8 THE PEACHES OF NEW YORK 



volumes on China, devotes a chapter to the peach in which, after describ- 

 ing the peaches of the country and giving a full discussion of methods of 

 culture, he mentions numerous Chinese superstitions concerning this fruit. 

 He writes:' 



" The Chinese have for a long time preserved the history of the first 

 ages either in their books or in their traditions. The oldest of their books 

 have perished. They have saved only a part of their ancient national 

 works on the great wars and general uprisings, and the original traditions, 

 changed in a thousand ways, made into fables, finally corrupted by idolatry, 

 are today only chaos; but this chaos is not without any ray of light. Many 

 of these traditions, although disfigured, bear back too exactly to the 

 marvelous tales of the lost books to be able to mistake the beliefs of the 

 early ages. Thus, there are many traditions referring to the peach. Some 

 call it the tree of life, others the tree of death. Peaches lengthened to a 

 point, of large size, and colored red on one side, are regarded by the 

 Chinese as the symbol of a long life. In consequence of these ancient 

 national superstitions, peaches enter into all the ornaments of "painting 

 and sculpture. They are saved for the salute to the new year. Here are 

 several ancient texts on the peach and its fruits: 



" From Chin-non-King: ' The peach ' Yu ' signifies death and 

 eternal life. If one has been able to eat it enough times, it saves the body 

 from corruption till the end of the world.' From Chin-y-King: ' There 

 is in the Orient a peach whose almond, eaten, makes eternal life.' From 

 Chou-y-Ki: ' Whoever eats this fruit (the peach ' Yu ' from the Koue- 

 liou Mountain) obtains immortal life.' 



" Still other texts could be cited but I will merely remark that in all 

 the peach is connected with immortality. Again we find that certain 

 peaches can not be offered by the ancients in sacrifice, and that the pre- 

 mature blossoming of another peach signifies great calamities. To quote 

 again: From Sin-lin: ' In the garden of Yang was the peach of death; 

 whoever approached it must die.' From Fong-fou-teng : ' It is said in 

 the book of Hoang-ti that two brothers found on a mountain a peach tree 

 under which were a hundred demons to cause death to men.' From 

 Lietchouen, on the subject of the evils which afflict the earth: ' the tree 

 of Knowledge is the peach.' " 



Very interesting and illuminating as to the age of the peach in China, 

 is an account given by Dr. Yamei Kin - who was asked by a member of 

 the staff of the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction, United 

 States Department of Agriculture, for information concerning the peach- 

 blossoms. After describing the several kinds of blossoms borne by Chinese 



' Cibot, Pierre Martial Mem. concernant I'hisl. les sciences etc. des Chinois. 11:280-293. 1777. 

 ' U.S. D. A. Plant Immigranls. No. 102:823-825. 1914. 



