1873.] PEACH AND NECTARINE. 119 



THE PEACH AND NECTARINE. 



These two fruits are classed together. They not only belong to the 

 same genus {Amygdalus), but the same species {persica) includes 

 them both. The IN'ectarine differs from the Peach in being somewhat 

 less, and in having a smooth skin, the skin of the Peach being downy. 

 There have been instances of their being both found on the same 

 branch, and single fruits have been found with the skin of the Peach 

 on one side and that of the Nectarine on the other. They may each 

 be arranged under two classes — viz., the free-stone Peaches and Nec- 

 tarines, the ilesh of which separates readity from the stone and skin ; 

 and the cling-stones, which have a firmer flesh adhering to both the 

 stone and skin. The cultivation required by the Peach applies also to 

 the Nectarine. 



There is considerable difference of opinion among botanists as to 

 the native country of the Peach. Persia has been considered by some 

 to have been the place of its origin. " DecandoUe is, however, of 

 opinion that China is the native country of the Peach. His reasons 

 are, that if it had originally existed in Persia or Armenia, the know- 

 ledge and culture of so delicious a fruit would have spread sooner into 

 Asia Minor and Greece. The expedition of Alexander is probably 

 what made it known to Theophrastus, B.C. 322, who speaks of it as a 

 Persian fruit. . . . Admitting this to be the country, how can it 

 be explained that neither the early Greeks, nor the Hebrews, nor the 

 people who speak Sanscrit, and who have all sprung from the upper 

 region of the Euphrates, had grown the Peach-tree ? On the contrary, 

 it is very probable that the stones of a fruit-tree cultivated from all 

 antiquity in China may have been carried across the mountains from 

 the centre of Asia into Cashmere or Bokhara and Persia. . . . 

 The cultivation of the Peach-tree, once established at this point, would 

 easily extend on one side towards the west, and on the other by Cabul 

 towards the north of India. In support of the supposition of a Chinese 

 origin, it may be added that the Peach was introduced from China 

 into Cochin China, and that the Japanese call it by the Chinese 

 name Too. The Peach is mentioned in the books of Confucius, 

 fifth century before the Christian era ; and the antiquity of the 

 knowledge of the fruit in China is further proved by the represen- 

 tations of it on sculpture and on porcelain. The above are some 

 of the arguments adduced by Decandolle against the commonly- 

 received opinion that the Peach originated in Persia." * 



The Peach was introduced into this country more than 200 years 

 ago, when most likely it was brought from France, where it had 

 * Treasury of Botany. 



