THE CHAMPION PEACH. 



Among the first trees planted, the first to 

 ripen good specimens, and the eariiest in its 

 season, was the Champion. Little trees only 

 three years from the bud matured a few 

 handsome peaches about Aug. i, whose 

 beautiful color and white juicy flesh gave 

 excellent promise. At four years they bore 

 a moderate crop, which rotted badly on the 

 trees. This year, for the first time, a full 

 crop has been gathered. The trees, now 

 doubtless at their best, were cut back fully 

 half their growth for the first three seasons, 

 forming low, well-branched heads, and dur- 

 ng the past two years when the fruit buds 

 were killed by cold, they have reacned a 

 large size. In common with most of the 

 peach trees grown, they were loaded, this 

 year, to their full capacity. 



The Champions began to ripen — and a 

 pretty sight they were, for no rose is redder 

 — the 30th of July. The last peaches held 

 on in good condition the 12th of August. 

 For two full weeks an ample family supply 

 was enjoyed, the fruit of two and a half (one 

 half grown) trees. The largest quantity 

 picked in any one day was a full bushel. 

 The whole yield, not exactly measured, was 

 perhaps three to four bushels. No fruit is 

 handsomer to the eye. Of good medium 

 size, regular and nearly round in form, and 

 flushed with an extraordinary fullness and 

 delicacy of color, these early peaches give 

 one a fresh impression of the actual 

 beauty of this peerless fruit. But, like other 

 beautiful things, the Champion falls short of 

 perfection. It has the primary disadvan- 

 tage of being a clingstone. It shows some 

 tendency to rot. It has a very thin, tender 

 skin, which makes transportation difficult. 

 After a day of rain, when the peaches were 

 fully ripe, this tenderness of the skin was 

 more marked. The ripe peach is juicy, fra- 

 grant and full of flavor, so that its attrac- 



tive appearance does not deceive. As it s 

 the first native peach fit for market, it com- 

 mands a ready sale and good prices if of- 

 lered locally. 



It appears, therefore, in summing up the 

 results of this small trial, that while it is 

 probably too perishable for ordinary mar- 

 ket growing, the Champion Peach has a de- 

 cided value for the home orchard in its ear- 

 liness, good quality, and, in favorable sea- 

 sons, abundant productiveness. It lengthens, 

 at the end most generally appreciated, the 

 season of an unrivalled fruit, and no one 

 who loves to grow fine fruit need grudge 

 the care of a few trees that mature so 

 quickly, even should they yield no more 

 than a single full crop. With peach trees, 

 at the North, it is well to have a row of 

 seedlings always in the garden to keep up 

 the supply. But it is a mistake to trust to 

 mere seedlings, when the choice varieties 

 are so easily reproduced by the simple pro- 

 cess of budding. 



In the plat considered, the Crosby was 

 the variety relied on for the main planting, 

 its "iron-clad" qualities, as to hardiness 

 and general reliability for a cold-climate 

 peach, being much urged at that time. So 

 far, the result has failed to jusify expecta- 

 tions. At the present time the trees are 

 hanging heavy with half-grown peaches. 

 The Elberta, though some what more ad- 

 vanced, is still hard and green. The Lemon 

 Free will precede it a little in ripening, and 

 this has proved, with vis, a fine peach. 



All these trees are included in the general 

 plan of a large mixed orchard or fruit gar- 

 den, in which room has been found for a 

 considerable variety of pears, plums, cher- 

 ries, grapes, etc. The situation gives room 

 for quite a variety of choice in location, us 

 it includes a gravelly knoll, sloping gradu- 

 ally to a moist meadow bordering on wet 



