CHAPTER XXXIIL 



THE PEACH. 



This popular fruit is a native of Persia and was intro- 

 duced into this country about two hundred years ago. It 

 succeeds admirably here anywhere south of 40o north 

 latitude, and is now raised in greater quantities and with 

 less labor than in any other country. The soil and cli- 

 mate of the Southern states are peculiarly adapted to its 

 culture, and it has become one of the most profitable of 

 Southern fruits. Requiring a soil of only moderate fer- 

 tility, having so few enemies at the South, and giving 

 so rich and speedy returns, it is no wonder that the 

 peach has become a favorite among fruits, and is cultiva- 

 ted so extensively in some sections of the Southern States. 

 The trees are shorter-lived than most fruit trees of our 

 climate, but with proper treatment they live and bear 

 crops from ten to thirty years. In rare instances they 

 have been kown to live from fifty to one hundred years. 

 The difierent varieties of the peach are distinguished by 

 the presence or absence of glands (slight protuberances) 

 on the leaves, by the size and color of the blooms, and by 

 the quality of the flesh, whether cling or free-stone. 



The propagation of the peach is very easy and rapid. 

 Seedlings sometimes bear fruit the second year, and bud- 

 ded or grafted trees often yield moderate crops when 

 only two years from the bud. In planting orchards of 

 the peach, trees one year from the bud or graft are usual- 



