292 



THE GENESEE FARMER 



September 17, 1831 ■ 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



.,1 



Duh. 



THE POMOLOGICAL MANUAL. 



We are indebted to Mr. Prince for a proof-sheet 

 of a form of his Pomological Manual, from 

 which we copy the following: — 

 PEACHES. 

 Beauty of Vitry. Pr. Cat. 

 Belle de Vitry, 

 Admirable tardive. 

 Belle de Vitri. Die. d'Agric 



The leaves of this tree are furnished at their 

 base with rounded glands ; the flowers are of me- 

 dium size, and eleven to twelve lines* in breadth ; 

 the fruit is beautiful.and measures from twenty-six 

 to twenty-eight lines in height and often thirty ; 

 its diameter is in proportion from twenty-eight to 

 thirty, and sometimes even thirty-three or thirty- 

 four lines ; its form has no peculiar characteristic; 

 the longitudinal groove is not deep, but extends a 

 little beyond the summit of the fruit, where there 

 is a very small namelon or nipple ; the skin is 

 generally velvety, almost entirely of a whitish 

 green, except on the sunny side, which is slightly 

 washed with red ; it separates readily from the 

 flesh, which is white with the exception of that 

 part next the stone, where it becomes slightly red- 

 dish ; it is very succulent, and replete with juice 

 of a sweet, rich, and very pleasant flavor ; the 

 stone is large, oblong, swollen at the part next 

 the point, and thin at the base ; it is fifteen to six- 

 teen lines in length, by about eleven in its greatest 

 diameter. This peach attains its perfect maturity 

 in the vicinity of Paris, at the end of September, 

 or the beginning of October, and in the South of 

 France about the middle of September. The pe- 

 riod of the maturity of peaches is generally rather 

 earlier in the vicinity of New-York than at Paris. 

 Although I follow Duhamel in placing the Admir- 

 able tardive as a synonyme of this variety, I per- 

 ceive that in some French catalogues, the titles are 

 placed separately, as if referrible to distinct fruits 

 Apricot Peach. Pr. Cat. 



Peche Abricot, -^ 



Admirable jaune, 



Abricotee, 



Grosse Peoke jaune tardive. 



Peche a" Orange. 



Sandalie hermaphrodite. 



Grosse jaune. 



Peche de Burai 



Yellow Admirable, 



Orange peach, For. 

 The flowers of this tree are large; the fruit is 

 large, round, flattened, least broad at the head, and 

 divided by a shallow, longitudinal groove; the 

 skin is covered with down, yellow on the shaded 

 side, and somewhat red on the part exposed to the 

 sun ; the flesh is yellow like that of an apricot, 

 and red next the stone ; it is rather firm, and some- 

 times even a little dry, unless it is perfectly ripe ; 

 the juice is pleasant, perfumed, and much resem- 

 bles the apricot, when the autumn is hot and favor- 

 able for its maturity ; the stone is small in com- 

 parison with the size of the fruit, and it separates 

 with difficulty from the flesh. This peach ripens 

 at Paris about the middle of October, and on stand- 

 ards it gains in quality what it loses in size. Du- 

 hamel remarks that it may be propagated from 

 seeds without degenerating ; he also rernarkathut 

 • A " fcuie," the 12th part of aniuch. 



Duh. 



it is sometimes met with producing small flowers, 

 and that there also exists another variety with ve- 

 ry large flowers which yields still larger fruit. 

 Catharine. Pr. cat. Pom. mag. Lang. Pom. 

 Switz. Mil. Hitt. For. Lond. hort. cat. 

 I extract the following description of this cling- 

 stone variety from the Pomological Magazine. 



" An old and very valuable variety, ripening in 

 the end of September and beginning of October, 

 and possessing far greater merit than any other of 

 our late clingstone peaches. When fully matured, 

 it is excellent and extremely beautiful ; but to be 

 eaten in perfection, it should have been gathered 

 a few days. It is said to force well, which is an 

 important quality; for from want of solar heat in 

 this climate, all the clingstone peaches acquire 

 their flavor most perfectly in a forcing-house. It 

 is an abundant bearer, and according to Forsyth, 

 well adapted for tarts. 



" It is remarkable, that although it appears from 

 an old catalogue of the Chartreux garden, that the 

 Catharine was long since sent to France, under 

 the name of La Belle Catharine, no trace of it is to 

 be found in the great French works on pomology. 

 " In the catalogue of fruits cultivated in the gar- 

 den of the London Horticultural Society, die green 

 Catharine peach of the Americans is said to be the 

 same as this ; but this is a mistake, that variety 

 having globose, not reniform glands, (and being 

 also a free stone, &c. Auttw) 



" The Incomparable peach is very nearly the 

 same as the Catharine, but is distinguished by its 

 higher color, both inside and outside, and by its 

 flavor being inferior. On account of its superior 

 beauty, it is the most cultivated of the two. 



