CHAPTER XVI 



PEACH VARIETIES, BOTANY AND 

 CLASSIFICATION 



The question of what varieties to plant presents itself in 

 one form or another to every prospective planter of peaches. 

 The financial success or failure of the orchard is often deter- 

 mined by the way in which this question is answered. There 

 is a chance for the exercise of individual choice within certain 

 limits and the selection of favorite varieties. The environ- 

 ment must be considered in the relation of its many factors 

 to the behavior of the varieties, the market conditions that 

 must be met, transportation facilities, and the manner in 

 which the fruit is to be used. In many cases, the sequence 

 of ripening is of very great importance and presents one of 

 the most difficult problems to adjust satisfactorily, and also 

 one concerning which adequate information is often lacking. 

 If a grower whose entire enterprise is the production of 

 peaches wishes to ship fruit throughout the longest possible 

 period, it is essential that his varieties be so selected that 

 they will give him a continuous supply of fruit. Otherwise 

 there will be periods when his crew will have to be idle on 

 account of breaks in the sequence of ripening ; or it may be 

 that at some periods he will have more varieties ripening at 

 the same time than he can handle with the crew which is 

 adequate for the greater portion of the crop. Either extreme 

 presents a serious economic condition in the management of 



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