Peach
(Persica vulgaris). The Peach has been cultivated in this country since the middle of the sixteenth century, about which time it is said to have been introduced. Although generally stated to be a native of Persia, De Candolle considers the Peach to be of Chinese origin, this question being very fully treated in that author's "Geographie Botanique" and "L'Origine des Plantes Cultivees." It was known to Theophrastus in 322 B.C. Its cultivation is now more or less extensively practised over a large portion of Europe and America. In this country, the trees require protection of some sort, particularly during the spring. This is provided by planting them under glass, or against walls outside, with a southern exposure, temporary coverings being used in the latter case, throughout the flowering period, and until the fruits are set. Trees planted in the open ground never become sufficiently ripened to bear fruit: consequently, their culture is seldom attempted, except in a young state, without proper protection being provided. Peaches are grown in abundance throughout the warmer parts of Asia, and also in many provinces of the United States. In France, their cultivation receives considerable attention, and the fruits obtained are of excellent quality. Peach culture in this country, particularly forcing under glass, forms one of the most important of gardening operations amongst fruit-trees; and the success or failure of this work are matters depending very considerably on details of management, which require to be thoroughly understood. The fruit of the Peach is, more or less, round, and is characterised by having a delicate, downy skin, with a furrow or suture on one side, proceeding from the stem to the apex, and varying in depth in different sorts. When properly ripened, it is highly valued, and deservedly accorded a prominent position, both amongst dessert and exhibition fruits. For propagation, general cultivation, forcing, and other remarks respecting Peach-trees and their management, see Nectarine. Sorts. Subjoined is a selection of the best and most esteemed Peaches, all of which are worthy of cultivation, where there is sufficient accommodation, and a supply is required over a lengthened period each year. It will be observed that many of the varieties described were raised at, or have emanated from, the Sawbridgeworth Nursery. The new varieties raised at Sawbridgeworth are chiefly the result of Mr. Rivers' experiments in hybridising and raising such quantities of Peaches and Nectarines from seed. The pollen of the Stanwick Nectarine was used, and the stain of blood is very evident in the Nectarines, which are entirely changed in character. The experiments were commenced many years ago, and several most valuable acquisitions to varieties of hardy fruits have, as a consequence, been secured.
A Bec. Flowers large. Fruit large, of uneven outline, terminated with a prominent nipple at the apex; skin yellowish, dark crimson next the sun; flesh white, tender, and melting. End of August. Glands round. A fine variety.
Acton Scot. Flowers large. Fruit medium, nearly round; skin deep red next the sun; flesh pale yellow, melting, and rich. End of August. Leaves crenate; glands round. A rather small-fruited, but excellent, free-bearing sort.
Albatross. Flowers large. Fruit very large, round; skin pale yellow, mottled and streaked with dark crimson; flesh white, rich, and good. Middle of September. Leaves glandless. A fine late Peach, raised by Mr. Rivers.
Alexander. Flowers large. Fruit large, round, of a brilliant colour where exposed to the sun; flesh yellowish-white, juicy, and brisk in flavour. Early in July, in an orchard-house. Glands round. An excellent and very early Peach, of American origin, introduced by Mr. Rivers.
Alexandra Noblesse. Flowers large. Fruit very large, round; skin downy, very pale; flesh white, melting, richly flavoured. Middle of August. Leaves smooth; glands round. A very fine Peach, raised by Mr. Rivers from NOBLESSE; in consequence of its smooth leaves, it is considered less liable than its parent to be attacked by mildew.
Barrington. Flowers bright red, large. Fruit large, somewhat elongated, with a prominent nipple; skin downy, deep red next the sun; flesh whitish-green, tinged with red near the stone, of excellent flavour. Middle and end of September, succeeding ROYAL GEORGE and NOBLESSE. Glands round. The tree is a vigorous grower, and, generally, a good bearer.
Belle Bauce. Flowers pink, large. Fruit large, somewhat depressed or flattened at the summit; skin downy, deep red nearly all over; flesh white, tinged red near the stone, juicy and rich. Middle of September, or ten days later than GROSSE MIGNONNE, of which it is considered but a variety or form. Leaves crenated; glands round. A handsome Peach.
