THE PEACH AND NECTARINE. 127 



When the great difference between good and 

 bad varieties is remembered, the importance of ob- 

 taining the best, must be obvious. The reputation 

 of some which are truly excellent, has been greatly 

 injured by numerous errors in names. Not only 

 those of fine varieties are given by mistake to 

 worthless fruit, but good varieties, increased by 

 seed, receive the genuine name, which is still con- 

 tinued through successive plantings, though wide 

 departures from the original are thus gradually 

 produced. 



This confusion and misapplication of names, and 

 the consequent perplexity to the cultivator, have in- 

 duced the attempt to arrange the varieties and dis- 

 tinctive characters. The peach presents facilities 

 for this purpose, not existing in other fruits. The 

 following arrangement, which is generally adopted 

 as the best, is from Lindley. Peaches and necta- 

 rines, (which may be considered as one and the 

 same fruit, the latter having smooth skins,) are 

 separated into three general classes, each of which 

 has three divisions ; these are again separated into 

 two sub- divisions, and every sub-division into two 

 sections; consisting in all of thirty^six sections. 

 Only a part of these sections contain varieties with 

 which we are acquainted, and are only to be filled 

 up as others are discovered. 



Class Z, comprehends those whose leaves are 



