226 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



[flere follows a paragraph telling how the fruit is dried for ^v'r.ter use.] 



The peach trees have, as I am told, been first planted here by the Eur cans. But at 

 present they succeed very well, and require even less care than our | .vedish] apple 

 and pear trees. 



[September 26 j: Mr. Bar tram was of the opinion that the apple tree \ is brought into 

 America by the Europeans, and that it never was there before their i-rival. But he 

 looked upon peaches as an original Aiuerican fruit, and as growing wi I in the greatest 

 part of America. Others again were of the opinion that they were i st brought over 

 by the Europeans. But all the French in Canada agreed that on the inks of the Mis- 

 sissippi and ui the country thereabouts peaches were found growing \ ild in great quan- 

 tity (p. 127). 



October the 27th. In the morning I set out [from Philadelphia] o:i a little journey to 

 New York. * • * 



That part where we traveled at present [i. e.. on the west l)ank of the Delaware, be- 

 tween Pliiladelphia and TrentonJ was pretty well inhabited on both sides of the road by 

 Englishmen, Germans, and otlier Europeans. * • * Near almost every farm was 

 a great orchard, with peach and apple trees, some of which were yet loaded with fruit 

 (p. 216). 



Kalm crossed the Delaware at Trenton in the evening, and continued his 

 journey on October 28, from Trenton via Princeton: 



During the greater part of the day we had very extensive corn fields on both sides of 

 the road, * • * Near almost every farm was a si^acious orchard full of peach and 

 apple treeS: and in some of them the fruit had fallen from the trees in such quantities 

 as to cover nearly the whole surface. Part of it they left to rot, because they could 

 not take it all in and consume it. Wherever we passed by we were alwajs welcome 

 to go into the tine orchards and gather our hats and pockets full of the choicest fruit, 

 without the possessors so much as looking after it (pp. 222-223). 



In 1758 Du Pratz speaks of peaches in Louisiana as follows: 



The peaches are of the kind we call alberges; and contain so much water that they 

 make a kind of wine of it. * * Our colonists plant tlie peach stones about the 

 end of February, and suffer the trees to grow exposed to all weathers. In the third 

 year they will gather from one tree at least two hundred peaches, and double that 

 amount for six or seven years more, when the tree dies irrevocably. As new trees are 

 so easily produced, the loss of the old ones is not in the least regretted. 



In 1756 Israel Acrelius returned to Sweden from the Delaware region, 

 where he had been the resident clergyman for some years. From his book, 

 which is more trustworthy than that of (Jampanius, 1 quote as follows : 



Peach trees stand within an inclosure by themselves; grow even in the stoniest 

 places without culture. The fruit is the most delicious that the mouth can taste, and 

 often allowable in fevers. One kind, called clingstones, are considered the best; in 

 these the stones are not loose from the fruit as in the others. Many have peach orchards 

 chiefly for the purpose of feeding their swine, w hich are not allowed to rim at large. 

 They first bloom in March, the llowers coming out before the leaves, and are often 

 injured bj' the frosts; they are ripe toward the close of August.' This fruit is regarded 

 as indigenous, like maize and tobacco; for as tar as any Indians have been seen in the 

 interior of the country these plants are found to extend. 



In one of his chapters on the "General state of Pennsylvania between 

 the years 1760 and 1770," Proud says : 



In some places peaches are so common and plentiful that the country people feed 

 their liogs with them. 



In 1703 Thomas Cooper spent the autumn and winter in the United States, 

 and on his return to Phigland published a book in which are the following 

 statements, apparently in part, at least, gathered at lirst hand: 



Every farm home in the middle and southern states has its peach orchard and its 

 apple orchard, and, with all tlieir slovenliness, abundance and content are evident in 

 every haliitation (p. 51). 



At Norfolk, Va., peaches sold for Id. and 2d. per dozen (p. 96). At Winchester, Va., 

 the price of peaches was from 2s. to 4«. per bushel, Virginia currency (p. 100). 