Belle de Doue. Flowers small. Fruit large, deep red nearly all over; flesh melting, very richly flavoured. End of August and beginning of September. Glands round.
Bellegarde. Flowers deep rose, small. Fruit large, somewhat inconstant obovoid, or nearly spherical, with very small nipple and distinct suture; skin excessively downy, violet-red on the shady side, blackish-purple where exposed; flesh yellowish-white, red near the stone, melting and juicy, delicately perfumed. End of August and beginning of September. Leaves large, finely serrated with round glands. This excellent sort is accepted by English pomologists as identical with the GALANDE of the French. The BELLEGARDE of the French pomologists is a different sort with large flowers, and of no special merit in this country. SYNS. English Galande, French Galande, Galande, Noir de Montreuil.
Chancellor. Flowers small. Fruit large, roundish-oval; skin dark crimson, pale greenish-yellow on the shaded side; flesh pale yellow, deeply rayed with red at the stone, juicy and rich. Middle of September. Glands reniform or kidney-shaped.
Condor. Flowers large. Glands reniform, A comparatively new very fine sort, raised by Mr. Rivers, and described as follows: "A large Peach from EARLY SILVER; colour bright crimson, flavour piquant and rich. August." Crimson Galande. Flowers small. Fruit medium or large, roundish, deep crimson, almost black; flesh deeply stained with red near the stone, tender, melting, and richly flavoured. Middle and end of August. Glands round. A hardy and prolific variety, raised by Mr. Rivers.
Desse Tardive. Flowers small. Fruit large, round, of a pale colour, slight red next the sun; flesh greenish-white, sweet and rich. End of September and beginning of October. Glands round. One of the best late Peaches.
Dr. Hogg. Flowers large. Fruit very large, round, pale yellow, tinged with crimson next the sun, and similarly dotted on the shaded side; flesh firm, yellowish-white, red at the stone, rich and sugary. Middle of August. Glands kidney-shaped. A remarkably vigorous-growing variety, which bears freely, but is not adapted for forcing; raised by Mr. Rivers.
Dymond. Flowers large. Fruit very large, flattened at the summit, mottled red on the exposed side; flesh white, stained red near the stone, highly flavoured. Middle of September. Leaves glandless.
Early Beatrice. Flowers large. Fruit medium, round; skin marbled, very highly-coloured where exposed; flesh nearly white, melting, juicy, and richly flavoured. Early in July, in an orchard-house, and outside at the end of that month. Glands small, kidney-shaped. One of the earliest sorts known; raised by Mr. Rivers.
Early Rivers. Flowers large. Fruit large, pale yellow, with delicate, flesh-coloured dots on the exposed side; flesh pale, melting, remarkably rich and juicy. Middle of July, in an orchard-house. Glands kidney-shaped. A valuable, very early Peach; it was raised by Mr. Rivers, who states that it is apt to crack at the stone, when the fruit ceases to swell, and has no flavour. To obviate this cracking, he recommends that it should be fertilised with pollen from other flowers, as it is possible the immaturity arises from insufficient impregnation.
Early Silver. Flowers large. Fruit very large and pale, with blush cheek next the sun; flesh white, melting, and rich. Middle of August. Glands kidney-shaped. Requires a warm position and favoured situation. Raised by Mr. Rivers from seed of the WHITE Nectarine, the flavour of which it partially retains.
Exquisite. Flowers small. Fruit very large, deep yellow, with dark crimson cheek; flesh yellow, stained with deep red at the stone, rich, and melting. Middle of September. Glands round. A fine-flavoured American sort, of immense size.
Golden Eagle. Flowers small. Fruit very large, round, depressed, orange-colour, with some red on the exposed side; flesh stained red near the stone, tender, rich, and melting. End of September or early in October. Glands kidney-shaped. One of the best yellow Peaches; raised by Mr. Rivers.
Goshawk. Flowers large. Beginning of September. Leaves serrate, glandless. A very large, pale-coloured, mid-season Peach, raised from an American sort, named COOLEDGE'S FAVOURITE; it is of excellent quality.
