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  Retrograde 
  Varieties 
  

  

  ent 
  races 
  of 
  the 
  peach. 
  As 
  early 
  as 
  the 
  begin- 
  

   ning 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  century, 
  Gallesio 
  described 
  no 
  

   less 
  than 
  eight 
  subvarieties 
  of 
  nectarines, 
  each 
  

   related 
  to 
  a 
  definite 
  race 
  of 
  peach. 
  Most 
  of 
  

   them 
  reproduce 
  themselves 
  truly 
  from 
  seed, 
  as 
  

   is 
  well 
  known 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  concerning 
  the 
  

   clingstones, 
  freestones 
  and 
  some 
  other 
  types. 
  

   Nectarines 
  have 
  often 
  varied, 
  giving 
  rise 
  to 
  new 
  

   sorts, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  nectarine 
  and 
  

   many 
  others 
  differing 
  greatly 
  in 
  appearance 
  

   and 
  flavor. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  re- 
  

   marked, 
  that 
  the 
  trees 
  do 
  not 
  differ 
  in 
  other 
  re- 
  

   spects 
  and 
  cannot 
  be 
  distinguished 
  while 
  young, 
  

   the 
  varietal 
  mark 
  being 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  

   the 
  down 
  on 
  the 
  fruit. 
  Peaches 
  have 
  been 
  

   known 
  to 
  produce 
  nectarines, 
  and 
  nectarines 
  to 
  

   yield 
  true 
  peaches. 
  Here 
  we 
  have 
  another 
  in- 
  

   stance 
  of 
  positive 
  and 
  negative 
  steps 
  with 
  refer- 
  

   ence 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  character, 
  but 
  I 
  cannot 
  with- 
  

   hold 
  an 
  expression 
  of 
  some 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  possi- 
  

   bility 
  of 
  crossing 
  and 
  subsequently 
  splitting 
  up 
  

   of 
  the 
  hybrids 
  as 
  a 
  more 
  probable 
  explanation 
  

   of 
  at 
  least 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  cases 
  quoted 
  by 
  various 
  

   writers. 
  

  

  Smooth 
  or 
  glabrous 
  varieties 
  often 
  occur, 
  and 
  

   some 
  of 
  them 
  have 
  already 
  been 
  cited 
  as 
  in- 
  

   stances 
  of 
  the 
  multiplication 
  of 
  varietal 
  names. 
  

   Positive 
  aberrations 
  are 
  rather 
  rare, 
  and 
  are 
  

   mostly 
  restricted 
  to 
  a 
  greater 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  