CHAPTER XXI 

 THE NECTARINE 



The nectarine reaches perfection under California conditions, 

 as does its close relative, the peach. The fruit is, in fact, as Down- 

 ing says, only a variety of the peach with a smooth skin; only a 

 distinct, accidental variety of the peach; and this is rendered quite 

 certain, since there are several well-known examples on record of 

 both peaches and nectarines having been produced on the same 

 branch. Nectarine pits usually produce nectarines again, but they 

 occasionally produce peaches. Peach seeds occasionally produce 

 nectarines; the Boston variety originated from a peach stone.* 

 All these facts which are recorded of relation between the peach 

 and nectarine have been verified by California observation. 



The practice of growing nectarines is also exactly like that 

 employed with the peach. It is propagated and pruned in the 

 same ways, except that, as pointed out by Mr. Culbertson, the 

 nectarine has -more of a tendency to form short interior growths, 

 and fruit buds are formed on the larger new growths, thus enabl- 

 ing the primer to cut them back more closely, and yet have an 

 abundance of fruits buds remain. The peach and nectarines are 

 the same in natural adaptations and requirements, and in diseases, 

 so that what has been given concerning the growth of the peach 

 in this State has an apt application in the case of the nectarine. 



The success of the nectarine worked on almond stock, as has 

 been demonstrated by the experience of many, has led to the graft- 

 ing over a good many unprofitable almond trees to nectarine, 

 though this has not been done to the extent to which the French 

 prune and some other plums have been worked on old almond 

 stocks. 



Comparative Production of Nectarine and Peach. It may be 



wondered, considering the similarity of the peach and the necta- 

 rine, why the former comes so near being our leading deciduous 

 fruit and the latter is the least grown, but one, of all the temperate 

 zone fruits, only the lowly quince being less in importance. The 

 explanation is that the fruit buyer, both in California and at the 

 East, prefers the peach, whether it be fresh, or canned, or dried, 

 and some of those who have tried even a few acres of nectarines 

 have found many occasions to wish the ground had been given 

 to peaches. How much of this preference is due to lack of knowl- 



* "Downing's Fruit and Fruit Trees," p. 565. 



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