Chapter V: Leading Varieties of Peaches (2)

Chili, long familiar to the older generation of peach-growers as Hill's Chili, is now waning in popularity though for nearly a century it was one of the mainstays of peach-growing, having been widely and commonly planted in commercial orchards the country over. Chili, in its day, was one of the notable culinary peaches, being especially desirable for canning and curing because of its firm, dry, but well-flavored flesh, and, besides, it ripened late in the season when cool weather gave storage conditions and made culinary work more agreeable to housewives. The peaches are not at all attractive in size, color or shape, are quite too dry of flesh to eat with pleasure out of hand and are made even less agreeable to sight and taste by pubescence so heavy as to be woolly. The trees of Chili are about all that could be desired, for, while of but medium size, they are vigorous, very hardy, long-lived and, barring injury from cold or frost, are annually fruitful, though the variety has the fault of ripening its crop unevenly--an asset in home orchards, a liability in commercial plantings.

Chili came into cultivation early in the Nineteenth Century, the first tree probably having appeared in the orchard of Deacon Pitman Wilcox, Chili, Monroe County, New York. It comes almost true to seed and several seedlings have sprung up which are almost indistinguishable from it. Among these are Sugar, Stanley Late, Jenny Lind and Cass. Chili was mentioned by the American Pomological Society in 1856 as a worthy sort under the name "Hill's Chili"; placed under this name on the fruit list in 1873; and changed to Chili in 1897.

Tree medium in size, compact, vigorous, upright-spreading,
hardy, productive; trunk thick, shaggy; branches stocky,
smooth, reddish-brown covered with light ash-gray; branchlets
unusually long, with spur-like branches near the tips, dark
reddish-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous,
raised lenticels.

Leaves folded upward and recurved, six inches long, one and
one-half inches wide, long-oval to obovate-lanceolate, thin;
upper surface dark, dull olive-green, smooth; lower surface
grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown
glands; petiole three-eighths inch long, with two to seven
small, usually reniform, reddish-brown glands mostly on the
petiole.

Flower-buds small, short, obtuse, plump, pubescent, nearly
free; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers pink, one and
one-half inches across, well distributed; pedicels short,
glabrous, green; calyx-tube red at the base, orange-colored
within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes short, medium to
broad, obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals oval,
faintly notched near the base, tapering to short claws of
medium width, tinged with red at the base; filaments one-half
inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent near the
base, longer than the stamens.

Fruit late; two and one-half inches long, two and one-fourth
inches wide, oblong-conic, somewhat angular, compressed,
with unequal halves; cavity uneven, shallow, medium to wide,
contracted, abrupt or flaring, the skin tender and tearing
easily; suture shallow, sometimes extending beyond the apex;
apex slightly pointed; color greenish-yellow changing to
orange-yellow, with a dark red blush, splashed and mottled
with red; pubescence long, thick, coarse; skin thin, tough,
separates from the pulp; flesh stained red at the pit,
yellowish, dry, stringy, firm but tender, mild but sprightly;
good in quality; stone free, one and one-half inches long,
fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, flattened wedge-like at the base,
oval to obovate, winged, usually without bulge, long-pointed at
the apex, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed,
wide; dorsal suture deeply grooved.

CHINESE CLING

=1.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 636. 1857. =2.= _Horticulturist_
=14=:107. 1859. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 18. 1871. =4.= _Del.
Sta. Rpt._ =13=:85, 86, 95, 107, fig. 4. 1901.

_Shanghae._ =5.= _Mag. Hort._ =17=:464. 1851. =6.= _Gard.
Chron._ 693. 1852. =7.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 641. 1857.

_Chinese Peach._ =8.= _Horticulturist_ N. S. =3=:286, 472. 1853.

_Shanghai._ =9.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 231. 1866.

_De Chang-Hai._ =10.= Mas _Le Verger_ =7=:211, 212, fig. 104.
1866-73.

Chinese Cling holds a high place in the esteem of American pomologists for its intrinsic value, because it was the first peach in one of the main stems of the peach-family to come to America, and because it is the parent, or one of the parents, of a great number of the best white-fleshed peaches grown in this country. The variety is not now remarkable for either fruit- or tree-characters, being surpassed in both by many of its offspring, except, possibly, in quality. The flavor is delicious, being finely balanced between sweetness and sourness, with sweet predominating, and with a most distinct, curious and pleasant taste of the almond. The fruits are too tender for shipment and very subject to brown-rot. The trees are weak-growers, shy-bearers, tender to cold and susceptible to leaf-curl. Chinese Cling created a sensation in pomology when it was brought to America because it was very different from any other peach then here and was superior to any other in several characters. Its seedlings quickly came into prominence with the result that possibly a hundred or more of the varieties named in _The Peaches of New York_ have descended from it. The attempt to hold it and its seedlings in a distinct group fails, as we have tried to show in discussing groups of peaches, because through hybridization they are hopelessly confused with other stocks. The color-plate is an excellent illustration of Chinese Cling.

Chinese Cling was found growing in the orchards south of the city of Shanghai, China, by Robert Fortune, the indefatigable English botanist, who was sent to China by the London Horticultural Society to collect useful and ornamental plants. Fortune sent the peach to England in 1844 under the name Shanghai, a name which it retains, with variable spellings, in Europe. Chinese Cling was imported as potted plants to America in 1850 by Charles Downing through a Mr. Winchester, British consul at Shanghai, China. Downing forwarded one of the trees to Henry Lyons, Laurel Park, Columbia, South Carolina, with whom the variety first fruited in America. Lyons called the new fruit "Chinese Peach." In 1871 the American Pomological Society placed Chinese Cling on its recommended list of varieties, a place it still holds.

Tree rather weak in growth, upright-spreading, round-topped,
not very hardy, medium in productiveness; trunk thick; branches
stocky, reddish-brown mingled with light ash-gray; branchlets
with short internodes, olive-green more or less overlaid with
dark red, smooth, glabrous, with numerous large and very small,
inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaves seven and one-half inches long, two inches wide, folded
upward, broad oval-lanceolate, thick, leathery; upper surface
dark green, smooth, becoming slightly rugose along the midrib;
lower surface light grayish-green; margin coarsely crenate to
finely serrate, tipped with dark red glands; petiole one-half
inch long, with two to five reniform, greenish-yellow,
dark-tipped glands variable in position.

