168 



EARLY CRAWFORD 



EARLY WHEELER 



The rich, yellow, freestone peach is delicious 

 to the taste either as a dessert or as a cul- 

 inary fruit. In these days of showy fruits, 

 however, Crosby falls far short in appearance, 

 as the peaches run small, are somewhat ir- 

 regular, and are covered with dense tomentum. 

 Still, at their best, in soils to which the tree 

 is perfectly suited, the peaches are handsome. 

 But there is another fault the variety ac- 

 commodates itself but poorly to trying soils 

 and climates, failing especially in poor soils 

 and dark climates. The tree is distinguished 

 by its willowy growth, small leaves, small flow- 

 ers, and, as has been said, by hardiness. Crosby 

 was sent out about 1876 by a Mr. Crosby, 

 Billerica, Massachusetts. 



Tree small, vigorous, spreading, open-topped, un- 

 usually hardy, very productive. Leaves small and 

 narrow, 5% inches long, 1^4 inches wide, obovate- 

 lanceolate, thin ; margin finely serrate or crenate ; teeth 

 tipped with dark brownish-red glands ; petiole ^ inch 

 long, with 2-7 rather small, reniform, greenish-yellow 

 glands. Flowers midseason, pale pink, darker near the 

 edges, 1 inch across. Fruit late ; 2 % inches in diameter, 

 round-oblate, compressed, bulged near the apex, with 

 unequal sides ; cavity deep, flaring, sometimes splashed 

 with red ; suture shallow ; apex rounded, with a sunken, 

 mucronate tip ; color orange-yellow, often blushed over 

 much of the surface with dull red, splashed and striped 

 with darker red ; pubescence long, thick, coarse ; skin 

 thick, tough, adherent to the pulp ; flesh deep yellow, 

 stained with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, firm but 

 tender, sweet, mild ; very good in quality ; stone free, 

 oval, plump, bulged near the apex, with pitted and 

 grooved surfaces. 



EARLY QRAWFORD. Fig. 160. Craw- 

 ford's Early Melocoton. Crawford's Early. 

 Unproductiveness and uncertainty in bearing 

 keep Early Crawford from being the most 



160. Early Crawford. (XV 2 ) 



commonly grown early, yellow-fleshed peach 

 in America. In its season the fruit is unap- 

 proachable in quality by that of any other 

 variety. The peach has all of the characters 

 that gratify the taste richness of flavor, pleas- 

 ant aroma, tender flesh, and abundant juice. 

 In soils to which the variety is well adapted, 

 the peach is large, often very large, round- 

 oblong, slightly compressed; distinguished by 

 its broad, deep cavity; color rich red, splashed 

 and mottled with darker red in the sun, golden 

 yellow in the shade. The flesh is marbled 

 yellow, rayed with red at the pit, and perfectly 

 free from the stone. The trees are all that 

 could be desired in health, vigor, size, and 

 shape, but are unproductive, uncertain and 



tardy in bearing. Early Crawford, for at least 

 a half-century, was the leading market peach 

 of its season, but gave way finally to white- 

 fleshed sorts of the Belle, Carman, and Greens- 

 boro type. Though fast passing from commer- 

 cial importance, the variety ought still to be 

 grown in home plantations. Early Crawford 

 came into existence in the orchard of William 

 Crawford, Middletown, New Jersey, early in 

 the nineteenth century. 



Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, round-topped, 

 unproductive. Leaves 6% inches long, l l / 2 inches wide, 

 recurved, obovate-lanceolate, leathery ; margin finely 

 serrate, often in two series ; teeth tipped with very 

 small, reddish-brown glands ; petiole % inch long, gland- 

 less or with 1-5 small, globose, greenish-yellow glands. 

 Flowers midseason, pale pink, 1 inch across. Fruit early 

 midseason, 2% inches in diameter, round-oval, bulged 

 near the apex, compressed, with unequal halves ; cavity 

 deep, wide, abrupt ; suture shallow ; apex often with a 

 swollen, elongated tip ; color golden-yellow, blushed with 

 dark red, splashed and mottled with deeper red ; pubes- 

 cence thick ; skin separates from the pulp ; flesh deep 

 yellow, rayed with red near the pit, juicy, tender, 

 pleasantly sprightly, highly flavored ; very good in 

 quality ; stone free, oval or ovate, bulged along one side, 

 medium plump, with small, shallow pits in the surfaces. 



EARLY ELBERTA. Several nurserymen 

 have introduced strains of Elberta earlier or 

 later than the typical variety. Most of these 

 prove to differ not a whit from the standard 

 Elberta. From the numerous introductions 

 of this kind, it may be suspected that occa- 

 sionally Elberta, because of some local condi- 

 tion, ripens its fruit prematurely or that ripen- 

 ing is sometimes delayed. When removed 

 from the particular environment, ripening time 

 seems to occur normally. Nevertheless, there 

 is at least one early strain of Elberta distinct 

 from the standard variety, differing but little 

 from the parent except in season. The strain 

 originated with Dr. Sumner Gleason, Kaysville, 

 Utah, and was introduced by Stark Brothers, 

 Louisiana, Missouri, about 1908. The variety 

 seems to have found a place in the peach sec- 

 tions of the Rocky Mountains and in the South- 

 west, but as yet is little grown in the East. 

 It ripens ten days to two weeks earlier than 

 Elberta. The peaches differ from those of 

 the true Elberta in other qualities than earli- 

 ness, in being rounder, with more of an over- 

 blush of red, a little freer from fuzz, and, 

 according to most growers, a little better in 

 quality, at any rate being sweeter. Unfor- 

 tunately, trees of Elberta have rather fre- 

 quently been substituted for those of Early 

 Elberta. 



EARLY WHEELER. Wheeler Cling. 

 Early Wheeler is rated by some peach-growers 

 as one of the most profitable peaches grown in 

 Texas and other southern states. The peaches 

 are very showy and attract attention on the 

 market, and, while not of the best quality, 

 are very good. The variety seems not to have 

 been tried in the North except at one or two 

 of the experiment stations, where the trees 

 are reported as shy bearers. Early Wheeler 

 is one of the large number of Heath Cling 

 seedlings grown by E. W. Kirkpatrick, Mc- 

 Kinney, Texas, about 1900. 



