THE PEACHES OF NEW YORK 207 



Early York is entitled to a place among the leading varieties of 

 peaches only because of the part it played in the beginning of the peach- 

 industry in America. As the history- which follows shows, it was one of 

 the first named varieties to be grown in this countr}-. It is of more than 

 passing interest, too, because it is one of the few sorts with glandless leaves. 

 The fruits of Early York are insignificant, though the color-plate hardly 

 does the variety justice, but the vigorous, healthy, compact trees have 

 much to recommend them so that the variety might be used as a stepping- 

 stone in improving tree-characters of peaches. 



No doubt several distinct varieties have been grown as Early York. 

 Large York, for example, which originated with Prince at Flushing. New 

 York, has probably been more often sold for Early York than any other 

 sort. Early Purple, a very old peach of European origin, was introduced 

 to America about the time Early York came to notice. In some manner 

 this variety has been confused with Early York, the name often being 

 given as a synonym of that variety. The two sorts, however, are distinct 

 and the error of connecting the name has led to much misunderstanding. 

 Early Purple disappeared from American cultivation soon after its intro- 

 duction and peaches sold under this name today are probably Early York. 

 A controversy has arisen as to the origin of Early York, both America and 

 England having been given as its home. That Early York is of American 

 origin, however, there can be little doubt. Its parentage, the time and 

 place of origin, however, are unknown. It may have come in existence 

 in New York, or possibly New Jersey or, as some have thought, near 

 York, Pennsylvania. The variety was sent to Europe about the middle 

 of the Nineteenth Century where Thomas Rivers grew it at Sawbridge- 

 worth and from it raised several promising seedlings. The leaves of the 

 variety are "distinctly serrated, giving rise to the name Serrate Early York. 

 Red Rareripe, another variety having serrated, glandless leaves, has often 

 been confused with Early York. The two are ver}^ similar but the fruit 

 of Red Rareripe is larger, broader and ripens about a week later. Early 

 York was placed on the list of recommended fruits at the National Con- 

 vention of Fniit-Growers in 1848 and since that time has had a place on 

 the fniit-list of the American Pomological Society. 



Tree large, compact, upright-spreading, unproductive; trunk stocky; branches thick, 

 smooth, reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray; branchlets ver>' long, dark pinkish-red 

 with some green, glossy, smooth, glabrous, with conspicuous, raised lenticels variable in 

 size, numerous at the base and well scattered along the branches. 



