180 



NIAGARA 



OLDMIXON FREE 



inch across, pale pink, darker about the edges, usually 

 single. Fruit midseason ; 2 % inches long, 2 ^ inches 

 wide, round-cordate or oval, angular, compressed, with 

 unequal halves ; cavity shallow, contracted about the 

 sides, flaring ; suture medium in depth ; apex pointed, 

 with a large, recurved mamelon tip ; color lemon-yellow, 

 with little if any blush ; pubescence heavy, long ; skin 

 thin, tough, separates from the pulp when fully ripe ; 

 flesh yellow, faintly tinged near the pit, dry, coarse, ten- 

 der, sweet, mild ; good in quality ; stone free, ovate, flat- 

 tened, wedge-shaped toward the base, tapering to a 

 long apex, with large pits and a few small grooves in 

 the surfaces. 



NIAGARA. Fig. 174. Newark Seedling. 

 Niagara is a variant of Early Crawford. The 

 fruit ripens later than that of Early Crawford 

 and averages better to the end of the season. 

 But Niagara's great point of merit, as com- 



174. Niagara. (X%) 



pared with Early Crawford, is that it is more 

 dependable in all tree-characters, being, es- 

 pecially, less capricious as to soil and climate. 

 The peach is beautiful yellow, with a hand- 

 some over-color of red. The flesh, too, is 

 attractive and delectable yellow, thick, and 

 firm, with a rich, sweet flavor which makes it 

 one of the most palatable peaches of its season. 

 Niagara fails in productiveness in some lo- 

 calities, having in this respect the fault of all 

 its tribe; but it should have a welcome place 

 in any home collection, and, where it proves 

 productive, is one of the best for general 

 market. Niagara probably came from Mary- 

 land to Julius Harris, Ridgeway, New York, 

 who introduced it about 1890. 



Tree large, upright-spreading, hardy, medium in pro- 

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

 flattened or curled downward, oval to obovate-lanceolate, 

 leathery ; margin finely serrate ; teeth tipped with 

 reddish-brown glands ; petiole *& inch long, glandless 

 or with 1-5 small, globose, raised, reddish-brown glands. 

 Flowers midseason, 1 inch across, white near the center 

 of the petals changing to dark pink near the edges. 

 Fruit midseason; 2% inches in diameter, round-cordate, 

 compressed, with equal halves ; cavity medium to deep, 

 abrupt, with very tender skin, often splashed with red ; 

 suture shallow, deepening toward the apex ; apex 

 rounded or pointed, with a mamelon recurved tip ; color 

 orange-yellow, blushed with deep, dull red, with stripes 

 and splashes of darker red ; pubescence short, thick, 

 fine ; skin thick, tough, adherent to the pulp ; flesh 

 yellow, deeply tinged with red near the pit, juicy, 

 coarse but tender, sprightly ; very good in quality ; 

 stone free, broadly ovate, plump, with long point at 

 the apex, usually with grooved surfaces and with few 

 pits, tinged with red. 



OLDMIXON CLING. Oldmixon. With- 

 out question one of the oldest American peaches, 



going back at least 150 years, Oldmixon Cling is 

 still well worthy of a place in every home or- 

 chard. It is a rich, luscious, white-fleshed peach, 

 ripening late ; besides being excellent in quality 

 for dessert and culinary purposes, it is uncom- 

 monly handsome a combination of characters 

 possessed by few other peaches. The fruits 

 have but one fault, the pits crack badly. The 

 variety, however, seems to be passing out be- 

 cause the trees are not fruitful, though in all 

 other respects they are seemingly near per- 

 fection. Oldmixon Cling is reported to have 

 been introduced by Sir John Oldmixon, 

 an early official of Philadelphia, Pennsyl- 

 vania, who brought pits to America about 

 1730. 



Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, hardy, rather 

 unproductive. Leaves 6% inches long, l 1 /^ inches wide, 

 flattened or curled downward, obovate-lanceolate, leath- 

 ery ; margin finely serrate ; teeth tipped with reddish- 

 brown glands ; petiole % inch long, with 1-4 small, 

 globose glands. Flowers midseason, % inch across, 

 light pink at the center deepening to darker pink at 

 the margins, often in twos, sometimes in threes. Fruit 

 late; about 2% inches in diameter, round-oval, com- 

 pressed, with unequal halves ; cavity medium to deep, 

 wide ; suture shallow, becoming deeper toward the 

 apex ; apex round, with a recurved, mamelon tip ; color 

 creamy-white, with a blush of lively red and faint 

 splashes of darker red ; pubescence fine, short, thick ; 

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

 faintly stained with red near the pit, juicy, stringy, 

 tender, melting, sweet but sprightly, pleasantly flavored ; 

 very good in quality ; stone clinging, oval, bulged on 

 one side, flattened near the base, plump, long-pointed, 

 with grooved surfaces. 



OLDMIXON FREE. Oldmixon Free is a 

 variant of Oldmixon Cling, differing essen- 

 tially in having a free stone; it is also more 

 sprightly in flavor and not quite so well 

 endowed with the characters that constitute 

 high quality. Outwardly, the two peaches 

 can hardly be told apart. Since Oldmixon 

 Cling is sometimes semi-free and Oldmixon 

 Free often clings more or less, the two are 

 often confused in orchards and markets. Both 

 of these Oldmixons are as hardy in wood 

 and bud as any of the white-fleshed varieties. 

 The blossoms of both appear in late mid- 

 season, thereby often escaping frosts. The 

 trees of Oldmixon Free, like those of Old- 

 mixon Cling, have the fault of being unpro- 

 ductive. Oldmixon Free is supposed to be an 

 American seedling of Oldmixon Cling, origi- 

 nating about 1800. 



Tree very large, vigorous, upright to spreading, hardy, 

 rather unproductive. Leaves 6% inches long, 1% 

 inches wide, curled downward or flattened, obovate- 

 lanceolate, leathery, dull ; margin finely serrate ; teeth 

 tipped with reddish-brown glands ; petiole % inch 

 long, glandless or with 1-4 small, globose glands. Flow- 

 ers midseason, % inch across, pale pink near the 

 center becoming darker pink at the outside, often in 

 twos. Fruit late ; 2 %. inches in diameter, round- 

 cordate, often compressed, with unequal sides ; cavity 

 deep, flaring, tinged with red ; suture shallow, becoming 

 deeper toward the apex ; apex rounded, with recurved, 

 mamelon tip ; color creamy-white overspread with a 

 lively red blush in which are faint splashes and mot- 

 tlings of darker red ; pubescence coarse, thick ; skin 

 thin, tough, separates from the pulp ; flesh white, 

 deeply tinted with red near the pit, juicy, string_y, 

 tender and melting, sweet, with more or less sprightlK 

 ness ; very good in quality ; stone free or nearly free, 

 ovate, bulged, flattened near the base, with grooved 

 and purplish-brown surfaces. 



