THE ORCHARD FRUITS 



199 



tall and long-lived, producing sweet fruits of various colors but 

 usually yellow or red; they are grown in a restricted range in 

 states with an equable climate such 

 as is found in New York, Michigan, 

 California, Oregon and Washington. 

 The sour cherry is a smaller tree with 

 tart red fruits used chiefly for canning; 

 sour cherry trees are grown success- 

 fully in New York and Michigan. 



The PEACH (fig. 136) is a native of 

 China, brought to Europe about 500 

 B.C.; previously it had been under 

 cultivation for many centuries in the 

 Orient. Peaches were grown in the 

 Mediterranean region in the time of 

 the Romans. They found their way 

 into the United States via Mexico, 

 where peaches were introduced by 

 the Spaniards, and directly through the English colonies. 

 Peach trees grow to be moderate sized but are short-lived 

 and very susceptible to frost; orchards do unusually well 



Fig. 136. — ^The peach has 

 an abundance of flesh sur- 

 rounding the stone with its 

 contained seed. 



Fig. 137. — ^Distribution of acreage devoted to growing peaches commercially 



(1930). 



when planted in sandy soil near large bodies of water. As in 

 the apple, pinkish blossoms are produced before the leaves ap- 

 fpear. Several thousand varieties are known today, of which the 



