Chapter V: Leading Varieties of Peaches (5)

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.

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.

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.

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:

[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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.