The Peach Interest in the Central States. 219 



evident that it must refer to the section Eleutera, represented by many spe- 

 cies in tropical America but heretofore not known to exist in the United 

 States. Dr. Chapman, soon after receiving fine flowering and fruiting speci 

 mens, has described this shrub in the new supplement to his flora of the 

 Southern United States under the name C niton Alabamense, fmding it very 

 closely related to a Brazilian species. It grows to a height of six feet and 

 over, branching from the base with straggling limbs and horizontal branches, 

 which bear toward their extremities the oblong lanceolate leaves. Like the 

 foliage of many of the related tropical kinds, they are covered on the lower 

 surface with a shining silvery-white tomentum, forming a strong contrast to 

 the dark green of their upper side. The flowers appear with the first days 

 of spring, the staminate or male flowers forming short, close terminal ra- 

 cemes ; the pistillate or female flowers are short stalked and single, or by two 

 or three, situated in the axils of the leaves. Plants raised from the seed by 

 Prof. Smith bloomed profusely and ripened their fruit after the third season, 

 when scarcely a foot in height, ripening their seeds up to the middle of May. 

 In that stage of growth raised in pots, the plants, with iheir peculiar foliage 

 and covered with their golden yellow catkins of male flowers, present a 

 pretty sight. Like the Neviusia, the Alabama Croton, when grown in pots in 

 the green house, one should think could be easily forced to bloom during 

 mid winter, thus affording a valuable and novel addition to the cut flowers so 

 greatly in demand at that season of the year. Both of them can be presumed 

 to prove hardy along the Atlantic border, with but a slight protection, as far 

 north as New York. They would require in cultivation a well drained soil 

 with plenty of rich leave mould. The Alabama Croton seems also to be ex- 

 clusively confined to the narrow limits within which it was first found, em- 

 bracing a few square miles in the valley of the Little Cahaba river. 



THE PEACH INTEREST IN THE CENTRAL STATES. 



BY J. S. BEATTY, OF KENTUCKY. 



I have not yet heard from a single point within the Central States, except 

 the extreme southern portion, that does not give an unfavorable report for a 

 peach crop the coming season. Then, sir, you must not find fault with me 

 if in this paper I should see nothing but the dark side of the subject. The 

 peach interests in the Central States have not been universally successful. 

 There are many causes for failures that so frequently occur, to which I will 

 call attention before I am through. 



The territory that I shaU speak of as the Central States lies wholly within 

 the Mississippi valley. We refer to this particular section of the world bo- 

 cause our homes are there, our interests, our pride, our joys or our sorrows, 

 combine to give it that attraction which nothing else can give like home. It 

 is the home of our Society, it is the home of almost our entire membership. 



