176 



J. H. HALE 



LATE CRAWFORD 



J. H. HALE. Fig. 170. Of many new 

 peaches, J. H. Hale is the leading aspirant for 

 pomological honors. Its characters can be best 

 set forth by comparing it with Elberta, the 

 standard commercial peach. In size, the fruit 

 of J. H. Hale averages larger; the flesh is 

 firmer and heavier ; the peaches ship better and 

 keep longer than those of Elberta. In shape, the 



170. J. H. Hale. (X%) 



fruit is almost a sphere, its perfect symmetry 

 being scarcely marred by the suture, so that 

 it is more shapely than the oblong Elberta, 

 and can be packed to better advantage. In 

 color, there is no choice; both peaches are 

 voluptuously handsome. The skin of the J. H. 

 Hale fruit is less pubescent and possibly a little 

 firmer and tighter, characters adding to appear- 

 ance and shipping qualities. It is but an invi- 

 tation to argument to say which is the better 

 in flavor, aroma, texture, and juiciness; neither 

 can be rated as extra good. J. H. Hale ripens 

 its fruit a few days earlier than Elberta, and 

 its trees and buds are hardier than those of 

 Elberta. Which is the more productive is not 

 certain. The greatest asset of Elberta is its 

 ability to adapt itself to diverse soils; whether 

 J. H. Hale is equally elastic in constitution re- 

 mains to be seen. The variety is still on pro- 

 bation with the chances growing stronger each 

 year that it will take high place among com- 

 mercial peaches. The new variety will not 

 drive Elberta from the markets, but the mar- 

 kets will be shared between the two, J. H. Hale 

 reaching the fruit-stands several days in ad- 

 vance of Elberta. This remarkable variety 

 is a chance seedling found by J. H. Hale, South 

 Glastonbury, Connecticut. The distribution of 

 the variety was begun by Stark Brothers, 

 Louisiana, Missouri, in 1912, and possibly no 

 other tree-fruit has ever been so rapidly prop- 

 agated and so widely distributed. 



_ Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, produc- 

 tive. Leaves 6% inches long, 1% inches wide, recurving 

 at the tip, lanceolate, thin, leathery ; margin singly or 

 doubly serrate; petiole & inch long, thick, with 1-5 

 reniform, dark brown glands of medium size. Flowers 

 midseason, light pink near the center, darker near the 

 edges, 1 % inches across. Fruit midseason ; 8 inches in 

 diameter, regular, round, with equal halves ; cavity deep, 

 wide, regular ; suture a mere line, very shallow or with 

 almost no depression ; apex rounded, with a small tip 

 set in a depression ; color lemon-yellow overspread with 

 dark red and with mottlings and splashes of carmine; 

 pubescence light; skin thick, tough, separates but 



poorly from the pulp ; flesh yellow, red around the pit, 

 juicy, fine-grained, sweet or somewhat sprightly ; good 

 in quality ; stone free, oval, plump, flattened at the 

 base, pointed at the apex, with grooved and pitted sur- 

 faces. 



KALAMAZOO. Before Elberta was intro- 

 duced, Kalamazoo was a promising yellow- 

 fleshed, freestone variety. The fruit is better 

 in quality than Elberta, but not so showy in 

 appearance, and the trees are not quite so 

 productive. Kalamazoo ripens with Late 

 Crawford, and well competes with that variety, 

 for the trees are hardier in wood and bud, and 

 are much more productive. The variety falls 

 short, however, in the size of the peaches, 

 which run no larger than a medium Late Craw- 

 ford. The fruits are of highest quality either 

 for dessert or culinary purposes. The trees are 

 susceptible to leaf-curl and must be thor- 

 oughly sprayed. This variety is grown rather 

 extensively in Michigan and is well known in 

 parts of New York. Kalamazoo originated 

 with J. N. Stearns, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 

 about 1869, as a sprout below the bud on a 

 Yellow Alberge tree. 



Tree large, spreading, vigorous, open-topped, very 

 productive. Leaves 6% inches long, 1% inches wide, 

 nearly flat or curled downward, obovate-lanceolate, leath- 

 ery ; margin finely serrate ; teeth tipped with reddish- 

 brown glands ; petiole ^ inch long, with 1-6 small, 

 reniform, reddish-brown glands. Blossoms midseason, 

 pale pink, white at the center of the petals, 1% inches 

 across. Fruit late ; 2 % inches in diameter, rpund-oyal, 

 often compressed, with unequal sides ; cavity wide, 

 abrupt ; suture indistinct, becoming more pronounced 

 toward the tip ; apex ending in a small, elongated point ; 

 color yellow, with a distinct blush extending over one- 

 fourth of the surface, mottled ; pubescence thick, fine ; 

 skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp ; flesh light 

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

 sweet, mild ; good in quality ; stone free, ovate, bulged 

 on one side, winged near the base, {he surfaces pitted 

 and grooved near the apex. 



K RUM MEL. Krummel is a favorite va- 

 riety in southern peach regions and is some- 

 what grown in New Jersey, Maryland, and the 

 Pacific states. It seems to be a very valuable 

 variety where a late peach is wanted. In the 

 regions named, the trees are said to be more 

 productive and somewhat hardier than those 

 of Salwey, with which the variety must com- 

 pete. It is seldom to be found in northern 

 peach orchards. Krummel originated with a 

 man of the same name, in St. Louis, Missouri, 

 some time previous to 1900. The fruit is 

 described as it grows at the Ohio Experiment 

 Station, Wooster, Ohio, as follows: 



"Large, globose, one-sided, enlarged conspicuously at 

 base ; suture made distinct by one side of fruit being 

 much swollen ; apex very prominent, pointed ; color light 

 lemon yellow very faintly blushed with carmine ; flesh 

 yellow, red at pit, very fine in texture, juicy and melt- 

 ing ; quality good though a little acid ; refreshing ; pit 

 free; the latest peach grown at this Station." 



LATE CRAWFORD. Fig. 171. Craw- 

 ford's Superb Malacatune. Crawford's Late 

 Melocoton. Late Crawford is at the head of 

 the Crawford family, long dominant among 

 the several groups of American peaches, and 

 not yet equalled in quality by any other 

 yellow-fleshed peaches. Late Crawford, a 

 quarter-century ago, began to give way to 