Grosse Mignonne. Flowers deep red, large. Fruit large, somewhat hollowed at the summit, and furnished with a deep suture, which appears to divide it into two parts; skin downy, pale yellow, mottled with red, dark red next the sun; flesh pale yellow, red near the stone, juicy, rich, and highly flavoured; stone small, rough. End of August and beginning of September. Glands round. This splendid mid-season Peach is one of the best in cultivation, either for forcing or for any purpose, if only one sort were required. It has been grown for a very long period, and twenty or more varieties, sent out at various times as being new, have eventually been found to be identical with it. This may be accounted for to a great extent from its being one of the most highly-esteemed sorts, and from the fact that it reproduces itself from seed. Hale's Early. Flowers large. Fruit medium, round, depressed at the summit; skin dark crimson, particularly next the sun; flesh yellow, melting, and very good. End of July or beginning of August. Glands round. A first-rate, very early Peach, of American origin; well adapted for forcing.
Late Admirable. Flowers pale red, small. Fruit very large, somewhat oblong, with swollen nipple at the apex; skin downy, dull crimson, striped, deeper crimson next the sun; flesh yellowish-green, red near the stone, very juicy, of delicate flavour. Middle or end of September. Glands round. One of the best late Peaches, particularly under glass.
Noblesse. Flowers large. Fruit large, sometimes rather pointed, sometimes depressed, yellowish-green on the shaded side, delicately marbled, and streaked with red on the side next the sun; flesh white almost throughout, melting, exceedingly juicy and rich. End of August and beginning of September. Leaves glandless. A most valuable variety, which may be successfully forced, but the tree is sometimes subject to mildew.
Princess of Wales. Flowers very large. Fruit very large, rounded, terminated by a prominent nipple; skin cream-coloured when ripe, with rosy cheek; flesh yellowish, red at the stone, of excellent quality. End of September and beginning of October. Glands round. A very valuable late Peach, raised by Mr. Rivers from a Clingstone variety, named PAVIE DE POMPONE, worthless in this country.
Rivers' Early York. Flowers large. Fruit medium, marbled with red on the shady side, deep red where exposed; flesh greenish-white, melting, and richly flavoured. Beginning and middle of August. Leaves smooth; glands round. A variety raised by Mr. Rivers from the old EARLY YORK, on which it is an improvement, inasmuch as the tree escapes mildew much better, and generally produces a good crop. It is well adapted for forcing. Royal George. Flowers dull red, small. Fruit large, globular; skin downy, deep red next the sun, dotted on the shaded part; flesh yellowish-white, red near the stone, juicy, rich, and excellent. End of August and beginning of September. Leaves glandless. One of the best-known and most highly-esteemed sorts. It forces well, but the tree is subject to mildew.
Sea Eagle. Flowers large. Fruit very large, round, lemon-yellow, deep red on the exposed side; flesh white, stained red near the stone, highly flavoured. End of September. Glands round. One of the best late Peaches; raised by Mr. Rivers from the variety named EARLY SILVER.
Stirling Castle. Flowers small. Fruit medium, roundish, pale-coloured, marbled red where exposed; flesh white, melting, and rich. Beginning of September. Leaves glandless. A hardy sort.
The Nectarine Peach. Flowers large. Fruit very large, pointed; skin nearly smooth, like a Nectarine, yellow, mottled red on the exposed side; flesh brisk and richly flavoured. Middle and end of September. Glands small, kidney-shaped. A first-rate late variety, raised by Mr. Rivers from a seed of a Dutch Nectarine, called LE GRAND NOIR.
Walburton Admirable. Flowers small. Fruit large, round, yellowish-green where shaded, crimson-mottled, with a darker colour where exposed; flesh yellowish-white, juicy, and rich. End of September and beginning of October. Glands round. A very valuable late Peach.
FUNGI. The most noteworthy Fungus parasitic on the Peach is Exoascus deformans. This causes one form of Peach Curl, or Peach Blister, so called from the appearance it gives rise to in the leaves. The other form of Peach Blister is cause by Aphides, and may be recognised by the presence of those insects, and by the red colour of the diseased leaves. E. deformans makes its presence manifest by the appearance of the leaves, and by a pale bloom, visible chiefly on the lower surface. The microscope shows that this bloom is due to the presence, all over the leaf, of innumerable erect, slender cells, containing spores, and each supported on a shorter cell. The Cherry, the Gean, and the Plum, are also liable to suffer through attacks of this Fungus; but in these trees it gives rise to the so-called "witch-knots," or short branches arising in a crowded mass, the leaves and twigs of which show the bloom of the Fungus at certain times of the year. The leaves covered with E. deformans wither and fall off prematurely; and even while on the tree, they cease to be of use to the host-plant. Besides this, the tissues of the host are diseased by the Fungus, and it reappears year after year on the same branch system. The only remedy is to cut off and destroy the diseased branches and leaves.
