PEACHES. 183 



ter sometimes it is one-fourth smaller in all its parts ; it is 

 covered with a velvety skin, of a deep purple colour on the 

 sunny side, and often over more than half the surface, and is 

 yellow on that part which is shaded, but usually speckled all 

 over with red dots ; the skin is easily detached from the flesh. 

 In respect to form, the fruit has not much peculiarity, except 

 that the longitudinal groove is in general strongly marked and 

 likewise slightly apparent on the opposite side ; the summit is 

 somewhat sunken, and often presents a very small tit which 

 scarcely projects at all ; the flesh is entirely yellow, except 

 around the stone, where it is of a rather dark red it is also 

 melting, and abounds in sweet and vinous juice very agreeable 

 to the taste ; the stone separates pretty easily from the flesh 

 it is of a brownish red colour, measures nine lines in breadth, 

 by eleven in height, and terminates often in a very short point. 

 This fruit is at maturity the end of August or beginning of 

 September ; it is subject to vary in^ respect to size, by which 

 circumstance the editors of the new edition of Duhamel, sup- 

 pose that author must have been influenced, when he distin- 

 guished the Rossanne peach in the original edition as a differ- 

 ent fruit, which they state to be identically the same kind, the 

 fruit being varied in size, and acquiring greater or less dimen- 

 sions according to the vigour of the trees and the nature of 

 the soil. I consider this to be the Rossanne, and the following 

 kind to be the Petite Rossanne of French writers where the 

 terms are properly applied, but much confusion exists among 

 ithem in this respect. 



EARLY YELLOW ALBERGE. PR. CAT. 



Avant peche jaune. Duh. 



Alberge jaune prtcoce, of some French catalogues. 



Rossanne. Die. d'Agric. syn. 



Petite Rossanne. Auth. 



This peach is distinguished from the preceding, by its being 

 much smaller in size, and ripening at a much earlier period, 

 but its flowers and leaves do not differ ; it is sixteen lines in 



