184 



RUNYON ORANGE CLING 



SCHUMAKER 



place, the latest of which is Rochester, a mem- 

 ber of the Crawford group, and in several re- 

 spects a marked improvement on the well- 

 known Early Crawford. Rochester precedes 

 Early Crawford by several days, ripening soon 

 after the middle of August. It has an un- 

 usually long season, which under some cir- 

 cumstances may be an asset, under others a 

 liability. The peaches are large, yellow, with 

 a handsome over-color of mottled red, more 

 rotund than either of the two Crawfords, 

 qualities which make a strikingly beautiful 

 peach; the flesh is thick and firm, marbled 

 yellow, stained with red at the pit, juicy, rich, 

 sweet. Rochester seems to be sufficiently pro- 

 ductive for a good commercial fruit, but it 

 remains to be seen how generally it is adapted 

 to soils and climates. The variety came from 

 a seed planted about 1900 on a farm owned by 

 a Mr. Wallen, Rochester, New York. 



Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, more upright 

 than Elberta, productive. Leaves 6 inches long, 1% 

 inches wide, ovate-lanceolate, thin, leathery ; margin 

 shallowly crenate ; petiole % inch long, thick, with 

 2-8 large, reniform glands. Flowers midseason, pale 

 pink, 1 inch across. Fruit early midseason ; 3-3 % 

 inches in diameter, round-oblate, compressed, often 

 bulged near the apex ; cavity wide, deep, flaring ; suture 

 shallow, becoming deeper near the tip ; apex variable, 

 with a mucronate tip ; color orange-yellow, blushed 

 with deep, dark red, mottled ; pubescence heavy ; skin 

 thick, tough, separates from the pulp ; flesh yellow, 

 stained with red near the pit, very juicy, tender and 

 melting, sweet, highly flavored, sprightly ; very good 

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

 base, with roughened surface marked by large, deep 

 pits and short grooves. 



RUNYON ORANGE CLING. This is an 

 old variety at one time much grown in Cali- 

 fornia, still esteemed and rather extensively 

 planted in the Sacramento region, where some 

 growers prefer it to the older Orange Cling. 

 The variety seems never to have been grown 

 in commercial orchards in the East. It origi- 

 nated with Sol Runyon on the Sacramento 

 River some time previous to 1889 when it 

 was first described in Wickson's California 

 Fruits. 



Trees vigorous, healthy, productive and not subject 

 to mildew as are those of Orange Cling. Fruit mid- 

 season, very large, yellow, with a dark crimson cheek ; 

 flesh firm, rich, sugary, with a vinous flavor ; stone 

 small, clinging. 



ST. JOHN. Yellow St. John. Crane. Un- 

 productiveness and uncertainty in bearing keep 

 this magnificent yellow-fleshed dessert fruit from 

 being one of the most popular early peaches. 

 Even with these handicaps, to which in many 

 situations may be added small fruits, St. John 

 has maintained great popularity for home 

 orchards. The peach is one of the earliest of 

 the Crawford group, a perfect freestone, hand- 

 some in appearance, sweet, rich, and delicious 

 in flavor. The fruits resemble those of Early 

 Crawford in size and shape, but are a little 

 more rotund, somewhat smaller, not quite so 

 high in quality, and ripen several days earlier. 

 The trees are all that could be asked in size, 

 vigor, and hardiness. The place and time of 

 origin of St. John are unknown; it is more 

 than a century old, came from the South, and 



has been widely planted in southern peach 

 districts. 



Tree medium to large, vigorous, upright-spreading, 

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

 obovate-lanceolate, thick ; margin finely serrate, often in 

 two series ; teeth tipped with reddish-brown glands ; 

 petiole % inch long, glandless or with 1-5 small, globose 

 glands. Blossoms midseason, 1 inch across, white 

 toward the base of the petals, dark pink near the edges. 

 Fruit early; 2% inches in diameter, round-oval, often 

 bulged near the apex, usually compressed, with oblique 

 sides ; cavity medium to deep, wide, abrupt or flaring, 

 often tinged with red ; suture deep near the tip ; apex 

 round or depressed, with a pointed tip ; color deep 

 yellow, blushed and splashed with carmine ; pubescence 

 thick and long ; skin thick, tough ; flesh light yellow, 

 tinged with red near the pit, juicy, tender, pleasantly 

 sprightly, highly flavored ; very good in quality ; stone 

 free, ovate, plump, tapering to a long point, with rough 

 surfaces marked by large and small pits. 



SALWEY. Salway. Salwey is a yellow- 

 fleshed, freestone peach of attractive appear- 

 ance and good quality, neither handsome enough 

 nor good enough in quality, however, to be con- 

 sidered a first-class dessert fruit. On the other 

 hand, it is one of the best sorts for canning, pre- 

 serving, and evaporating. The trees are vigor- 

 ous, hardy, healthy, and very productive, but, 

 unfortunately, their crop is so late in northern 

 peach regions that the variety cannot be de- 

 pended upon. Possibly no other peach is more 

 widely grown than Salwey. It is a standard 

 sort in France, England, and in peach regions 

 in America from the Atlantic to the Pacific 

 and from Canada to the Gulf. This uncom- 

 mon adaptability to diverse soils and climates 

 ought to make it a valuable sort in peach- 

 breeding. Salwey was raised in 1844 by 

 Colonel Salwey, Egham Park, Surrey, England, 

 from the seed of an Italian peach. 



Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright-spreading, be- 

 coming drooping, dense-topped, very productive. Leaves 

 7 inches long, 1% inches wide, ovate-lanceolate, leath- 

 ery ; apex acuminate ; upper surface dark, dull green, 

 smooth, becoming rugose near the midrib ; margin finely 

 serrate ; teeth tipped with reddish-brown glands ; petiole 

 glandless or with 1-6 small, globose and reniform glands, 

 % inch long. Flowers midseason, 1 inch across, white 

 at the center of the petals, becoming pink near the 

 margins. Fruit very late ; 2 % inches in diameter, 

 round-cordate, bulged near the apex, compressed ; cavity 

 deep, abrupt, often splashed with red ; suture shallow, 

 often extending beyond the tip ; apex usually a small, 

 elongated point ; color greenish-yellow, usually with a 

 brownish-red blush, splashed with dark red ; pubescence 

 short, thick, fine ; skin thin, tough, adherent to the 

 pulp ; flesh golden-yellow, faintly tinged with red 

 near the pit, juicy, stringy, tender, becomes dry with 

 age, sweet, pleasantly flavored, aromatic ; very good 

 in quality ; stone free, oval, very plump, pointed at 

 the base, with large pits and short grooves in the 

 surfaces. 



SCHUMAKER. Shoemaker's Seedling. 

 Schumaker, now grown only in western New 

 York and Pennsylvania, for a long time was 

 described as the earliest of the white-fleshed, 

 clingstone peaches. There are other peaches 

 as early, but this is the best flavored of them 

 all. Moreover, when fully ripe it is almost a 

 freestone. It is a handsome peach in color 

 and shape, but the fruits are too small, a 

 fault that can be remedied in part by thinning. 

 The trees are large, hardy, vigorous, and pro- 

 ductive to a fault. With all these good quali- 

 ties, the wonder is that Schumaker is not more 