Flower-buds large, long, obtuse, plump, very pubescent,
somewhat appressed; blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers
pink, one and one-half inches across, well distributed;
pedicels short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green;
calyx-lobes medium to broad, obtuse, glabrous within, heavily
pubescent near the outer edges; petals ovate, irregularly
notched near the base, tapering to short, white claws;
filaments one-fourth inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil
pubescent at the base, longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures late; two and five-eighths inches long, two and
nine-sixteenths inches wide, round-oval, compressed; cavity
deep, contracted, narrow, abrupt, faintly tinged with red;
suture deep, extending beyond the apex; apex roundish or
flattened, with a mucronate tip; color greenish-white changing
to creamy-white, blushed on one side with lively red, splashed
and marbled with duller red; pubescence thick; skin tough,
adhering to the pulp; flesh white, tinged with red near the
pit, juicy, meaty, tender, sweet but sprightly, aromatic; good
in quality; stone clinging, one and three-eighths inches long,
one inch wide, oval, conspicuously winged, bulged on one side,
with pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed along the
sides, rather narrow; dorsal suture large, deep, wide, winged.

CHINESE FREE

=1.= _Ala. Sta. Bul._ =11=:7, 11. 1890. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc.
Cat._ 44. 1891. =3.= _Ga. Sta. Bul._ =42=:234. 1898. =4.= _Del.
Sta. Rpt._ =13=:95. 1901. =5.=_Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1909.
=6.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 200. 1913.

Perhaps it is enough to say that Chinese Free is Chinese Cling with a free stone--at least it has been so heralded. On our grounds, however, leaves, flowers and fruits are all smaller and the quality of the fruit is not nearly as good while the tree runs a little better in most characters. This, perhaps, is a good example of many of the seedlings of Chinese Cling--the influence of another parent and the stimulus of hybridization are apparent. Chinese Free is surpassed by many other white-fleshed peaches of its season for both home and market. Doubt has arisen as to whether the tree on the Station grounds is the true Chinese Free, yet we think it is the variety now commonly going under this name.

This variety grew from a seed of Chinese Cling in the orchard of W. P. Robinson, Atlanta, Georgia, nearly forty years ago. Mr. Robinson first exhibited it before the Georgia Horticultural Society in 1881 as an unnamed seedling. Thereafter it was sometimes known locally as Robinson but commercially it has always been called Chinese Free. In 1891 the Georgia Horticultural Society formally adopted the latter name. The American Pomological Society listed Chinese Free on its fruit-list in 1891 but dropped it in 1897. In 1909, however, another change in heart caused the Society's officials again to list it in the catalog where it still remains.

Tree above medium in size, vigorous, spreading, the lower
branches slightly drooping, open-topped, neither very hardy
nor very productive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth,
reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets slender,
inclined to rebranch, long, dark red intermingled with
olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous large,
conspicuous lenticels raised toward the base.

Leaves five and three-fourths inches long, one and five-eighths
inches wide, folded upward, oval-lanceolate, medium in
thickness and toughness; upper surface dark green, rugose along
the midrib; lower surface dull grayish-green; margin finely
serrate, tipped with dark red glands; petiole three-eighths
inch long, with two to six rather large, reniform,
greenish-yellow, dark-tipped glands variable in position.

Flower-buds usually obtuse, plump, very pubescent, somewhat
appressed; blooming season early; flowers pale pink, darker
along the edges, one and one-fourth inches across, often
in twos; pedicels short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube dull,
dark reddish-green, light yellow within, obconic, glabrous;
calyx-lobes acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals
oval or ovate, tapering to small, narrow claws tinged with red
at the base; filaments one-half inch long, usually shorter than
the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, often longer than
the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-half inches long, two
and three-fourths inches wide, roundish-oval, bulged at one
side, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity narrow, abrupt,
tinged with red, with tender skin; suture shallow but deepening
at the apex; apex roundish or pointed, with a mucronate tip;
color greenish-white changing to creamy-white, blushed with
red, mottled and striped with darker red; pubescence very
short, thin; skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh
greenish-white or whitish, stained with red at the pit,
juicy, tender, melting, subacid, sprightly; fair to possibly
good in quality; stone free, one and one-fourth inches long,
fifteen-sixteenths inch wide, oval, plump, abruptly pointed,
with purplish-brown, pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply
furrowed along the sides, winged near the base, rather wide;
dorsal suture deeply grooved, wing-like.

CLIMAX

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 44. 1891. =2.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._
=39=:804. 1896. =3.= Glen St. Mary _Cat._ 11. 1900. =4.= _Fla.
Sta. Bul._ =73=:143. 1904. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 36. 1909.

Climax is a honey-sweet, freestone peach supposedly adapted only to the far south. The trees on the grounds of this Station seem as hardy as the average and are as productive. Whether or not the peaches are as large and as attractive here as in Florida, where the variety is a commercial sort, we cannot say but certain it is, Climax has no commercial value in New York. The peaches are small, unattractive in color, drop badly, are disfigured by peach-scab and have only honeyed sweetness to recommend them. We figure and describe the variety in full only to show that honey-fleshed peaches can be grown this far north and to call attention to the possibility and desirability of using peaches of this stock in breeding to improve the quality or give new flavors to northern peaches. It would, too, give pleasant variety and add quality to the home orchard.

Climax is a seedling of Honey but neither the date of origin nor the name of the originator is known. The variety was introduced by G. L. Taber, Glen Saint Mary, Florida, in 1886. The American Pomological Society added Climax to its fruit-list in 1891 but dropped it in 1899. In 1909, however, the variety was replaced in the Society's catalog as a peach of merit for the South.

Tree small, vigorous, upright-spreading, round-topped,
dense, productive; trunk roughish; branches roughened by the
lenticels, reddish-brown covered with gray; branchlets very
slender, long, with short internodes, olive-green overspread
with darker red, smooth, glabrous, with very few small,
inconspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaves six inches long, one and three-eighths inches wide,
flattened, lanceolate, thin, leathery; upper surface dull,
medium green, smooth; lower surface olive-green; margin bluntly
serrate, glandular; petiole three-eighths inch long, slender,
glandless or with one to four small, reniform glands usually at
the base of the leaf.

