FLOWERS 



FRUITS 



115 



glands, examination must be made several 

 times during the season, the most characteristic 

 ones being found toward the end of the sum- 

 mer. Varieties of the peach with glandless 

 leaves are reputed to be most susceptible to 

 mildew; and, on the other hand, are said to 

 be most resistant to leaf-curl. A century ago, 

 European pomologists made several classifica- 

 tory schemes for the peach founded on the 

 glands; these are now discarded, the glands 

 proving too variable. Glands on the leaf-stalks 

 of other drupes than peach and apricot are 

 of small value in classification, but should 

 usually be noted. 



Flowers. 



The flowers of all drupes are very character- 

 istic and help to delineate species and varieties. 

 They differ in time of appearing; in length of 

 season; in size and color; in length of pedicel; 

 and both the floral and reproductive organs 

 give distinctions to botanical and horticultural 

 groups. In some species, as in the plums, the 

 reproductive organs differ greatly in ability 

 to perform their functions, many varieties 

 being more or less self-sterile. The season of 

 flowering is a fine mark of distinction with all 

 drupe-fruits. A well-marked correlation be- 

 tween the color of the inside of the calyx-cup 

 and the color of the flesh of the fruit is one 

 of the distinguishing marks of the peach; 

 yellow-fleshed peaches develop from the blos- 

 soms in which the inside of the calyx-cup is 

 orange; white-fleshed peaches from those in 

 which the calyx-cup is green on the inside. 

 The fragrance of flowers in different species 

 and varieties varies greatly and the character 

 is constant. Many varieties of drupes may be 

 recognized by the distribution of the flowers on 

 the tree, since some bear their flowers on the 

 ends of branches, while others produce them 

 on spurs and branchlets well down on the 

 branchlets. There are many flowers in the 

 flower-clusters of some drupes; in others, few. 

 In some varieties, the flowers are loosely ar- 

 ranged; in others, compactly. 



Fruits. 



The best characters by which to make identi- 

 fications of drupes are in the ripened fruits. 

 Thus, depending upon size; upon whether 

 smooth- or hairy-skinned, free- or clingstone, 

 yellow-, white- or red-fleshed; as to whether 



the color is red, yellow or green; as to what 

 the shape; most of the drupes may be easily 

 identified. Following these major characters, 

 many minor ones, as those having to do with 

 quality and season, play an important part. 

 The color of the juice is a certain dividing- 

 line in cherries. Bloom, skin, cavity, apex, 

 stem, and suture are among the minor charac- 

 ters. The terms used in describing size in 

 pomes are also used with drupes. The shapes 

 of drupes are simpler than those of pomes, and 

 the descriptive terms are so easily understood 

 as to need no discussion here. The stem is 

 much used in identifying all drupe-fruits. Its 

 presence or absence is a definite distinguishing 

 mark with some species, while length is an 

 almost certain mark of identification of some 

 cherries and plums. Thickness is of small 

 importance, but color is often distinctive. The 

 stems of some drupes are characteristically en- 

 larged at the end, and in some they are more 

 or less curved. The ease with which the stem 

 parts from fruit or tree is sometimes charac- 

 teristic. The cavity is described by the terms 

 used in describing the cavity in pomes, but the 

 apex, occupying the place of the basin in a 

 pome-fruit, has special terms of description. 

 It may be raised or sunken, rounded or tipped ; 

 the tip may be blunt, sharp, mucronate, or 

 mammiform; the remains of the calyx may 

 drop or be more or less persistent. The stones 

 aid in determining species and sometimes assist 

 in recognizing varieties. They differ in size, 

 shape, grooves, ridges, in the pitting, and in 

 the characteristics of base and apex. In plums 

 and peaches, the stones of the freestones are 

 more deeply furrowed and the sides are 

 smoother than those of clingstones. Apricots 

 may be divided into two groups; those with 

 bitter kernels and those with sweet kernels. 

 Still another division of apricots may be made 

 from a difference in the dorsal suture; in some 

 apricots this suture is pervious, in others, im- 

 pervious. What has been said of the flesh, 

 flavor, and quality of pome-fruits applies also 

 to drupe-fruits. Not that these characters are 

 similar in the two groups, but the same method 

 of characterization and much the same lan- 

 guage are employed for the two. 



The accompanying description blank for the 

 peach sets forth most of the characters students 

 and fruit-growers will use in describing drupe- 

 fruits. 