" Leaves crenate, with reniform glands, very 

 deep green, somewhat puckered or crumpled on 

 each side of the midrib ; flowers small, reddish ; 

 fruit large, round, either depressed or pointed at 

 the apex in which respect it is veiy variable — to- 

 wards the base the surface is uneven ; color a 

 beautiful red next the sun, marbled and dashed 

 with darker shades, pale yellow next the wall, 

 where it is sprinkled with many red dots ; flesh 

 very firm, of a deep crimson next the stone to 

 which it strongly adheres — towards the outside 

 very white, becoming after having been gathered 

 a few days tinged with yellow, and having then 

 an abundance of juice, and a very rich and sweet 

 flavor ; stone middle sized, roundish oval, very 

 slightly pointed." 



Admirable. Pr. cat. Duh. Roz. 

 Admirable. Pr. cat. 25 ed. No. 102. 

 The flowers of this tree are small, and of a pur- 

 ple rose color ; the fruit is thirty lines in diameter, 

 and twenty-seven in height — it is divided by a 

 shallow longitudinal groove, and terminated at the 

 summit by a very small nipple; the skin is velve- 

 ty, of a light yellow hue on the shaded side, and 

 touched with bright red next the sun; the flesh is 

 white except round the stone, where it is tinged 

 with pale red — it is rather firm before it attains to 

 maturity, but when perfectly ripe, it becomes melt- 

 ing, with abundance of sweet juice, of a vinous, 

 rich, and excellent flavor ; the stone is small in 

 proportion to the size of the fruit, which is one of 

 the finest peaches, and ripens about the middle of 

 September : the tree is very productive, but it is 

 found in France to require more attention than 

 most others to the pruning, because it often has 

 some weals and feeble branches, and it sometimes 



Duh. syn 



loses very large ones, being quite subject to the 

 cloque, a malady which is attributable to the cold 

 winds. 



Nivette. Pr. cat. Duh. 



Nivetle veloutee. Dull. 



La Nivette, or La Vclirutee. Die. d'Agrie 

 The flowers of this tree are of medium size, and 

 eleven to twelve lines in breadth ; the leaves are 

 furnished at their base with rounded glands ; the 

 fruit is large, and sometimes thirty lines in diame- 

 ter, and of tiie same height — it is divided by u 

 longitudinal groove of no great depth, one side of 

 which is far more projecting than the other, and it 

 is terminated at »* summit by a very small nipple; 

 the skin is almost wholly of a yellowish white 

 color, and only occasionally tinged with some red 

 veins on the sunny side— it separates pretty easi- 

 ly from the flesh, which is mostly white, but red- 

 dish round the stone, and this redness penetrates 

 considerably into the fruit ; it is somewhat firm 

 before it attains to perfect maturity, but then be- 

 comes very melting, and abounds in juice of a vin- 

 ous, sweet, and excellent taste, sometimes howev- 

 er, it is a little bitter ; the stone is proportionate to 

 the size of the fruit, of a pretty regular, oval form, 

 although a little narrower at its base than at its 

 point — it is eighteen lines in length, by an inch in 

 diameter. This peach, which is one of the most 

 beautiful and one of the best freestone varieties,, 

 ripens at the end of September. 



Monstrous Pomponne. Pr. cat 



Pavie de Pomponne. N. Dull. Jard. fruit. 



Pavie rouge de Pomponne. O. Dull. 



Pavie monstreux, 



Pavi camu, 



Gros Perseque rouge, 



Gros melecoton, 



Monstrous Pavy of Pomponne. 



Royal Pavy. For. 

 This tree is of very vigorous growth and up 

 pearance; its leaves are large, with small inden- 

 tures. The flowers are large, but do not open 

 perfectly, the petals being much hallowed or spoon- 

 shaped. The fruit is round and terminated by a 

 large namelon ; and it is not only one of the most 

 beautiful, but surpasses all other peaches in size. 

 — Duhamel mentions, that it is often fourteen 

 inches in circumference, and it is stated in the Jar- 

 din Fruitier, that it is frequently to be met with in 

 the vicinity of Paris, three and a half inches in di 

 ameter ; which work further adds, that the climate 

 there does not admit of its attaining to that per 

 fection which it acquires in the South of France. 

 The skinis velvety, white, approaching to a green 

 ish hue on the shade side, and of a fine red color 

 next to the sun. The flesh is very firm, red be- 

 neath the skin on the sunny side, and also around 

 the stone, to both of wnich it adheres ; elsewhere 

 it is white, and at maturity becomes sweet, mus 

 ky, vinous, and of very pleasant flavor. In rainy 

 and cold seasons, und in climates ton far north, it 

 does not perfect its fine qualities, and is often in 

 sipid, a warm and dry autumn being required for 

 it to attain to perfection. The mall in 



comparison with the size of the fruit. Its period 

 of ripening is in the month of October. In the 

 more northern climates, the fruit is sometimes ga- 

 ther! d before mature, to preserve it from the frosts, 

 and it is then placed on shelves to ripen in thl 

 house. It is also frequently made use of for pre- 

 serves and compotes. 



