204 CLASSIFICATION. 



An accurate observer will distinguish other characters in 

 the glands ; they are either sessile or pedicellate ; but these 

 distinctions are too minute for application on the present oc- 

 casion. 



The form of the glands, as well as their position, is per- 

 fectly distinct ; they are fully developed in the month of 

 May, and they continue to the last, permanent in their cha- 

 racter, and are not affected by cultivation. The globose 

 glands are situated, one, two, or more, on the footstalks, and 

 one, two, or more on the tips or points of the serratures of 

 the leaves. The reniform glands grow also on the foot- 

 stalks of the leaves, but those on the leaves are placed with- 

 in the serratures, connecting, as it were, the upper and lower 

 teeth of the serratures together ; their leaves, when taken 

 from a branch of a vigorous growth, have more glands than 

 the leaves of the globose varieties. It will, however, some- 

 times happen, that glands are not discernible on some of the 

 leaves, especially on those produced from weak branches ; 

 in this case, other branches must be sought for which do 

 produce them. 



With regard to the flowers, on which the divisions are 

 founded, all authors previous to Duhamel have described 

 large and small flowers only. Both in the Bon Jardinier 

 and in the Pomoue Francaise, " fleurs moyennes," or mid- 

 dle flowei-s, are mentioned; the notice of them, however, 

 originated with Duhamel, who, in the descriptions of several 

 of his Peaches, speaks in a manner which indicates even 

 four sizes, viz. fleurs grandes^^ fleurs assez grandes^'\ fleurs 

 petites,'^ fleurs ires petites ;^ and on examining the trees 

 thus described, the differences are evident. In noticing 

 these, however, it is not intended to convey an idea that a 

 fourth division is necessary ; on the contrary, it would per- 

 plex rather than elucidate. In fact, it requires some prac- 

 tice to distinguish the middle from the small-sized flowers ; 

 the former are larger in all their parts, but in other respects 

 there is no difference between them ; and in maintaining the 

 division, I have conformed more to the authority of Lelieur 

 than to my own opinion. 



We now come to the fruit ; with regard to which nature 

 has furnished two distinct characters in the external appear- 

 ance, as well as two in the internal structure. The first of 



* Madeleine Blanche. t Avant P«che Blanche. 



, t Bourdine. ^ Bellegarde. 



