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a strong clayey loam.
The tree is recommended by Forsyth and Abercrombie to be grown as a
tance,and to be pmned and otherwise trea ted Uke the apple and th e pear.
<g Ihc W
standard at
SoU. The best 1,
4382. Cniture.
20 ft. or 30 ft. distance, i . . . .
4383. G nthc ring the crop. It is late in autumn before this operation can be performed. Wipe the fruit
dry. and lay it on dry wheat-straw, spread on the open shelves of the fruit-room. In about a m onth it
will become mellow and fit for use.
S e c t . II. Stone Fruits.
438-t. O f stone fru its the most esteemed is the peach tribe, and next the apricot ; both
the trees natives of Pei'sia, but acclimated in Britain, and remarkable for the eai-ly appetu'-
anco and lively colours of thcir blossoms. The peach is one of the most delicious of
summer fruits. Besides the peach, nectarine, and a[)ricot ; tho almond, plum, and chcny,
are comprehended iu this section.
S u b s e c t . 1 . The Peach and Nectarine.—Amf/gdalus Pérsica L. and A. c. var. Nectarina
(Black, t. 101.), Pérsica vulgàris Mill., and P. lafvis Dec. ; /cos. Monog. L.and
lio.s’àccÆ J. Malus Persica of the Romans ; Pêcher, Pr. ; Pfirschhaum, Ger. ;
Persihkehoom, Dutch ; Persico, Ital. ; and Al'oerchigo, Span.
4385. /'/¿e/)ccrc/i iree in its natural state is under the middle size of trees ; of quick
groivth, and not of long duration. Sickler considers Persia as the original country of the
peach. The tree has been cultivated from time immemorial in most parts of Asia ; ivlieii
it was introduced into Greece is uncertain : the Romans seem to have brought it direct
from Persia, during the reign of the emperor Claudius. The peach was introduced into
England about the middle of the sixteenth century, where it is always cultivated against
walls or under glass. The nectarine is merely to be considered as a variety of the peach.
438G. Use. Peaches and nectarines are dessert fruits of the first order, and make
delicious preserves. In America, and also in some parts of Prance, a brandy is made
from them. The leaves, in consequence of their containing prussic acid, when steeped
in gin or whiskey, communicate a flavour resembling that of noyeau.
4387. Characteristics o f a good peach or nectarine. A good peach or nectarine possesses
these qualities : the flesh is firm ; the skin is thin, of a deep or bright red colour
next the sun, and of a yellowish-green next the wall ; the pulp is of a ycílowish colour,
full of liigh-flai^oured juice ; the fleshy part thick, and the stone small.
4388. Varieties. Linnæus divides the A . Pérsica into two varieties ; that with downy fruit or the peach,
and tliat with smooth fruit or the nectarine. There are various instances on record {G a rd . M ag. vol. i.
p. 471.) of both fruits growing on th e same tree, even on the same branch ; and one case has occurred of
a single fruit partaking o fth e nature of both. {G a rd . M a g ., vol. iv. p. 53.) The French consider them
as one fruit, arranging them in four divisions : the pêches, or free-stone peaches, the flesh of whose fruit
separates readily from the skin and the stone; the pêches lisses, or free-stone nectarines, or free-stone
smooth peaches ; the pav ie s, or cling-stone poaches, whose flesh is firm, and adheres both to the skin and
th e stone ; and the h ru g n o n s, or nectarines, or cling-stone smooth peaches. Knight {H o rt. T r ., vol. iii.
p. 1.), Robertson {H o r t. T r ., vol. iii. p. 382.), and various botanists, consider the peach and almond as
one species.
4389. The S ta nw ic k n e c ta rin e a n d the sw c e t-k e rne lledpeach, with several varieties, have b cra lately introduced
from Syria, by John Barker, Esq., of Suædia ; and form an entirely new class of peaches and
nectarines, having sweet eatable kernels as well as delicious fruit. The Stanwick nectarine, which was
introduced in 1843, is, Mr. Thompson informs us, “ about th e size of an Elruge, and like it in shape,
except in being less heart-shaped a t the base. Its skin is pale, like that of the white nectarine, where
shaded, with a violet tinge next th e sun. The flesh is white, exceedingly tender, juicy, rich, and sugary,
without the slightest trace of the flavour of prussic acid. The stone is middie-sized, ovate, with ra the r
a prominent sharp edge, very rugged, and of a chocolate colour. The kernel is sweet like a nut, possessing
nothing of thebitter-almond flavour.” {Thompson, in th e .Tournai o f the H o rt. Soc., i. p. 272.)
