34 THE PEACHES OF NEW YORK 



marks in the history of the peach. France has provided all with their 

 varieties of this fruit. Indeed, in none, unless perhaps it be Spain, does 

 the peach find a congenial climate and certainly in none is the crop of any 

 considerable commercial value. Amateurs, too, in all but Spain at least, 

 give their attention to its orchard-associates rather than to the peach. 

 It is true, as we shall see, that the peach first came to America from Spain 

 and a considerable number of our varieties are now grouped in what is 

 called the " Spanish race." But horticulture in Spain, from the few 

 accounts to be had, is primitive in the extreme — there are no Spanish 

 pomologies and one cannot conceive that this country has aided appreciably 

 in the development of the peach. 



It is possible — ' would that we could know the facts — that Spain 

 may have played an important part in introducing peaches into Europe. 

 For the earliest Spanish gardens were the work of the Moors and since 

 Moorish gardens, wonderful in beauty of design, show a strong resemblance 

 to the gardens of Persia, what more probable than that the Moor, half- 

 Asiatic, early brought the peach from Persia to Spain. 



The peach in England. — The peach and the gooseberry do not thrive 

 side by side. England grows the gooseberry to highest perfection, fogs, 

 rains and cloudy weather seemingly ministering to its wants. But the 

 peach loves sun, heat and clear skies and if these come not naturally the 

 peach-tree must be artificially grown. The peach is not, after centuries 

 of cultivation, acclimatized in England. But in all times, and of all people, 

 the English have been most fond of gardens and orchards and so beautiful 

 and delectable a fruit as the peach could not escape their attention. And 

 so, though under the necessity of growing this fruit on walls or under glass, 

 England, since the Middle Ages, has done much toward the development 

 of the peach, the difficulties of culture seeming to stimulate interest. Her 

 pomological literature is particularly rich in references to this fruit. We 

 in America, too, are greatly indebted to England for many varieties of 

 peaches. The history of the peach in England, then, should aflford much 

 interesting and profitable material in this discussion. 



There seems to be no record of the Romans having brought the peach 

 to England, yet there can be little doubt that they did so. The remains 

 in England of Roman houses, baths, roads, pavements and bridges, very 

 similar if not quite so well built as those of Italy, suggest that there were 

 Roman gardens about these early houses and villas in England just as 

 there were about those in the great Empire on the Mediterranean. More- 