Flower-buds small and short, conical, plump, pubescent,
appressed; blooming season late; flowers pale pink, one inch
across; pedicels slender, glabrous, green; calyx-tube dotted
reddish-green, greenish-yellow within, obconic, glabrous;
calyx-lobes acute or obtuse, glabrous within, pubescent
without, partly erect; petals ovate or oval, tapering to narrow
claws whitish at the base; filaments shorter than the petals;
pistil shorter than the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; two and three-eighths inches
long, two and one-eighth inches thick, oval, but slightly
compressed, with unequal sides; cavity usually shallow flaring,
splashed with red; suture shallow, deepening toward the apex;
apex conic, with a long, swollen, often recurved tip; color
greenish-white or creamy-white, occasionally with a blush or
faint mottlings of red toward the base; pubescence short,
thick; skin thin, adherent to the pulp; flesh white, stained
with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, melting, very sweet,
mild; very good in quality; stone semi-free to free, one and
one-fourth inches long, thirteen-sixteenths inch wide, oval,
plump, bulged on one side, long-pointed at the apex, with
pitted and grooved, reddish-brown surfaces; ventral suture
deeply furrowed along the sides, narrow; dorsal suture grooved.

CROSBY

=1.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 391, Pl. VIII. 1891. =2.= _Ont. Fr.
Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =2=:58. 1895. =3.= _Minn. Hort. Soc. Rpt._
224 fig. 1896. =4.= _Ohio Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 58, 59. 1896-97.
=5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 21. 1897. =6.= _Mich. Sta. Bul._
=169=:211. 1899. =7.= _Can. Hort._ =23=:379. 1900.

_Excelsior._ =8.= _Am. Gard._ =12=:699. 1891. =9.= _Rural N.
Y._ =50=:736. 1891. =10.= _Am. Gard._ =13=:47. 1892.

Of the several virtues which entitle Crosby to the esteem of fruit-growers, possibly the most notable is hardiness in tree and bud so marked that it is often called the "frost-proof" peach. It is doubtful, however, whether it is hardier than other peaches of its kind as Chili, Smock and Heath Cling. Besides hardiness, the trees have to recommend them vigor, health and productiveness, the latter character offset somewhat by small size. The quality of the fruit is excellent. The rich, yellow, freestone flesh is delicious to the taste either as a dessert or as a culinary fruit. In these days of showy fruits, however, Crosby falls far short in appearance, the peaches running small, being somewhat irregular and covered with dense tomentum. Still, at its best, in soils to which it is perfectly suited, the peaches are often handsome. But there lies another fault, the variety accommodates itself but poorly to trying soils and climates, failing especially in hungry soils and dark climates. The variety is noted for its willowy growth, small leaves, small flowers, small pits and, as has been said, hardiness. It is an ideal home sort.

Crosby was sent out about 1876 by a Mr. Crosby, a nurseryman of Billerica, Massachusetts. Later the Massachusetts Agricultural College propagated and distributed it in a small way in northern Massachusetts where it was known as Excelsior. The fact that there was another variety called Excelsior made a change necessary and the peach was renamed in honor of Mr. Crosby. The American Pomological Society placed Crosby on its list of recommended varieties in 1897.

Tree small, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, with lower
branches slightly drooping, unusually hardy, very productive;
trunk thick; branches of medium size, smooth, reddish-brown
overspread with light ash-gray; branchlets slender, inclined
to rebranch, long, olive-green almost overspread with dark
red, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous large and small,
conspicuous lenticels.

Leaves rather small and narrow, five and three-fourths inches
long, one and one-fourth inches wide, folded upward, oval to
obovate-lanceolate, thin; upper surface dark green, smooth;
lower surface light grayish-green; margin finely serrate
or crenate, tipped with dark brownish-red glands; petiole
three-eighths inch long, with two to seven rather small,
reniform, greenish-yellow glands variable in position.

Flower-buds small, short, conical, pubescent, appressed;
flowers appear in mid-season; blossoms pale pink, darker
near the edges, nearly one inch across, well distributed;
pedicels very short, thick; calyx-tube dull reddish-green,
orange-colored within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes
short, narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without;
petals oval, tapering to long, narrow claws often red at the
base; filaments three-eighths inch long, equal to the petals in
length; pistil pubescent at the ovary, equal to or sometimes
longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures late; two and three-fourths inches long, two
and three-eighths inches thick, roundish or roundish-oblate,
slightly compressed, bulged near the apex, with unequal sides;
cavity deep, abrupt or flaring, sometimes splashed with red;
suture shallow, becoming deeper near the apex and extending
beyond; apex roundish, with a sunken, mucronate tip; color
orange-yellow, often blushed over much of the surface with dull
red, splashed and striped with darker red; pubescence long,
thick, coarse; skin thick, tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh
deep yellow, stained with red near the pit, juicy, stringy,
firm but tender, sweet, mild, pleasant flavored; very good in
quality; stone free, one and five-sixteenths inches long, one
inch wide, oval, plump, bulged near the apex, with pitted and
grooved surfaces; ventral suture with shallow furrows along the
sides; dorsal suture deeply grooved, winged.

DAVIDSON

=1.= Harrison & Sons _Cat._ 16. 1905. =2.= _Mo. State Fr. Sta.
Rpt._ 12. 1905-06. =3.= _Mich. Sta. Sp. Bul._ =44=:35 fig., 36.
1910.

Davidson is on probation as an early peach for northern climates with the chances greatly against its ever proving worthy the attention of New York peach-growers. Still, it comes so highly recommended that we give it a place among the major varieties in _The Peaches of New York_ hoping that the growers of the State will at least try it out. It is a white-fleshed peach similar to the well-known Rivers, larger in size, but not quite as early. The trees are very hardy, come into bearing early and bear heavily but ripen their crop unevenly. The peaches, as the color-plate shows, are handsome, and for a variety of early season they are particularly good in quality but are very susceptible to brown-rot, peach-scab, leaf-curl and seemingly all the other ills peach-flesh is heir to.

Davidson originated with G. W. Davidson, Shelby, Michigan, and is supposed to be a sport of Early Michigan, being very similar to that sort in all respects except season, Davidson being two weeks earlier. It is often confused with Eureka.

Tree large, upright-spreading, hardy, productive; trunk thick;
branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown covered with ash-gray;
branchlets dull red strongly colored with olive-green, smooth,
glabrous, with numerous small, conspicuous lenticels raised
toward the base.

Leaves five and three-fourths inches long, one and five-eighths
inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate-lanceolate; upper
surface dark green, smooth or slightly rugose; lower surface
light grayish-green; margin broadly crenate or coarsely
serrate, tipped with dark red glands; petiole one-half
inch long, glandless or with one to five small, reniform,
greenish-yellow glands variable in position.

