EXPERIMENT STATION WORK W^ITH PEACHES. 



429 



^inalijses of Iwiys, buds, blossoms, and J mi il of peaches. 



Natural state. 



Part and date (if cutting, 1902. 



Twigs, March 2.5 



Buds, March 2(i 



Blossoms, April 24-25. . 

 Entire peach, June «... 

 Entire peach, June 28. . . 

 Entire peach, August 2.') 



Starch. 



Per cent. 

 16.55 

 .5.10 

 2.06 

 2.31 

 3.64 

 1.98 



Unlike the results reported by Bigelow and Gore, starch was found 

 at allstages of growth not only m the green but also in the ripe fruit. 

 The composition of the flesh, pits, and kernels of mature peaches in 

 the absolute dry state was also determined by the station and is shown 

 in the following- table : 



.Inali/.'ie.'i of different parts of tJie peach. 



Part. 



Absolutely dry state. 



Potash. 



Flesh of peach, August 25 . 

 Shells of pits, August 25 . . 

 Kernels of pits, August 25 



Per cent. 



2.32 



.33 



1.02 



Phos- ! I 



phoric iNitrogen.l Sugar, 

 acid. I 



Per cent. 



0.24 



.08 



.64 



Per cent. 



0.63 



.19 



4.08 



Per cent. 



61.94 



3.21 



Starch. 



Per cent. 



7.31 



25.10 



At the Connecticut Station'* green peaches removed at the time of 

 thinning were found to contain the following amounts of different 

 elements in a ton of peaches: Potash 7.3 pounds, sodium 0.16 pound, 

 lime 0.56 pound, magnesia 0.59 pound, oxid of iron and alumina 0.16 

 pound, phosphoric acid 1.8 pounds, sulphuric acid 0.38 pound, chlorid 

 0.3 pound, sand and silicate 0.47 pound, and nitrogen 6.4 pounds. '' It 

 appears that a ton of this fruit contained about as much nitrogen and 

 potash as 200 pounds of nitrogenous superphosphate of average 

 quality but much less phosphoric acid." 



The California Station'' reports physical analyses of the • varieties 

 Orange Cling and Lemon Cling. The flesh constituted a little more 

 than 93 per cent of each of these varieties and the pits a little more 

 than 6 per cent. Orange Cling contained 78.5 per cent water, 20.88 

 per cent of organic matter, and 0.62 per cent of ash, while Lemon Cling 

 contained 86.5 per cent water, 13.06 per cent organic matter, and 0.44 

 per cent ash. On the average the whole ripe fruit contained 12.5 per 

 cent of sugar, flesh 13.4 per cent, juice 17 per cent, and 0.24 per cent of 

 acid. 



a Connecticut Sta. Rpt. 189.3, p. 60. 

 b California Sta. Bui. 97. 



