HISTORY AND CULTURE. 501 



Selection of hardy and excellent sorts, for a northern latitude. 

 George the Fourth, Yellow Rareripe, Early York, Morris Red 

 Rareripe, Grosse Mignonne, Noblesse, White Imperial, Craw- 

 ford's Early, Favourite, Bellegarde, Brevoort, Cooledge's Fa- 

 vourite, Morris', White Rareripe, Large White Clingstone. 



The best varieties for forcing, are the Grosse Mignonne, No- 

 blesse, Bellegarde, Royal George, White Imperial, Royal 

 Charlotte, and Barrington. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



THE NECTARINE 

 Persica vulgaris (v.) Lavis. Dec. Rosacece of botanists. 



THE Nectarine is only a variety of the peach with a smooth skin 

 (Peche lisse, or Brugnon of the French). In its growth, habit, 

 and general appearance, it is impossible to distinguish it 

 from the peach tree. The fruit, however, is rather smaller, 

 perfectly smooth, without down, and is one of the most wax- 

 like and exquisite of all productions for the dessert. In 

 flavour, it is perhaps scarcely so rich as the finest peach, but it 

 has more piquancy, partaking of the noyeau or peach leaf 

 flavour. 



The Nectarine is known in Northern India, where it is called 

 moondla aroo (smooth peach). It appears to be only a dis- 

 tinct, accidental variety of the peach, and this is rendered quite 

 certain, since there are several well known examples on record 

 of both peaches and nectarines having been produced on the 

 same branch* thus showing a disposition to return to the natural 

 form. Nectarines, however, usually produce nectarines again 

 on sowing the seeds, but they also occasionally produce 

 peaches. The Boston Nectarine originated from a peach 

 stone. 



The Nectarine appears a little more shy of bearing in this 

 country, than the peach, but this arises almost always from the 

 destruction of the crop of fruit by the curculio, the destroyer of 

 all smooth-skinned stone fruit in sandy soils. It is quite hardy 

 here wherever the peach will thrive, though it will not gene- 

 rally bear large and fine fruit unless the branches are 

 sliortened-in annually, as we have fully directed for the peach 

 tree. 



* See London Gardener's Magazine, Vol. 1, p. 471 ; Vol 14, p. 53 