Flower-buds conical, pubescent, plump, appressed; blooming
season early; flowers pink, one and three-fourths inches
across, well distributed; pedicels nearly sessile, glabrous,
green; calyx-tube dull reddish-green, yellowish-green
within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes medium in length,
narrow, acute, glabrous within, pubescent without; petals
roundish-ovate, often broadly notched near the base, tapering
to short, broad claws occasionally with a red base; filaments
one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent
at the ovary, equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures early; two and one-half inches long, two
and three-eighths inches wide, roundish, bulged near the
apex, compressed, with unequal halves; cavity contracted,
deep, narrow, abrupt; suture shallow, becoming deep at the
extremities; apex roundish, with a small, mucronate tip; color
creamy-white blushed with dull red, indistinctly striped with
darker red; pubescence short, thick; skin tough, separates
from the pulp; flesh white, juicy, stringy, tender, melting,
sweet or with some sprightliness; fair to good in quality;
stone semi-free to free, one and three-eighths inches long,
one inch wide, oval, plump, tapering to a short, abrupt point,
bulged near the apex, contracted toward the base, with grooved,
light-colored surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed along
the sides, narrow, winged; dorsal suture winged, grooved.

EARLY CRAWFORD

=1.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 184. 1841. =2.= Hovey _Fr. Am._
=1=:29, 30, Pl. 1851. =3.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 201. 1913.

_Crawford's Early Melocoton._ =4.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 490.
1845. =5.= Mas _Le Verger_ =7=:45, 46, fig. 21. 1866-73.

_Crawford's Early._ =6.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 272, 273. 1854.
=7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 211. 1856. =8.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._
42, 43. 1856. =9.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =6=:104 fig. 105. 1879.
=10.= _Fulton Peach Cult._ 192, 193. 1908.

_Willermoz._ =11.= Carrière _Var. Pêchers_ 76, 77. 1867. =12.=
_Pom. France_ =6=: No. 10, Pl. 10. 1869. =13.= Lauche _Deut.
Pom._ =VI=: No. 22, Pl. 1882. =14.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 418.
1889.

Unproductiveness and uncertainty in bearing keep Early Crawford from being the most commonly grown early, yellow-fleshed peach in America. In its season, when well grown, it is unapproachable in quality by any other peach and is scarcely equalled by any other of any season. The peach has all of the characters that gratify the taste--richness of flavor, pleasant aroma, tender flesh and abundant juice. Besides being one of the very best in quality it is one of the handsomest peaches. Unfortunately, this Station is one of the many places in which Early Crawford is not at home and the accompanying illustration is far from doing the variety justice in size, shape or color. At their best, the fruits are larger, more rotund and more richly colored than shown in _The Peaches of New York_. In soils to which it is well adapted the peach is large, often very large, roundish-oblong, slightly compressed, distinguished by its broad, deep cavity, rich red in the sun, splashed and mottled with darker red, and golden yellow in the shade. The flesh is a beautiful, marbled yellow, rayed with red at the pit and perfectly free from the stone. The trees are all that could be desired in health, vigor, size and shape but are unproductive and uncertain and tardy in bearing. Yet with these faults Early Crawford, for at least a half-century, was the leading market peach of its season giving way finally to white-fleshed sorts of the Belle, Carman and Greensboro type. Fast passing from commercial importance, Early Crawford ought long to be grown in home plantations because of the beauty and unexcelled quality of the fruit.

Early Crawford came into existence in the orchard of William Crawford, Middletown, New Jersey, early in the Nineteenth Century. Its merits were first set forth by William Kenrick in the _American Orchardist_ in 1832. The variety in some manner found its way to Europe and came into the hands of Ferdinand Gaillard, a nurseryman at Brignais, Rhone, France, but without a name. Gaillard, believing it to be a new sort, gave it the name Willermoz in honor of M. Willermoz, Secretary of the Pomological Congress of France. Later, French pomologists decided that Gaillard's peach and Early Crawford were identical. The American Pomological Society put this peach on its fruit-list in 1856 under the name Crawford's Early. The name has several times been varied but today the variety is listed as Early Crawford.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, round-topped,
often unproductive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth,
reddish-brown very lightly tinged with ash-gray; branchlets
with internodes of medium length, pinkish-red intermingled with
darker red, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous large and
small, conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and
one-half inches wide, folded upward and recurved, oval
to obovate-lanceolate, medium in thickness, leathery;
upper surface dark green, usually smooth except along the
prominent midrib; lower surface light grayish-green; margin
finely serrate, often in two series, tipped with very fine,
reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths inch long,
glandless or with one to five small, globose, greenish-yellow
glands variable in position.

Flower-buds conical, heavily pubescent, free; blossoms appear
in mid-season; flowers pale pink, less than one inch across,
well distributed; pedicels very short, thick, glabrous, green;
calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, obconic;
calyx-lobes short, medium to narrow, acute, glabrous within,
pubescent without; petals oval, broadly notched near the base,
tapering to broad claws red at the base; filaments one-fourth
inch long, equal to the petals in length; pistil often longer
than the stamens.

Fruit matures in early mid-season; two and one-half inches
long, two and nine-sixteenths inches wide, round-oval or
cordate, bulged near the apex, compressed, with unequal halves;
cavity deep, wide, abrupt; suture shallow, becoming deeper
near the apex; apex variable in shape, often with a swollen,
elongated tip; color golden-yellow, blushed with dark red,
splashed and mottled with deeper red; pubescence thick; skin
separates from the pulp; flesh deep yellow, rayed with red near
the pit, juicy, tender, pleasantly sprightly, highly flavored;
very good in quality; stone free, one and one-half inches long,
one inch wide, oval or ovate, bulged along one side, medium
plump, with small, shallow pits in the surfaces; ventral suture
deeply furrowed along the sides, medium in width, winged;
dorsal suture grooved, slightly winged.

EARLY YORK

=1.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 220. 1832. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees
Am._ 475, 476. 1845. =3.= _Horticulturist_ =2=:399. 1847-48.
=4.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._ 37, 38, 51. 1848. =5.= Hovey
_Fr. Am._ =1=:45, Pl. 1851. =6.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 273.
1854. =7.= Hooper _W. Fr. Book_ 221. 1857. =8.= _Mag. Hort._
=23=:518. 1857. =9.= _Flor. & Pom._ 24, Pl. 1862. =10.= Hogg
_Fruit Man._ 446. 1884. =11.= Fulton _Peach Cult._ 184. 1908.

_Serrate Early York._ =12.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 290 fig.
1849. =13.= _U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt._ 334. 1856.

_York Précoce._ =14.= Mas _Le Verger_ =7=:115, 116, fig. 56.
1866-73. =15.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =6=:308, 309 fig., 310. 1879.

