200 Account of a Peach Tree 



which is universally understood to have been its native country. 

 Yet it could not have existed in Persia a few centuries previous 

 \o the period of its appearance in Europe, or the Greeks must 

 necessarily have kncnvn it, as much intercoiir.'-e constantly took 

 place betwee'.i the Asiatic Greeks and the Persians, and the kings 

 of Persia usuullv entertained Greek i)hysicians,\vho were botanists, 

 in their court. The tuberes of Pliny also appear to have been 

 something inteimediate between the almond and peach; for he 

 states the trees which produced this fruit to have been propagated 

 bv being grafted upon plum stocks, and to have blossomed later 

 than the apricot ; and that the fruit its-elf was covered thickly 

 with down, like the quince. 



The tuhrres nuist, therefore, I conceive, have been swollen al- 

 monds, or imperfect peaches (for their merit, as fruit, appears 

 to have been very inconsiderable) ; and Du Hamel has given an 

 account of a fruit, which accurately corresponds with this de- 

 scription, being sometimes produced by a varietv of almond-tree; 

 and which, he says, is bitter, and not eatable in its crude state. 



The bitterness in this case, I conclude, can only arise from 

 the presence of the prussic acid ; and as this acid, without being 

 extracted by distillation, operates very injuriously upon many 

 constitutions, some explanation appears to be given of the cause 

 why the peach was reported to })ossess deleterious qualitiesj \vhen 

 it first came from Persia into tbe Roman empire, 



The fact, if ever so decisively established, of the specific iden- 

 tity of the peach and almond, is probably of little importance to 

 the gardener, further, than that it points out to him the exten- 

 sive changes that culture is capable of producing, in the forms 

 and qualities of fruits : and I made the experiments, which are 

 the subject of this communication, with scarcely any other view, 

 than tbat of simply ascertaining the specific identity, or diversity, 

 of the ])each and almond, and with a good deal of indifference 

 relative to the result. Nevertheless, as the wood of the almond 

 tree ripens much earlier, and more perfectly, thari that of the 

 peach tree, in our climate, and as its blossoms are more hardy, I 

 am not without hopes, from observations which I have made upon 

 the habits of my seedling plants, that some valuable varieties of 

 the peach v.ill be ol)tained, in a second or third generation, from 

 the almond. I have, at present, seen the fruit of one seedling 

 jjlant only, and that not one of promising character; but I have 

 others which will produce blossoms in the next season, one of 

 v^hich, a descendant from the early violet nectarine, as its male 

 parent, presents very large and beantifid foliage, with a purple 

 bark, and all the character of a peach tree of the most improved 

 kind ; and 1 look forward to the pleasure of sending next season 

 a. fruit of much superior quality. 



Note 



