122 DESCRIPTIVE BOTANY. 



China is the place of the peach's nativity, whence it has travelled westward 

 to Persia, and finally to Europe. 



It was introduced into Italy from Persia by the Romans, in the reign of 

 Claudius Caesar. It was introduced into Great Britain during the sixteenth 

 century, and thence brought in 1 680 by the settlers of Virginia to America, 

 where it grows to great perfection. It does not ripen well in England without 

 the protection of glass, or at least of walls. It is a considerable crop in France, 

 especially in the south. In China and the United States it reaches the greatest 

 perfection. 



The peaches of Pekin are said to be the finest in the world. But Delaware 

 and Maryland raise peaches whose lusciousness it is difficult to equal and 

 impossible to excel. 



It is related that in Persia tlie delicious flavor of the peach was supposed 

 to be accompanied by poisonous qualities. Pliny, in his work on plants, says 

 it was supposed that the king of Persia sent the peach into Egypt to poison 

 the people with whom he was then at war. 



It is also noteworthy that the peach-tree holds tlie same place in the ancient 

 writings of the Chinese that the tree of knowledge does in the sacred Scrip- 

 tures, and that the golden Hesperides apples of tlie heathens hold among the 

 western nations. There are traditions of a peach-tree whose fruit possessed the 

 power of producing immortality upon those who partook of it, but which bore 

 fruit only once in a thousand years. There is also preserved in the early books 

 of the Chinese, an account of a peach-tree which existed in the infancy of the 

 nation, growing on a mountain whose approaches were guarded by a hundred 

 demons. The fruit of this guarded tree, when taken, produced instant death. 



Use. — The peach ranks with the pear as a dessert fruit, and if it were 

 not for its perishable character it would grade far above tlie pear. 



The season of the peach is very short, lasting from August through Sep- 

 tember and October, to November. For pies, puddings, dumplings, and pre- 

 serves it has no equal. 



The fermented juice of the peach is distilled, and produces a highly prized 

 brandy. 



The commercial value of the peach crop, including the large quantities that 

 are dried and canned, is of great importance. 



Marts. — New York is the point to which most of the fresh crop is 

 brought. Baltimore in Maryland, and Dover in Delaware, are the centers of 

 canned and dried peaches. Canning for winter use and export has become a 

 very important industry. 



6. P. communis, L. (Amy gdalus communis.) (Almond.) Stem 10 to 12 

 feet high, branching into a symmetrical head, entire tree reaching the height of 

 2.5 feet. Leaves oblong-linear or lanceolate, tapering towards the base, serrate 

 and glabrous. Flowers developing before the leaves, Avhite or pinkish, appear- 

 ing in March and April. Drupe tomentose or stone furrowed, compressed. 



Var. amara, De Candolle (Bitter Almond), is the variety producing the 

 bitter almonds of the market. Flowers larger, pink, tinged with rose ; nut 

 hard. A sub-variety has brittle shells. 



7. P. nana, L. (Dwarf Almond.) Differs from the P. communis in being 

 a shrub 2 to 3 feet in height. Flowers solitary with a colored calyx. 



Varieties. — As the almond is produced from seed it sports freely, and varie- 

 ties are numerous. There are about a dozen varieties under cultivation, differ- 

 ing in the size and quality of the fruit and the fruit envelopes. 