Early York is entitled to a place among the leading varieties of peaches only because of the part it played in the beginning of the peach-industry in America. As the history which follows shows, it was one of the first named varieties to be grown in this country. It is of more than passing interest, too, because it is one of the few sorts with glandless leaves. The fruits of Early York are insignificant, though the color-plate hardly does the variety justice, but the vigorous, healthy, compact trees have much to recommend them so that the variety might be used as a stepping-stone in improving tree-characters of peaches.

No doubt several distinct varieties have been grown as Early York. Large York, for example, which originated with Prince at Flushing, New York, has probably been more often sold for Early York than any other sort. Early Purple, a very old peach of European origin, was introduced to America about the time Early York came to notice. In some manner this variety has been confused with Early York, the name often being given as a synonym of that variety. The two sorts, however, are distinct and the error of connecting the name has led to much misunderstanding. Early Purple disappeared from American cultivation soon after its introduction and peaches sold under this name today are probably Early York. A controversy has arisen as to the origin of Early York, both America and England having been given as its home. That Early York is of American origin, however, there can be little doubt. Its parentage, the time and place of origin, however, are unknown. It may have come in existence in New York, or possibly New Jersey or, as some have thought, near York, Pennsylvania. The variety was sent to Europe about the middle of the Nineteenth Century where Thomas Rivers grew it at Sawbridgeworth and from it raised several promising seedlings. The leaves of the variety are distinctly serrated, giving rise to the name Serrate Early York. Red Rareripe, another variety having serrated, glandless leaves, has often been confused with Early York. The two are very similar but the fruit of Red Rareripe is larger, broader and ripens about a week later. Early York was placed on the list of recommended fruits at the National Convention of Fruit-Growers in 1848 and since that time has had a place on the fruit-list of the American Pomological Society.

Tree large, compact, upright-spreading, unproductive; trunk
stocky; branches thick, smooth, reddish-brown tinged with
light ash-gray; branchlets very long, dark pinkish-red with
some green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, raised
lenticels variable in size, numerous at the base and well
scattered along the branches.

Leaves six inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded
upward, oval to obovate-lanceolate; upper surface dark green,
smooth becoming slightly rugose along the midrib; lower
surface light grayish-green; margin sharply serrate, tipped
with reddish-brown glands; petiole seven-sixteenths inch long,
glandless.

Flower-buds conical or pointed, heavily pubescent, free;
blossoms open very late; flowers seven-eighths inch across,
pale pink, the edges darker; pedicels short, glabrous,
green; calyx-tube reddish-green, yellow within, campanulate;
calyx-lobes short, narrow, acute or obtuse, glabrous within,
pubescent without; petals roundish-oval, broadly notched,
tapering to short claws of medium width, sometimes stained with
red at the base; filaments three-eighths inch long, shorter
than the petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, longer than the
stamens.

Fruit matures in early mid-season; two inches long, two and
one-fourth inches wide, roundish to nearly oblate, somewhat
oblique, with unequal halves; cavity shallow, flaring, with
tender skin, often tinged with red; suture shallow, extending
beyond the tip; apex variable in shape, with mucronate or
sometimes mamelon tip; color pale white or creamy-white,
blushed and mottled with carmine; pubescence thin, short;
skin tough, adherent to the pulp until fully ripe; flesh
white, rayed with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender and
melting, mild subacid; good in quality; stone nearly free, over
one inch long, three-fourths inch wide, oval, plump, flattened
at the base, short-pointed at the apex, with pitted surfaces
marked by few grooves; ventral suture narrow, with furrows of
medium depth along the sides; dorsal suture deeply grooved.

EDGEMONT

=1.= Harrison & Sons _Cat._ 18. 1901.

_Edgemont Beauty._ =2.= Barnes Bros. _Cat._ 7. 1910. =3.= _Md.
Sta. Bul._ =159=:159. 1911. =4.= Stark Bros. _Cat._ 35. 1913.

In fruit Edgemont is not easily distinguished from Late Crawford, the essential differences being that the fruits of Edgemont are more rotund than those of Late Crawford and the flavor is a little more acid. The trees differ, chiefly, in the greater productiveness of Edgemont and in a little later maturity of the crop. Of the score or more peaches of the Crawford type, in many respects the best of the several types of peaches, Edgemont is distinctly superior to all on our grounds. Compared with Elberta, with which it must compete in the markets, it is several days later, is juicier, less fibrous, much excels that variety in quality and, though the individual peaches are not quite as large, at Geneva the yield of fruit is even greater. If Edgemont proves adapted to as wide a range of climates and soils as Elberta, we shall have a new commercial peach of very great value. Whether it succeeds in commerce or not, Edgemont is well worth planting in home orchards by virtue of the exceptionally high quality and attractive appearance of the fruit.

Edgemont, shortened from Edgemont Beauty, in accordance with the rules of the American Pomological Society, is of rather recent origin, having been introduced by the Miller Orchard Company, Edgemont, Maryland, in 1902.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, productive; trunk
stocky, smooth; branches thick, smooth; branchlets medium in
thickness, purplish-red mingled with brown.

Leaves large, obovate, medium in thickness; upper surface
yellowish-green, somewhat wrinkled; margin crenate; glands
globose.

Flower-buds half-hardy, medium in size; flowers appear in
mid-season, small, dark pink, well distributed, single;
pedicels short, somewhat slender; petals ovate, entire;
filaments long, sometimes longer than the petals.

Fruit matures in late mid-season; large, irregular,
roundish-ovate, truncate at the base, with unequal halves;
cavity rather deep, medium to narrow, regular, abrupt; suture
shallow; apex mucronate; color light yellow or orange-yellow,
with a bronze blush often deepening to an attractive carmine
blush; pubescence short, medium in thickness; skin thick,
somewhat tough, separates from the pulp; flesh yellow, stained
red at the pit, very juicy, slightly coarse and stringy, meaty,
mild subacid or sprightly; very good in quality; stone free,
large, oval, plump, pointed, with corrugated surfaces.

ELBERTA

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 66. 1881. =2.= _Am. Gard._ =9=:391 fig.
1888. =3.= _Can. Hort._ =11=:281, 282. 1888. =4.= _Am. Pom.
Soc. Cat._ 30. 1889. =5.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 382, Pl. 1. 1891.
=6.= _Can. Hort._ =17=:305, Pl. 1894. =7.= _Mo. Hort. Soc.
Rpt._ 272, 273. 1896. =8.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:807 fig. 1896.
=9.= _Can. Hort._ =23=:131, 132, fig. 1769. 1900. =10.= _Del.
Sta. Rpt._ =13=:97 fig. 98. 1900. =11.= _Rural N. Y._ =60=:54,
1901. =12.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:343, 344 fig. 1903.

