures of the leaves, acute.

sessile and solitary.

Flowers,

THE Common Peach-tree grows to a considerable height, and sends off numerous spreading branches: the leaves are long, narrow, pointed, elliptical, acutely serrated, on footstalks, and alternate; the flowers are sessile, purplish, solitary and large; calyx tubular, divided at the margin into five ovate segments, and at the base beset with numerous scales; petals five, inversely ovate, spreading, attached by short claws; filaments numerous, tapering, inserted into the calyx, furnished with purplish anthers; germen, roundish, downy; style short, simple, terminated by a round stigma; the fruit is too well known to require any description. The tree is of quick growth, and not of long duration. It blossoms in April, and ripens its fruit in August and September.

Dr. Sickler considers that Persia is the original country of the Peach, which in Media is deemed unwholesome, but when planted in Egypt becomes pulpy, delicious and salubrious. The Peach, also, according to Columella, when first brought from Persia into the Roman empire, possessed deleterious properties, which T. A. Knight concludes to have arisen from those Peaches to be only swollen almonds (the tuberes of Pliny), or imperfect Peaches, and which are

Vol. iii.-109.

known to contain the prussic acid, which operates unfavorably on many constitutions. The tree has been cultivated from time immemorial in many parts of Asia: when it was introduced into Greece is uncertain the Romans seem to have brought it direct from Persia during the reign of the emperor Claudius. It is first mentioned by Columella, and afterwards described by Pliny.

Use. The Peach is a dessert fruit of the first order, and makes a delicious preserve. In Maryland, Virginia, and many parts of New Jersey, a brandy is made from the fruit; the best Peaches are carefully picked in baskets and sent to market, and the inferior ones either used for the manufacturing this liquor, or fed to the pigs. The leaves steeped in gin or whiskey communicate a flavor resembling that of noyeau.

Criterion of a Good Peach.-It may be observed, that a good Peach possesses these qualities-the flesh is firm, the skin is thin, of a deep or bright-red color next the sun, and yellowish green next the wall; the pulp is of a yellowish color, full of high flavored juice, the fleshy part thick, and the stone small.

Varieties.-Linnæus divides his Amygdalus Persica into two varieties that with downy fruit, or the Peach, and that with smooth fruit, or the nectarine; but in the present work the Peach and nectarine will be established into a genus called Persica, and the Peach and nectarine made distinct species. There are, however, various instances on record of both fruits growing on one tree, and even on the same branch; and cases have occurred of a single fruit partaking of the nature of both. The French consider them as one fruit, arranging them in four divisions: the peches, or free-stone Peaches, the flesh of whose fruit separates readily from the stone and the skin; the peches lisse, or free-stone nectarines; the pavics, or clingstone Peaches, whose flesh is hard and firm, and adheres both to the stone and the skin; and the brugnons, or cling-stone nectarines.— Many horticulturists consider the Peach and almond as one species; but we shall follow the established nomenclature, and treat them as

distinct fruit. There are many varieties of the Peach. Tusser in 1573 mentions Peaches white and red; Parkinson in 1629 enumerates 21 sorts; and Miller in 1750, 31 varieties. Several attempts have been made to class the varieties of Peaches and nectarines by the leaf and flower, as well as the fruit; some also founded on the glands of the leaves; but none of these arrangements have been found sufficiently perfect for the purpose of this work.

Culture of the Peach in the open air. Selection of Sorts.-We are informed by those who are familiar with rearing Peach orchards, that except the situation be completely favorable as to climate, aspect, and shelter, forbear to plant very early, or extreme late fruit, for frost will almost invariably cut off the former, when blooming and setting, and the latter will hardly ripen under the declining heat of autumn. The Peaches proper for a small garden, according to Forsyth, are: the Early Avant, Small Mignonne, Anne Royal, George, Royal Kensington, Noblesse, Early Newington, Galande, Early Purple, Chancellor, Nivette, Catherine, and Late Newington.

