120 Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society. 



next the Stonewall Jackson, Spottswood, Albert Sidney, Thurber, Elberta, 

 Sj'l])hedi and many others. 



The Elberta is, however, a well defined hybrid of the Chinese type, and 



a yellow-fleshed variety of the Persian type; it has proved a remarkably 



large and excellent variety, one which, at its season of maturity, from the 



miildlo of July to beginning of August, has commanded the highest prices 



. in the Northern markets. 



Perhaps the most valuable new peach adapted to the sub-tropical zone of 

 Florida and Louisiana is the Peen To, or Flat Peach of China. A descrip- 

 tion of this fruit appeared in the earlier editions of "Downing's Fruits and 

 Fruit Trees of America," but the genuine variety seemed not to have been 

 introduced in this country until a zealous horticultural friend from Australia 

 sent me some of its pits in 1868. From these originated this variety, which, 

 although of no value for what is termed the peach growing belt of the United 

 States, owing to its blossoming very early, it has proven to be Avell suited to 

 sections of Florida where the varieties of the Persian strain are unsuccessful, 

 and given there material for a new source of fruit producing. 



This peach is, however, only a variety of a type, and the latter is also some- 

 what distinct from both the Persian and Chinese, as it is almost an evergreen 

 tree, the old leaves remaining upon the tree until after the middle of De- 

 cember, while the new growth begins at the end of January. The fruit is 

 very flat, flesh of a melting and fine-gi'ained texture, juicy and of excellent 

 flavor, cling-stone ; has matured in Middle Florida as early as the 10th of 

 April, when shipments were made to Philadelphia, where the fruit sold at 

 75 cents each. 



It is hoped that experiments will be made by our Forida friends in rais- 

 ing seedlings from it, as new and distinct varieties will no doubt be obtained, 

 thus giving them a race of peaches which will be as profitable to them as the 

 orange. 



Many of the members of this Society have doubtless fruited some of the 

 varieties of the Japanese Persimmon, and become somewhat acquainted with 

 this new fruit; others, however, may only know of the fruit from .descrip- 

 tions. 



The limits of this paper forbid dwelling at length upon these new comers, 

 and I must therefore only give their salient points. 



1. The trees of nearly all the varieties are of rather dwarf habit of growth,, 

 and, so far as our experience goes, all produce fruit at a very earh' age. Im- 

 ported trees usually yield a crop the year following transplanting. Those 

 grafted upon well established native stocks grow more rapidly, and are apt to- 

 make larger trees; they also usually produce fruit the second year from 

 graft. 



2. Nearly all the round-shaped varieties have a tendency to overbear; thus 

 the fruit requires thinning when set. 



3. The trees are hardy in the cotton belt, but more reliable in good results- 

 below the 32°. 