Elberta leads all other peaches in number of trees in New York and in America. It is, too, the most popular of all peaches in the markets. A study of the variety, though it reveals some shortcomings, justifies its popularity with orchardists and marketmen. The preeminently meritorious character of Elberta is its freedom from local prejudices of either soil or climate--it is the cosmopolite of cultivated peaches. Thus, Elberta is grown with profit in every peach-growing state in the Union and in nearly all, if not all, is grown in greater quantities than any other market peach. The second character which commends Elberta to those in the business of peach-growing is fruitfulness--barring frosts or freezes the trees load themselves with fruit year in and year out. Added to these two great points of superiority are ability to withstand, in fair measure at least, the ravages of both insects and fungi, large size, vigor, early bearing and longevity in tree, and large, handsome, well-flavored fruits which ship and keep remarkably well.

Elberta, however, is not without faults and serious ones. The trees are not as hardy in either wood or blossom as might be wished. In northern regions peaches of the Crosby, Chili, Smock and Wager type stand winter freezes and spring frosts much better. The blossoms open rather too early in New York. The peaches also fall short in quality. They lack the richness of the Crawfords and the sweetness of the white-fleshed Champion type. Moreover, the pronounced bitter tang, even when the peaches are fully ripe, is disagreeable to some. Picked green and allowed to ripen in the markets, Elberta is scarcely edible by those who know good peaches. The stone is large but is usually wholly free from the flesh. With these faults, the dominance of Elberta is not wholly desirable as growers have a feeling of sufficiency with the one variety and consumers are forced to put up with a peach none too high in quality. Still, since no other variety is so reliable for the trade, this, by the way, being about the only variety suitable for export by reason of shipping qualities, Elberta promises long to continue its commercial supremacy.

Elberta was grown by Samuel H. Rumph, Marshallville, Georgia, from a seed of Chinese Cling planted in the fall of 1870. The Chinese Cling tree stood near Early and Late Crawford trees and trees of Oldmixon Free and Oldmixon Cling. Mr. Rumph believed that the Chinese Cling blossom which produced Elberta was fertilized by pollen from Early Crawford. The seedling was named Elberta in honor of Mr. Rumph's wife, Clara Elberta Rumph. An interesting coincidence connected with the origin of Elberta is that another stone from the same Chinese Cling tree was given to L. A. Rumph and from this grew Belle, the splendid white-fleshed, freestone peach. Nurserymen and growers frequently produce strains of Elberta which they think superior to the older sort but the several strains which have been tested on the grounds of this Station have not proved to differ a whit from the old variety. From the number of so-called "Early Elbertas" and "Late Elbertas" it may be suspected that occasionally Elberta, because of some local condition, ripens its fruit prematurely, or that ripening may be delayed; when removed from the particular local environment, ripening time seems to occur normally. Elberta was placed on the American Pomological Society's fruit-list in 1889.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense-topped, hardy,
very productive; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth,
reddish-brown intermingled with light ash-gray; branchlets with
tendency to rebranch, with long internodes, olive-green lightly
overspread with dark red, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with
numerous conspicuous lenticels variable in size.

Leaves six and three-fourths inches long, one and three-fourths
inches wide, oval to obovate-lanceolate; upper surface dull,
dark olive-green, mottled and somewhat rugose; lower surface
grayish-green; margin finely to coarsely serrate, often in two
series, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-eighths
inch long, with one to six reniform, greenish-yellow glands
medium in size and variable in position.

Flower-buds large, pubescent, conical or obtuse, plump,
appressed; flowers appear in mid-season; blossoms light
pink near the center, darker pink toward the edges, one and
one-fourth inches across; pedicels short, glabrous, green;
calyx-tube reddish-green, orange-colored within, obconic,
glabrous; calyx-lobes acute, glabrous within, pubescent
without; petals oval to ovate, bluntly notched near the base,
tapering to broad, short claws red at the base; filaments
one-half inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil pubescent
at the ovary, longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; two and three-fourths inches long,
two and one-half inches wide, roundish-oblong or cordate,
compressed, usually with a slight bulge at one side; cavity
deep, abrupt to flaring, often mottled with red; suture
shallow, deepening toward the apex; apex roundish, with a
mamelon or pointed tip; color greenish-yellow changing to
orange-yellow, from one-fourth to three-fourths overspread with
red and with much mottling extending sometimes over nearly the
entire surface; pubescence thick and coarse; skin thick, tough,
separates from the pulp; flesh yellow, stained with red near
the pit, juicy, stringy, firm but tender, sweet or subacid,
mild; good in quality; stone free, one and eleven-sixteenths
inches long, one and one-sixteenth inches wide, broadly ovate,
varying from flat to plump, sharp-pointed, decidedly bulged on
one side, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture deeply furrowed
along the sides, narrow, winged; dorsal suture deeply grooved,
strongly winged.

ENGLE

=1.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 192, 296, 299. 1893. =2.= _Mich.
Sta. Bul._ =169=:213. 1899. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 37. 1909.
=4.= _Mich. Sta. Sp. Bul._ =44=:39, 40. 1910.

_Engol's Mammoth._ =5.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt._ =2=:58. 1895.
=6.= _Ibid._ =6=:43. 1899.

Engle is almost a counterpart of the well-known Late Crawford from which it differs essentially in earlier ripening fruit and more productive trees. Before Elberta became the vogue, Engle stood high in the esteem of commercial planters in Michigan and its culture was rapidly spreading into other states but the coming of Elberta stopped its career. There seems little doubt but that Engle is more productive than either of the two Crawfords, splendid peaches which fail because of unproductiveness, and for those who want the best it is as good as any of this group--quite too good to be lost. One of the faults of the two Crawfords is that the trees are tardy in coming in bearing. Engle is said to bear younger. On the Station grounds the fruit drops rather too readily but we do not find this fault mentioned by others.

Engle was grown some forty years ago by C. C. Engle, Paw Paw, Michigan, with a number of seedlings, several others of which proved valuable. Late Crawford may have been the seed parent but of this there can be no certainty. The American Pomological Society added Engle to its list of recommended fruits in 1909.

