The Americana Group 5 1 



minute, hardly visible, never large and conspicuous; 

 bloom almost always thick and bluish, skin thick, 

 tough and usually astringent; flesh always yellow; 

 stone medium to large, round or oval, more or less 

 flattened, mostly cling; quality good to extra good; 

 aside from the astringency of the skin. 



Several of these points demand further discussion. 



The flowers appear comparatively late in the sea- 

 son. They are not very strong sexually. Various 

 anomalous forms frequently occur. Extensive exam- 

 inations, made by the writer, of blossoms from all 

 parts of America showed an average of 21.2 per cent 

 with defective pistils. This defectiveness ranged from 

 nothing in some varieties to 100 per cent, in others. 

 Defective anthers are sometimes found, though more 

 seldom. One tree at least is known on which the 

 flowers have no petals. The flowers are sometimes 

 proterandrous, and rather frequently proterogynous.* 

 Sometimes the styles are longer than the stamens, and 

 sometimes the stamens are longer than the styles. 

 These variations are so striking that Heideman based 

 an elaborate classification upon them and proposed 

 to explain the affinities of the varieties in pollination 

 by this method. (See under pollination, Page 282.) 

 These variations, however interesting, do not seem 

 to have any practical significance. 



The fruit of the leading varieties is of fair size. In 

 fact, it is large enough for the general market. Some 

 of the better kinds well grown are large enough for a 

 fancy trade; and their handsome appearance makes 

 them still more acceptable. Two qualities detract, 

 however, from their value as fruits for the fancy mar- 

 ket and for dessert purposes. These are the thick, 

 astringent skins, and the clinging stones. 



*Blossoms in which the pollen matures before the pistil is ready 

 to receive it are called proterandrous; those in which the pistil becomes 

 receptive before the pollen is mature are called proterogynous. 



