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HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



PEA 



United States in 1680. "When, where, or by 

 whom the improvements were made, is not 

 even a matter of conjecture. What is posi- 

 tively linown of the Peach at the present day 

 is, that the United States and China produce 

 the finest in the world. English gardeners, 

 on coming to the United States, are at a loss 

 to understand, that while in latitudes here 

 where the thermometer falls 15" below zero, 

 orchards of Peach trees stand unprotected in 

 the open field, while in England, where the 

 thermometer rarely reaches zero, the Peach 

 must have the protection of' a brick wall, or 

 it fails to prove h,ardy. The reason is, that 

 our hotter, drier summer and fall months 

 better ripen the young shoots than the colder 

 and moister climate of Britain. The Peach 

 tree is short-lived in most sections of this 

 country, attaining its best fruiting condition 

 usually from six to ten years old. It prefers 

 a light, warm soil, and is much benefited by 

 an occasional dressing of wood ashes. In 

 planting, the trees should be cut back severely, 

 the main stem reduced about one third, and 

 the side branches cut back to one bud. This 

 lessens the demand upon the roots, and 

 enables the remaining buds to push more 

 vigorously. The heads should be kept low, 

 the trunks not to exceed three feet in height, 

 and as the fruit is produced on the wood of last 

 season's growth, the necessity for keeping up 

 a good supply of annual shoots all over the 

 tree is obvious. Regular spring pruning 

 should therefore be attended to, the weak 

 shoots being shortened one half, and the 

 strong ones one third, care being taken to 

 leave a sufficient supply of flower buds. 

 This keeps the head round, full, and well fur- 

 nished with bearing wood, reduces the chances 

 of wind-falls to a minimum, and, if annually 

 followed, will give them compact heads in- 

 stead of open, straggling ones, the branches 

 of which break down with the first full crop 

 of fruit. In the Peach-growing districts the 

 cultivators do not expect more than three 

 crops in five years ; and if they get two full 

 crops in that time they are content, and ama- 

 teurs should expect no more. When a crop 

 sets at all there is usually more fruit than the 

 tree can carry and ripen. No fruit needs 

 severe thinning more than the Peach. In 

 bearing seasons half or two-thirds of the 

 Peaches which set may be removed with 

 benefit to the rest. The fruit should be 

 removed when about the size of Hazel-nuts. 

 "Two maladies affect the Peach Tree, and, 

 because they are little understood, have ren- 

 dered this fine fruit tree comparatively short- 

 lived, and of little value in some sections of 

 the country. These are the Yellows and the 

 Peach-borer. The former appears to be a 

 constitutional disease, no external cause being 

 assigned for it, and, as yet, there appears to 

 be no remedy for it, but by exterminating, 

 root and branch, every tree which is infected 

 with it. The eggs which produce the borer 

 are deposited in the soft portion of the bark 

 just at the surface of the earth. If a quantity 

 of leached ashes or common soil be heaped to 

 the height of one foot around the trunk in 

 May and suffered to remain until October, the 

 borer will not attack it. Another simple 

 remedy is, in spring, to wrap the stem in 

 strong coarse or tar paper about a foot high, 

 securely tying it and protecting the lower part 



PEA 



with earth." — Downing's Fruits and Fruit 

 Trees of America. The distance the trees 

 should be set apart may be from ten to 

 twelve feet. Among the favorite varieties 

 for garden culture may be named the follow- 

 ing, for the descriptions of which see nursery 

 catalogues : Alexander, Hale's Early, Yellow 

 Rare-ripe, Early Louise, Crawford's Early, 

 George the Fourth, Early Silver, Large 

 Early York, Coolidge's Favorite, Haine's 

 Early, Stump of the World, Noblesse, Morris 

 White, Surpasse Melocoton, Crawford's Late, 

 etc. 



The Double-Blossomed Peach is, when 

 in full bloom, one of the gayest and 

 most beautiful of fruit trees, and bloom- 

 ing with its lovely companion the Double- 

 Flowering Cherry, finds a place in all our 

 pleasure-grounds and ornamental plantations. 

 Its flowers are of a lively red color, nearly 

 full double, and so thickly disposed on the 

 branches as to be very striking and showy. 

 This sort is rendered more dwarf for shrub- 

 beries by budding it upon the Mirabelle or 

 the Cherry Plum stock. The fruit, which is 

 sparingly produced, is roundish oval, pale 

 greenish-yellow, tinged with red, and is of 

 indifferent flavor. The Crimson or Camellia- 

 flowered, with large double flowers of a rich 

 crimson hue, especially attractive and showy, 

 the Carnation-flowered with flowers striped 

 like a Carnation, the Variegated-flowered 

 with flowers of different hues on the same 

 tree, and the White-flowered with pure white 

 very double flowers, are among the more 

 recent introductions, and grouped with the 

 older varieties are very effective, and planted 

 either singly or in groups produce most 

 charming effects in the early spring. 



Peach Myrtle. A common name for Hypo- 

 calytnna robustum. 



Peach Palm. The popular name for Gulielma 

 speciosa. 



Peacock Flower. The common name for Poin- 

 ciana regia. 



Peacock Flower Fence. A common name for 

 Adenanthera pavonina. 



Peacock Iris. See Vieusseuxia. Syn. Itm 

 pavonia. 



Peacock Treasure Flower. A name given to 

 Gaziinia pavonia. 



Pea Nut. See Arachis. 



Pear. Pyrus communis. The Pear, like the 

 Apple, is indigenous to most parts of Europe. 

 Historically speaking, it is not so ancient as 

 the Apple. At what period it became amelior- 

 ated, or removed from its wild state, is un- 

 known. In regard to its hardiness and longev- 

 ity, it is greatly superior to the Apple or any 

 other of our fruits. There are trees existing, 

 and in bearinir contlition, over three hundred 

 years old. The Romans cultivated thirty-six 

 varieties in the days of Pliny ; and Parkinson, 

 in his Herbal (1629) speaks of sixty-four sorts 

 in the London nurseries. The history of the 

 cultivated Pear has never been written. It 

 was at an early period common in Syria, 

 Egypt, and Greece ; whence it was imported 

 into Italy, France, Germany, and Great Britain. 

 Pear culture in France has been carried 

 on to a most wonderful extent, thirty-six 

 hundred varieties having been offered from 

 one nursery. The Pear, though not indigenous 



