LUTHER BURBANK 



suited in stocking China with peaches of one type 

 and Europe with quite another. 



The peach most commonly grown in the United 

 States is usually spoken of as belonging to the 

 Persian race. The Chinese type of peach has been 

 variously tested in California, and for the most 

 part found wanting. The chief defect of the Ori- 

 ental variety is the pointed almond shape of its 

 fruit, and susceptibility to mildew and curl-leaf. 



It will be recalled that the oriental pear showed 

 precisely the qualities of hardiness and resistance 

 to disease that the oriental peach notably lacks. 

 The difference, in all probability, is to be explained 

 by the different treatment the two fruits have 

 received in their Asiatic home. The pear has been 

 developed for its fruit, and the oriental taste de- 

 manded certain qualities of firmness and perhaps 

 slight astringency that might be said to be in 

 keeping with the natural character or propensity 

 of the wild fruit. 



But in the case of the peach special develop- 

 ment has taken place along the line of flower pro- 

 duction. Doubtless more attention has been given 

 to this than to the question of fruit. And as with 

 most specialized races of plants, there are inci- 

 dental defects due to the selective breeding for a 

 single quality, and the overlooking of other 

 qualities. 



[166] 



