36 THE PEACHES OF NEW YORK 



In the Sixteenth Century references to the peach become so numerous 

 that one cannot reckon with all of them. Selecting only a few notable 

 names of writers on plants, we have Turner, one of the first and perhaps 

 the greatest of British herbalists, who mentions the peach in his Herbal! 

 of 1551, though rather disparagingly, for he says: " The peche is no great 

 tre in England that I could se — the apples are soft flesshy when they are 

 rype, something hory without." Tusser, author of Five Hundred Points 

 of Good Husbandrie, 1573, the best-known work on farming of the times, 

 gives a list of fruits to be transplanted in January among which are 

 " Peaches, white and red." Lastly, the century ends with John Gerarde's 

 The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes, 1597, in which the peach is 

 treated at greater length and to better advantage than by any previous 

 English author. An improved edition of Gerarde's herbal was brought 

 out in 1633 by Thomas Johnson who adds very materially to the discussion 

 of the peach in the first edition and from this we quote in full all that 

 pertains to varieties: ^ 



" There are divers sorts of Peaches besides the foure here set forth 

 by our Author, but the trees do not much differ in shape, but the difference 

 chiefely consists in the fruit, whereof I will give you the names of the choice 

 ones, and such as are to be had from my friend Mr. Miller in Old-street, 

 which are these; two sorts of Nutmeg Peaches; The Queenes Peach; the 

 Newington Peach; The grand Carnation Peach; The Carnation Peach; 

 The blacke Peach; The Melocotone; The White; The Romane; The 

 Alberza; The Island Peach; Peach du Troy. These are all good ones. He 

 hath also of that kinde of Peach which some call Nucipersica or Nectorins, 

 t^^ese following kindes; the Roman red, the best of fruits; the bastard 

 Red; the little dainty greene; the Yellow, the White; the Russet, which is 

 not so good as the rest. Those that would see any fuller discourse of these 

 may have recourse to the late worke of Mr. John Parkinson, where they 

 may finde more varieties, and more largely handled, and therefore not 

 necessary for me in this place to insist upon them. 



"1. The Peach tree is a tree of no great bignesse: it sendeth forth 

 diy^rs boughes, which be so brittle, as oftentimes they are broken with 

 the weight of the fruit or with the winde. The leaves be long, nicked in 

 the edges, like almost to those of the Walnut tree, and in taste bitter: 

 the floures be of a light purple colour. The fruit of Peaches be round, and 

 have as it were a chinke or cleft on the one side; they are covered with a 

 soft and thin downe or hairy cotton, being white without, and of a pleasant 

 taste; in the middle whereof is a rough or rugged stone, wherein is contained 



' Gerarde Herball 1446, 1447. 1633. 



