VARIETIES OF PEACHES 357 



tardy in bearing. Early Crawford came into bearing in the 

 orchard of William Crawford, Middletown, New Jersey, early 

 in the nineteenth century. 



Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, unproductive. Fruit early mid- 

 season; 2y2 inches in diameter, round-oval, bulged near the apex, com- 

 pressed, with unequal halves ; cavity deep, wide, abrupt ; suture shallow ; 

 apex often with a swollen elongated tip ; color golden-yellow, blushed with 

 dark red, splashed and mottled with deeper red; pubescence thick; skin 

 separates from the pulp; flesh deep yellow, rayed with red near the pit, 

 juicy, tender, pleasantly sprightly, highly flavored; very good in quality; 

 stone free, oval or ovate, bulged along one side, medium plump, with small 

 shallow pits in the surfaces. 



Sub-group 3. Late Peaches 



553. Gold Drop (Fig. 189) has several distinctive peculiari- 

 ties which make it a pleasing variation. 

 Thus, its transparent golden skin and flesh 

 make it one of the handsomest of all peaches, 

 and it has a distinctive vinous, rich, refresh- 

 ing flavor. Gold Drop is further character- 

 ized by trees of great hardiness and remark- 

 able productiveness. The variety is also 



about the least susceptible to brown-rot and ^^ ^ , , 



, „ 1 mi, ^ 11 ^ • ^ • E^iG. 189. Gold 



leaf-curl. The trees are small, dainty m Drop. 



habit, with clean fresh foliage, making them 



attractive ornamentals. Gold Drop is an ideal variety for the 



home garden. It is an old sort believed to be another variety 



renamed. 



Tree of medium size and vigor, spreading, open-topped, hardy, very pro- 

 ductive. Fruit late; 21^ inches in diameter, round-oval, bulged at one 

 side, with unequal halves; cavity deep, abrupt, twig-marked; suture very 

 shallow; apex rounded, with a mamelon tip; color golden-yellow, with a 

 dull blush on one side; pubescence thick, coarse; skin adhering to the pulp; 

 flesh pale yellow to the pit, pleasantly sprightly; good in quality; stone 

 free, broadly ovate, bulged at one side, with a pointed apex and deeply 

 grooved surfaces. 



554. Crosby (Fig. 190). — Of the several virtues which entitle 

 Crosby to the esteem of fruit-growers, the most notable is hardi- 

 ness in tree and bud. Besides hardiness, the trees have to recom- 

 mend them vigor, health, and productiveness. The rich yellow 



