VARIETIES OF PEACHES 349 



Tree medium in size, upright-spreading, very productive. Fruit midsea- 

 son; 2y2 inches in diameter, oblong-conic, bulged near the apex, with 

 unequal halves; cavity abrupt, the skin tender and tearing easily; suture 

 shallow, deepening toward the apex; apex pointed; color greenish-yellow 

 with a dull blush over one-half the surface, more or less mottled; pubes- 

 cence thick, fine, short; skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp when 

 fully ripe; flesh creamy -wliite stained red at the pit, stringy, firm but 

 tender, with a distinct pleasant flavor, sprightly; good in quality; stone 

 free, pointed at both ends, with nearly smooth surfaces. 



538. Champion (Fig. 179) is rightly used to gauge the qual- 

 ity of all other white-fleshed peaches. The 

 fruits are nearty as attractive to the eye as 

 to the palate; but, unfortunately, run small 

 and off-color in all but choicely good soils. 

 The tree is almost perfect, few others sur- 

 passing it in height and girth, and none 



equalling it in quantity and the luxuriant 



o '. £ T mi -4- F"iG. 179. Cham- 



green 01 its roliage. The variety surpasses ^i^^^ 



most of its orchard associates in productive- 

 ness, but the peaches are inviting i)rey to brown-rot, and the 

 trees are defoliated with leaf-curl. The original seed was planted 

 about 1880 by I. G. Hubbard, Nokomis, Illinois. 



Tree large, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, very productive. Fruit 

 midseason; 2i/4 inches in diameter, round-oval, truncate, with halves usually 

 equal; cavity shallow, narrow, flaring, contracted; suture shalloAv; apex 

 rounded, with a recurved tip; color pale creamy-white, with splashes of car- 

 mine, mingled with a blush of darker red; pubescence short, thick; skin 

 tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh white, red at the pit, very juicy, tender, 

 sweet, pleasantly flavored; very good; stone free, oval, long -pointed^ with 

 deeply grooved surfaces. 



539. Belle (Fig. 180). Belle of Georgia.— Belle elicits praise 

 because of the great beauty of its fruits, 

 which are large, trim in contour, creamy- 

 white, with a beautiful crimson cheek. The 

 fruits are as enticing to the eye inwardly 

 as outwardly, for the white flesh is deli- 

 cately marbled, tinted with red at the pit, 

 and flesh and pit part cleanly. Appear- 



ance misrepresents quality ; for the variety, 

 Fig. 180. Belle. , ., . n ,. ^ ^ - n a ^l 



while good, falls short m flavor and the 