Tree very large, upright becoming spreading, tall, hardy,
medium in productiveness; trunk thick, variable in smoothness;
branches stocky, smooth, reddish-brown covered with light
ash-gray; branchlets long, heavily tinged with olive-green,
glossy, smooth, somewhat tortuous, inclined to rebranch,
glabrous, with numerous small, conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaves six and one-fourth inches long, one and three-eighths
inches wide, irregularly curled, oval to obovate-lanceolate,
thin; upper surface rather dark, dull olive-green, rugose
along the midrib; lower surface light grayish-green; apex
narrow-acuminate; petiole three-eighths inch long, with one to
four small, globose, greenish-yellow glands at the base of the
leaf.

Flower-buds large and long, conical, plump, pubescent, free;
blossoms appear in mid-season; flowers light pink at the
center, darker red near the edges, one and one-eighth inches
across; pedicels very short, glabrous, green; calyx-tube dull
reddish-green, orange-colored within, obconic, glabrous;
calyx-lobes narrow, acute, glabrous within, heavily pubescent
without; petals oval to slightly ovate, faintly and broadly
crenate, tapering to claws with red base; filaments
three-eighths inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil
pubescent at the ovary, equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures in mid-season; two inches long, two and
seven-sixteenths inches wide, round-oval to cordate, becoming
almost oblate in some specimens, bulged near the apex,
compressed, with unequal sides; cavity abrupt to flaring;
suture shallow, deepening toward the apex; apex variable
in shape; color greenish-yellow changing to orange-yellow,
in parts overspread with a bright red blush, splashed with
darker red; pubescence short, thick, fine; skin thin, tough,
separates readily from the pulp; flesh pale yellow, stained
with red near the pit, juicy, tender and melting, sweet or
pleasantly subacid, mild; good in quality; stone free, one
and five-sixteenths inches long, fifteen-sixteenths inch wide
ovate, bulged on one side, plump, with pitted surfaces; ventral
suture very deeply grooved along the edges; dorsal suture
grooved, often winged.

EUREKA

=1.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 115. 1880. =2.= _Gard. Mon._
=24=:211, 212. 1882. =3.= _U. S. D. A. Pom. Rpt._ 42. 1895.
=4.= _Mich Sta. Bul._ =205=:31. 1903.

In the South where Eureka originated, the variety seems to have a very good reputation as an early, white-fleshed, semi-free peach. In New York the variety ripens early, when there are many other good peaches of its type, and it is therefore doubtful if it will ever have a prominent place in peach-growing in this State. As the variety grows on the Station grounds, one quality, in particular, marks Eureka as worthy more attention than it now receives--the peaches are exceptionally uniform in size. The color-plate, by the way, shows shape and color very well but does not give a fair idea of the size, as the peaches grow larger in average years. Though long grown, Eureka is worthy further trial in New York.

Eureka is a seedling of Chinese Cling found nearly half a century ago in Bossier Parish, Louisiana. It was introduced by L. T. Sanders and Son, Plain Dealing, Louisiana.

Tree above medium in size, upright-spreading, round-topped,
semi-hardy to hardy, very productive; trunk thick; branches
stocky, smooth, reddish-brown overspread with very light
ash-gray; branchlets with long internodes, reddish lightly
intermingled with olive-green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with
numerous conspicuous, large lenticels.

Leaves five inches long, one and seven-sixteenths inches wide,
folded upward, variable in shape, leathery; upper surface dark
green intermingled with olive-green, smooth becoming rugose
near the midrib; lower surface grayish-green, with a prominent
midrib; margin finely or coarsely serrate, glandular; petiole
five-sixteenths inch long, with two to six large, reniform
glands variable in color and position.

Flower-buds somewhat tender, small, short, heavily pubescent,
obtuse or conical, plump, usually appressed; blossoms open
early; flowers one and thirteen-sixteenths inches across,
pink, well distributed; pedicels very short, medium to thick,
glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green, greenish-yellow
within, obconic; calyx-lobes usually broad, obtuse, glabrous
within, pubescent without; petals oval or ovate, entire,
broadly and shallowly crenate, tapering to long claws reddish
at the base; filaments one-half inch long, shorter than the
petals; pistil pubescent at the ovary, as long as the stamens.

Fruit matures early; about two and seven-sixteenths inches in
diameter, round or round-oval, bulged on one side, compressed,
with unequal halves; cavity shallow, abrupt; suture shallow,
deepening at the apex; apex flattened or more or less rounded,
with mucronate tip; color greenish-white or creamy-white, often
with a distinct, bright red blush overspreading one-third of
the surface, with faint mottlings; pubescence fine, thick,
short; skin thin, tender, separates from the pulp; flesh white,
tender and melting, very juicy, pleasant flavored, good; stone
free, one and one-half inches long, one inch wide, ovate to
oval, tapering to a long point, with corrugated and deeply
pitted surfaces; ventral suture winged, deeply grooved along
the edges, narrow; dorsal suture a narrow groove.

FAMILY FAVORITE

=1.= _Gard. Mon._ =22=:304. 1880. =2.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc.
Rpt._ 114. 1880. =3.= _Tex. Sta. Bul._ =39=:807 fig. 7. 1896.
=4.= _Del. Sta. Rpt._ =13=:99. 1901. =5.= Budd-Hansen _Am.
Hort. Man._ =2=:344. 1903. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 33. 1909.

Family Favorite is one of the well-known peaches in the South-Central States but in most respects falls far short of Champion, with which it must compete, in New York. The tree is doubtfully hardy and the fruit scabs badly. The variety has two characters to commend it and to give it standing among commercial peaches in New York: Compared with that of Champion, the fruit stands shipment much better and when brown-rot is rife, does not suffer nearly as much. In selected locations, then, when a mid-season, white-fleshed peach is wanted, this variety is worth trying.

Family Favorite is a seedling of Chinese Cling, possibly crossed with Oldmixon Free. It was raised by the late William H. Locke, Bonham, Fannin County, Texas. The exact date of its origin is unknown. The variety was named and introduced by T. V. Munson, Denison, Texas. The American Pomological Society added Family Favorite to its list of fruits in 1909.

Tree of medium size, spreading, inclined to droop, open-topped,
productive; trunk and branches intermediate in thickness;
branches reddish-brown with a tinge of very light ash-gray;
branchlets rather short, with internodes dark red intermingled
with olive-green, glossy, smooth, curving, with numerous medium
to small, conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaves folded upward, six inches long, one and one-half inches
wide, ovate-lanceolate; upper surface a dull, mottled, dark
green mingled with olive-green, rugose along the midrib; lower
surface light grayish-green; margin finely serrate, often
in two series, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole
three-eighths inch long, with one to four small, globose,
greenish-yellow glands variable in position.

