PEACH 



4539 



PEACOCK 



planting, but are short-lived, and an orchard, to 

 be continuously profitable, must be frequently 

 replenished. A light, sandy, gravelly soil, with 

 good drainage, is considered to bring the best 

 results. Peach trees tend to blossom early, 

 and in localities where late frosts are preva- 

 lent it is often necessary to retard budding, 

 sometimes accomplished by whitewash- 

 ing the trees in the fall or winter. Another 

 protective measure consists in planting the 

 orchard on hillsides with a northern exposure. 



Of the diseases to which the peach is subject 

 the brown rot is one of the most troublesome. 

 It especially attacks the ripening fruits, giving 

 them a covering of ash-colored spores. A re- 

 liable remedy for this disease is Bordeaux mix- 

 ture, described in these volumes in a subhead 



EFFECT OF BROWN ROT 



under INSECTICIDES AND FUNGICIDES. Another 



serious disease is leaf curl, which if unchecked 



the tree of foliage. This also is pre- 



d by applications of Bordeaux mixture. 



u<llow*, a disease prevalent among peach 

 orchards in the United States, spreads rapidly 

 thmimh hu.l inoculation, and is very difficult to 

 eradicate. The fruit, red-spotted, ripens pre- 

 nisitiin !> ; th. winter buds develop in the sum- 

 mer or autumn; the foliage gradually yellows; 

 the branches become stunted and put forth 



Ic shoots, and, Jin. illy, the tree decays and 

 dies. I-Ati-rmni.it urn of the affected trees seems 

 to be the onl> means of < -herkinn th. 



disease. Among insect enemies of the frmt 

 are the San Joeo scale, the peach borer, the 

 plum rureulio and the fruit bark beot 



Food Value. Because of th ng ap- 



pearance and delicious flavor qualities which 

 are a direct aid to digestion peaches are a 

 more important food than their composition 



would indicate. They contain, on an average, 

 89.4 per cent of water, .7 per cent of protein, 

 .1 per cent of fat, 9.4 per cent of carbohydrates 

 (chiefly sugar) and .4 per cent of ash. The fuel 

 value is 190 calories (see CALORIE) per pound. 

 Their high proportion of water makes them es- 

 pecially valuable as a laxative food. As is 

 true of most other fruits, their actual nutri- 

 tive value is increased by canning, preserving 

 and drying processes. B.M.NV 



Consult "Growing Peaches," In United States 

 Department of Agriculture Farmer* 1 linUctin 633. 



PEACOCK, pe'kok, the male peafowl, the 

 handsomest of the pheasants, having an irides- 

 cent, greenish-blue neck and breast, and very 

 long tail coverts, in which the feathers are bril- 

 liantly marked with bold, eyelike spots. This 

 train it is able to raise and spread into a gor- 

 geous fan, of which the bird itself is apparently 

 the chief admirer. The hen is smaller than the 

 cock, which is about as large as the domestic 

 male turkey; also it is less exquisitely colored 

 than the cock, and is without the train. 



Occasionally peacocks with almost pure white 

 plumage are seen. The male has the great, fan- 

 like tail, but it, too, is white, with faint shadings 

 to indicate the "eyes," or disks. 



Unfortunately, the voice of this gorgeous 

 bird does not match its plumage. It is a harsh, 

 strident note, and helps to prevent the bird 

 from becoming popular as a domestic fowl, a 

 position to which its ornamental appearance 

 might recommend it. The birds thrive in cap- 

 tivity, but multiply slowly. 



The best-known species of peafowl is found 

 in a wild state in India and Ceylon, where, 

 in the midst of varicolored tropical fol 

 the vivid coloration is protective. These birds 

 eat snails, frogs and insects, as well as grain. 

 juicy grasses and bulbs, and are often destruc- 

 tive to growing crops. Another species, resem- 

 bling the former in plumage, is native to 

 Burma, Malaysia and Java. Domesticate.! 

 peacocks are found in all parts of the world. 

 The young do not bear well the changeable 

 weather of temperate climates and arc difficult 

 to rear. The hen makes her nest in s 

 secluded spot on the ground, laying ten or 

 more brownish eggs. 



In ancient times, the peacock was carried to 

 all parts of the known world as a great treasure. 

 Dunns the reign of Solomon "once every ii 

 years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing 

 gold and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks" 

 (/ King X, 22). The peacock is mentioned in 

 Hird Play of Aristophanes, written in Greece 