439Ü. T he f la t peach o f China {U o r t. T ra n s ., vol. iv. pi. 19.) is a curious flattened fruit, sweet and
juicy, and with a little noyeau flavour. Knight has fruited it, and considers th a t from the early habits
of the tree it will prove a valuable acquisition. He has “ found excitability of habit to be hereditary in
the seedling oifspring of plants, and to be transferable by the pollen ; ” and, therefore, imagines “ there
will be no dilticulty in obtaining from the flat peach other varieties of similar habits, free from the deformity
which has recommended it to the Chinese.” {H o r t. T ra n s ., v o l.v . p. 272.) Mr. Thompson states
that “ it maybe fruited in pots, even by the time that other peaches can bo brought into blossom.” Its
natural habits are nearly those of an evergreen, as it keeps growing, on the open wall, throughout the
winter, when the weather is not too severe.
4391. There a r c m a n y f in e varie tie s ( f the p e wh : Tusser, in 1573, mentions peaches white and red ;
Parkinson, in 1629, enumerates twenty-one ; and Miller, in 1753, thirty-one varieties. In the garden of
the Luxembourg, a t Paris, are seventy varieties ; and above double th a t number of names are to be found
in the catalogues of our nurseries. Several distinguished and ingenious attempts have been made to
class the varieties of peaches and nectarines, by the leaf and flower as well as che fruit : one is by Poiteau,
in the B o n J a rd in ie r ; another by Count Lelieur, in his P om o n e Française ; and a third by Robertson,
nurserj’man, of Kilkenny, whose arrangement is founded on th e glands of the leaves. T h e most complete,
however, is that by Mr. George Lindley, published in the Transactioris o f the Ilo r ticuU u ra l Society,
vol. V., and again, with some additions and corrections, in his excellent work, the Guide to the Orchard
a n d K ilchcn Garden. On nearly the same principles of classification as those above mentioned, the
following synoptical table of peaches and nectarines has been constructed by Mr. Thompson, who precedes
it by the following introductory remarks : —
4392. " T his table,” he says, “ it is presumed, wdll be found themost concise and simple of any th a t has
yet been published on the subject ; whilst at the same time it exhibits, at a glance, ali the principal sorts
of these fruits arranged in the respective divisions to which they belong in the classification. The
following is an explanation of its divisions and subdivisions. The two principal divisions are peaches
and ne c tarine s. Between these, the distinction is so well known as to render the notice of it unnecessary
in ttiis place. Each of these divisions consists of me lte rs and cling-stones, which accordingly form the
subdivisions, or classes.”
MtUtrt, or Free-stones, are thoso peaches
and nectarines which, when properiy
ripened, part readily from tlic stone.
In these the stone has dcc))er fis?
than in thecling-stoncs, with largo processes,
through wliich fibres issue into
the flesh. If a transverse section be
made in a fruit of this sort, the top
part may be easily twisted off, leaving
tlic upper part of the stone clear of
llesli, and willi only some broken fibres
remaining. (See the seciiou of the
Chancellor Peach in Fom. Map., t. 01.)
I’eaches of this texture arc called by
the Frcncli Pèches à chair quittant le
noyau ; and they designate tlio melting
nectarines by the name of Pèches
lisses.
Cling-stones, or Pavies, arc sucii as cannot
possibly be separated from the stone
like till! free-stones; the flesh being so
firmly attaciied to every ¡lart of tlie
surface of the stone, aa to render it
necessary to be sliced off with a knife.
(See tlie section of tlie Catherine Peacli
in Pom. Mag., t 9.) Tlic stones of the
tides_ _o_f _tihrter trftiiis sure1_s _t_ol.e r..a..b„lVy,, s- m. ootli
0 deep, yet there
eoiioi luugiiiiesa pervading the whole
surface, from every jioint of whicli tlic
dcnsoly united
s of fibrous
stance whieh cc . 5 the .....................
flesh may
be observed lo radiate, and to whicli..
will bo found to adliere tiU decomposition
takes place. The peaches of this
class are the Pavies of tho French, and
the nectarines their Brugnons; hence
tlie application of the latter term to
molting nectarines, as is often done by
lieople in this country, is improper.