Sphaerotheca pannosa, a mildew, is of frequent occurrence on the Peach. It forms a dense, greenish coat over the parts affected, living on the outer surface of the cells of the host-plant. Flowers of sulphur, or the solution of potassium sulphide, is the most effectual cure for this disease. See Mildew.
Certain small pale spots may, at times, be observed on Peach leaves, the work of small species of Fungi, named Cercospora Persicoe and C. circumscissa. The injury done by them is too slight to call for a longer notice here. INSECT PESTS. The Peach-tree is liable to injury from insect operations in several ways, but only those of more frequent occurrence need be specified. A small moth (Anarsia lineatella) destroys from two to several inches at the tips of the branches, by its larvae boring into them, and eating the pith from them in spring and early summer; while the larvae of an autumn brood eat into the fruits while on the trees. This insect belongs to the Tineina (see Moths), but is larger than the average of that group, reaching a span of nearly 3/5 in. across the front wings, which are grey, with darker grey markings, especially a dark lozenge-shaped mark on the front margin. All the wings are narrow, and long-fringed. This insect is found both in Europe and in North America.
A Weevil, Otiorhynchus ligustici (see Otiorhyncus), gnaws the leaves of the Peach, as well as of many other trees. The larvae of several of the larger moths and butterflies also eat the leaves; but the harm done by them is seldom serious. A Sawfly (Lyda nemoralis), in the larval state, lives on several trees of the group of stone-fruits, and among these is the Peach; the larvae live in colonies, but each in a separate tube, protected in the common web (see Lyda). The webs, with the inclosed larvae, are easily removed and destroyed.
The worst insect enemies of the Peach-tree are Aphides, of which several species are found on it in Britain. The most hurtful is Aphis Persicae, B. de Fonsc. (A. Amygdali, Buckton), since it causes the young leaves near the tips of the branches to assume a blistered appearance, to become thickened and red, and to curl up, so as to form retreats below them, in which the insects live protected. The leaves become useless to the tree, and drop off prematurely. The insects are of an ochreous or rusty-yellow colour, with dark brown or black markings covering a great part of the upper surface. Myzus Persicae and Hyalopterus Pruni are both common on Peach-trees; but they do not give rise to the distortion of the leaves, though hurtful by covering the leaves with their skins and excretions, and weakening the trees by the food they draw from the tissues. The former species has the wingless female rosy or rusty-red, the winged female brown or almost black, and the male citron-yellow. The latter has the wingless female pale green, and the winged female yellowish-green. When Aphis Persicae appears, the twigs most affected should be cut off and destroyed, with their inhabitants. For all the species, washes may be used, such as soapsuds, or a solution of 11b. of soft soap in five gallons of water, or a solution of soft soap with tobacco. These liquids may be pumped on from a garden engine, or the infested twigs may be dipped into them; but special care must be taken to reach the insects on the under surface of the leaves.
The Peach Scale insect (Lecanium Persicae) lives on the buds and branches of Peach, Plum, and various other trees. As in the allied species (see Scale Insects), the female is covered with a slightly convex, oval shield. This is brown, with a yellowish dorsal line, and two darker spots at the sides. As the eggs become matured, the shield becomes nearly hemispherical, and the legs disappear from the lower surface. The males are smaller than the females, have two wings, and bear two slender filaments, like tails; they are dark red-brown, with black head, and yellowish antennae and legs. For this, as for the other Scale insects, the best treatment is the use of a stiff brush, with similar solutions to those employed against Aphides (which see), or with paraffin, to remove them from the branches.
Lastly, the fruit of the Peach is, in common with the other stone-fruits, inhabited occasionally by the larva of a beetle (Anthonomus druparum), which feeds in the seed, but usually does not greatly check the growth of the edible part of the fruit. This beetle is nearly related to the Apple Blossom Weevil (which see for methods of prevention and remedies).