Flower-buds small, obtuse to pointed, very plump, heavily
pubescent, appressed; season of bloom early; flowers light
pink at the center, darker pink along the edges, one and
one-eighth inches across; pedicels short, glabrous; calyx-tube
reddish-green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes broad,
obtuse, pubescent within, heavily pubescent toward the edges;
petals oval to ovate, usually entire, tapering to narrow claws;
filaments one-half inch long, equal to the petals in length;
pistil pubescent at the base, longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-half inches long, two
and three-eighths inches wide, roundish-oval to strongly oval,
bulged near the apex, compressed, with unequal sides; cavity
contracted, narrow, abrupt; suture a line, deepening toward
the apex; apex roundish, with a small, mucronate tip set in
a depression; color creamy-white, with a few splashes of red
showing through a dull and mottled blush; pubescence short,
thin; skin thin, tough; flesh greenish-white, strongly stained
with red at the pit, very juicy, tender and melting, sweet or
subacid, aromatic; good in quality; stone semi-free to free,
tinged with red, one and one-half inches long, one inch wide,
flattened near the base, elliptical, plump, winged on one side,
with roughish and usually pitted surfaces; ventral suture
deeply furrowed along the sides, narrow; dorsal suture grooved,
irregular.

FITZGERALD

=1.= _Can. Hort._ =18=:417. 1895. =2.= _Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta.
Rpt._ =2=:57. 1895. =3.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 235, 236.
1896. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 33. 1899. =5.= Budd-Hansen _Am.
Hort. Man._ =2=:344. 1903. =6.= _Can. Hort._ =27=:195 fig.
1904. =7.= Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 196, 202. 1913.

Compare the color-plates of Fitzgerald and Early Crawford and it is seen at once that the two peaches are almost identical in fruit and foliage. There could be no use in growing Fitzgerald in this State, so similar is it to the better-known Early Crawford, were it not for the fact that the two differ in season a few days and that possibly Fitzgerald is the more productive of the two. Fitzgerald ripens a few days earlier than Early Crawford though in some of the references given it is said to ripen a few days later. Canadian peach-growers claim that Fitzgerald, besides being more productive and extending the season of Early Crawford, is hardier. In the effort to maintain peaches of the Crawford family in commercial plantations it may be worth while to try Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald originated a quarter of a century or more ago at Oakville, Ontario, but who the originator or what the parentage is not known. The American Pomological Society placed Fitzgerald on its list of recommended fruits in 1899, a place it still holds.

Tree of medium size, upright-spreading, round-topped,
hardy, not very productive; trunk smooth; branches smooth,
reddish-brown covered with light ash-gray; branchlets long,
with inclination to develop short, spur-like branchlets,
pinkish-red or dark red intermingled with green, smooth,
glabrous, with numerous conspicuous, rather small lenticels.

Leaves six inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded
upward but recurved, oval to obovate-lanceolate; upper surface
dark green tinged with olive-green, rugose; lower surface light
grayish-green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown
glands; petiole one-half inch long, glandless or with one
to five small, globose, greenish-yellow glands variable in
position.

Flower-buds hardy, conical, pubescent, plump, free; blossoms
appear in mid-season; flowers pale pink varying to a deeper
red along the edges, seven-eighths inch across; pedicels very
short, slender, glabrous, green; calyx-tube reddish-green,
orange-colored within, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes narrow,
acute, glabrous within, heavily pubescent without; petals
roundish-oval to ovate, white at the center, tapering to narrow
claws often red at the base; filaments one-fourth inch long,
equal to the petals in length; pistil pubescent at the ovary,
equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures in mid-season; two and one-half inches long, more
than two and one-half inches wide, roundish-oval to cordate,
somewhat compressed, with unequal halves, bulged at one side;
cavity medium to deep, wide, abrupt or often flaring, marked
with radiating streaks; suture shallow, deepening toward the
apex; apex roundish, ending in a recurved, mamelon point;
color golden-yellow more or less overspread with a dull red
blush, with splashes and mottlings of deeper red; pubescence
long, thick; skin thin, tough; flesh yellow, rayed with red at
the pit, juicy, rather firm, tender, sweet or mildly subacid,
pleasant flavored; very good in quality; stone free, one and
one-half inches long, one inch wide, ovate, plump, flattened
near the base, with pitted surfaces; ventral suture very deeply
furrowed along the sides; dorsal suture slightly winged.

FOSTER

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 32. 1869. =2.= _Am. Hort. Ann._ 82
fig. 39. 1870. =3.= _Gard. Mon._ =12=:371. 1870. =4.= Downing
_Fr. Trees Am._ 1st App. 121. 1872. =5.= _Mich. Hort. Soc.
Rpt._ 32, 260. 1874. =6.= _Cult. & Count. Gent._ =44=:678.
1879. =7.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:345. 1903. =8.=
Waugh _Am. Peach Orch._ 202. 1913.

_Foster's Seedling._ =9.= _Am. Jour. Hort._ =2=:277 fig. 1867.

Foster is another very good peach of the Crawford type and at one time was widely grown in all northern peach-regions. It is so similar to Late Crawford that even experienced growers can hardly tell them apart. Those who grow the two in the same orchard find the essential differences to be: Foster is the larger peach, is more rotund, somewhat more flattened at the base, is a little earlier, possibly handsomer and is even of better quality than Late Crawford; the trees of Foster, however, are hardly as productive as those of either of the two unproductive Crawfords. This unproductiveness is the fault that keeps the variety in the background as a commercial peach. The variety is well worth planting in any home orchard.

Foster originated about 1857 with J. T. Foster, Medford, Massachusetts, from the stone of a peach purchased by him in a Boston market. It was awarded a place on the American Pomological Society's list of recommended fruits in 1869.

Tree very large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, variable
in productiveness; trunk thick; branches stocky, smooth,
reddish-brown intermingled with light ash-gray; branchlets
spur-like, long, dark pinkish-red mingled with olive-green,
glossy, smooth, glabrous, with numerous large and small
lenticels raised at the base.

Leaves six inches long, one and three-eighths inches wide,
folded upward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, intermediate
in thickness, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth
becoming rugose near the midrib; lower surface grayish-green;
margin finely serrate, tipped with small glands; petiole
seven-sixteenths inch long, with one to four small globose
glands variable in color and position; flower-buds somewhat
tender, conical or pointed, pubescent, free; blossoms appear in
mid-season.