The leaves of the peacfi tree furnish the
characteristics of three divisions: —
1. Leaves serrated and glandless {fig.
797. a).
2. I.eaves crenated or serrulated with
globose glands (6).
3. Leaves crenated or serrulated witli
reni/orm glands (rf).
The serrated glandless leaves (a) cannot
bo mistaken.
The leaves vit/i globose glands (6)
also easily recognised for tlie r
imrt. In some cases they arc no. ..
conspicuously developed, and require
carctul inspection to distinguish them
from roniform glands, also imperfectly
developed. It will, therefore, be necessary
to examine several leaves on
different parts of the slioots, and also
to bear In mind that thoglobosc glands
are somewliat pedicellate,
Jlcni/orm glands {d), wlien situated on
the petiole, have sometimes nearly
a globose appearance; but all doubts
may be easily removed, by jnspecUng
leaves where tho reniform glands are
also on tlio base of the loaf, and tiiere
tliey WiU bo found indented in the
margin; wliercas the globose glands,
on tlic contrary, are always somewhat
peUicellnto m a similar situation.
The fiowers afford two subdivisions: —
1. Flowers large ; with the petals
deep-coloured at tlie centre, and
of a pure pale blush towards the
margin (g\
2. Flowers small; with petals oval or
obovate, deeper coloured at the
margin than on tlic disk (c, e ,/) .
It has been thought better to form
only two subdivisions from the flowers
according to tlie above definition, than
to adopt a tliird by the introduction of
middle-sized flowers; for subdivisions
consisting of large, middle-sized, and
small flowers, have been found objectionable,
owing to the diillculty of
assigning limits to such subdivisions.
All flowers are liable to vary, in somo
degree, according to circumstances;
and sujiposing limits fixed for tlie respective
divisions, the flowers will vary
so far as to expand from the largest of
those reckoned small within tbe limits
of the middle-sized ; and on the- eon,
trary, tho smallest of tliose accounted'
large, will be sometimes in a state so
diminished as to be witliin tho scope
of the miudlc-sized, or even small, u
is, therefore, better to form two defl.
nite subdivisions than three which
wou’d bo indefinite, as thpsemust he
whore size is the only criterion. Tlie
Royal Charlotte peach is called by
some authors, Madeleine rouge d mo-
1/ennes fieurs, ou d pelites fieurs, a
proof that these divisions arc not well
agreed upon. In order that no difference
of opinion may exist as to which
of the two subdivisions now formed
any flower may belong, the following
remaks are given.
Large Jlowers {g) have petals of a different
form and colour from those
of small flowers; they are more ex.
liandetl and dilated, in general imbricating
each other. They arcdeeply
coloured near tlie centre, and fade to a
pale blush towards tho margin, wliere
sometimes they are almost white when
much exposed to the sun,
SmaU fiowers (c, e, f ) have petals oval
or obovate, less spreading or dilated,
not imbricating eacli other wlien tlie
flower is fully expanded ; their tops
are generally a little rolled in or cu,
cullatc. Their colour is deepest towards
the margin, instead of facing so
near the centre, as in the largo flowers;
in some sorts they are bright, in otliers
dingy; but, unlike the large flowers,
they becnme npt a pure blush, but
ratlicr a pallid red.
Of the throe degrees of small floivers above delineated, th e smallest, c, may he exemplified in the Late
admirable Peach, and in all the Nectarines included in the sections of small flowers in the following
fobles, § 4394. and § 4397. The largest form of small flowers,/, is to be found in the Royal Charlotte,
Bellcgarde, Yellow Alberge, and Chancellor, Peaches. Gardeners and nurserymen may be recommended
to draw out, on a scale sufficiently large for containing their collections, the tables, § 439^ and
4394.; and in these to insert their sorts according as the examination o f th e leaves; flowers, &c., will
direct. By comparing these leaves and flowers with all the particulars in the following arrangements,
§ 4393. and § 4394, and with the Descriptive Catalogues, § 4395. and § 4397., the chance of possessing a
sort with the wrong name, without detection, will be rendered next to impossible.
i ta!; )
J ’ lII