Historical Notes 9 



" ' The apples of this State [Maryland] are large but mealy ; 

 the peaches plenty and good. From these the inhabitants dis- 

 till cider and peach brandy (p. 36).' 



"*In some counties [of Virginia] they have plenty of cider, 

 and exquisite brandy distilled from peaches, which grow in 

 great abundance upon the numerous rivers of the Chesapeake 

 (p. 84).'" 



These abstracts and many other similar references made 

 by Smith set forth the fact that the early development of 

 peach-growing in America was practically coincident with 

 the development of the colonial settlements following the 

 landing of the Pilgrims in 1620, and that by the beginning 

 of the nineteenth century peach trees were widely distributed 

 from Massachusetts to Georgia. There appears to be 

 evidence, in fact, that they were grown in Southern Canada 

 at an early date. In 1748 Peter Kahn ^ writing under date 

 of October 27 said, as quoted by Smith : - 



"In the morning I set out [from Philadelphia] on a little 

 journey to New York, in company with Mr. Peter Cock, with 

 a view to see the country, and to inquire into the safest road 

 which I could take in going into Canada." . . . 



In a footnote. Smith states that : 



"Later, when Kahn was in Canada, he notes the reported 

 occurrence of peaches in the southern parts of Canada, and to 

 the southwest in the Mississippi region, but makes no mention 

 of having himself seen them in Canada." 



^"Travels into North America," by Peter Kahn; translated 

 into English by John R. Forster, F. A. S. Warrington : 1770, Vol. I. 



2 Smith, Erwin F., "Peach Yellows; A Preliminary Report." 

 Div. of Botany, Bui. 9, U. S. Dept. of Agr. 1888, pp. 10-17. 