Propagating to procure new varieties. The Peach is raised from the stone; and this mode is pursued in this country even from procuring trees for common purposes. The Peaches called Acton-Scot and Spring-grove were thus originated; the parent trees were dwarfs planted in large pots; these being brought into a vigorous state of health, the pistils of the blossoms of one sort were impregnated with the pollen of another only three Peaches were suffered to remain on the same tree; and from saving the stones of the above-mentioned Peaches, other varieties were produced; the male parent of the latter was the large French Mignonne; and the female the little red nutmeg, which choice is consistent with the general principle, that the most perfect and vigorous offsprings will be obtained of plants, as of animals, when the male and female parent are not too closely related to each other. The Peach does not, like many other species of fruits, much exercise the patience of the gardener who raises it from seed; for it may always be made to bear when three years old. In

prosecuting such experiments, Mr. Knight recommends the seedling Peach-trees to be retained in pots, and buds from them only to be inserted in older trees; for their rapid and luxuriant growth is extremely troublesome on a wall, and pruning is death to them.

Propagation to perpetuate varieties. The Peach is generally budded on Damask-plum stocks, and some of the more delicate sorts on apricot stocks, or old apricot trees cut down, or on seedling Peaches, almonds or nectarines. Knight recommends growing almond stocks for the finer nectarines and apricots, as likely to prevent the mildew, and as being allied to the Peach. He says, "almond stocks should be raised and retained in the nurseries in pots, as they do not transplant well." Perform the budding in July and August, in the side of the stock, one bud in each; they should be inserted near the bottom for the principal wall-trees, and at the height of three or four or five feet for riders. The bud will shoot the following spring, and attain the length of three or four feet in the summer growth. After the budded trees have ripened the first year's shoots, they may either be planted where they are to remain, or to be trained in the nursery, for two, three or four years, till in a bearing state. Whether the plants be removed into the garden at a year old, or remain longer in the nursery, the first year's shoot from the budding must be headed down either early in June the same year, to gain a season, or in March following, to four, five or six eyes, to produce lateral shoots, with one upright leader to begin the formation of the head in a fanlike expansion; the second year's shoot should also be shortened to a few eyes at the return of June or March; and those also of the third year, in such degree as may seem expedient.

Suitable Soil. A good soil for Peach-trees, according to Abercrombie, "is composed of three parts mellow unexhausted loam, and one part drift sand, moderately enriched with vegetable mould. If the soil be lean and poor, and at the same time light, have the borders improved by decomposed dung, and fertile mellow earth; if the ground be strong and heavy, add some light earth or dung; if very

gravelly, remove the grossest part, excavating to the proper depth; and in the same proportion apply a compost as above. Let the soil be made good to the depth of thirty inches or three feet. The nectarine wants the warmer, richer and deeper soil, if any difference be made. Bad, cold ground, or an exhausted mould, is often the cause of the trees gumming." Forsyth says, "Peaches require a lighter soil than pears and plums, and a light mellow loam is best."

Choice of plants. Abercrombie, Forsyth, Nicol, and most authors agree in recommending the choice of trees, two, three or four years trained. Forsyth says they should be procured in the latter end of October or beginning of November, as soon as the leaf begins to fall.

Final planting. In England, France, and many parts of Europe, the Peach is almost universally planted against walls, in order to protect them against frosts: in some warm situations they have been tried as dwarf standards, or as low espaliers, covering with mats in the spring, to protect their blossoms; but in this country, especially in many parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the Peach is planted in the open field, in rows about four feet apart, and from six to twelve inches from each other, and with proper attention form beautiful nurseries. Early autumn planting is best on dry soils. Spring planting may be successfully performed in February and March, but the sooner the better, that the trees may take root immediately before the dry warm weather commences.

Mode of bearing. All the varieties of the Peach and nectarines bear the fruit upon the young wood of a year old; the blossom-buds arise immediately from the eyes of the shoots. The same shoot seldom bears after the first year, except on some casual small spurs on the two years wood, which is not to be counted upon. Hence the trees are to be pruned as bearing entirely on the shoots of the preceding year, and a full supply of every year's shoots must be trained in for successional bearers the following season.

The summer pruning. In May and June, and occasionally in