308 NECTARINES. 



racters in the glands of the leaves. Their method of ar- 

 rangement, however, appears objectionable in forming 

 their classes from the fruit instead of the leaves, because 

 an attempt at a thorough classification on this principle 

 must be ineffectual till the fruit has arrived at maturity. 

 In forming a synoptical Table for practical purposes, 

 we should follow nature herself as nearly as possible ; 

 we ought not to make an arrangement that is not pro- 

 gressive, or to which we cannot apply ourselves as the 

 parts successively come into existence. The fruit not 

 being the first produced, we ought not to begin with it, 

 in preference to the leaves. 



Having stated thus much, I must render a just tribute 

 of acknowledgment to the writers last mentioned, for 

 having brought into notice the divisions of the glandular 

 leaves, which are highly important, and some marks of 

 distinction between varieties which might be otherwise 

 considered alike. 



The anxiety which prevails to cultivate the Peach in 

 its full extent, the disappointment which cultivators 

 daily experience in finding one sort of fruit imposed 

 upon them for another, to say nothing of the error of 

 continuing to propagate a fruit by a name wholly at 

 variance with acknowledged authority, have induced me 

 to attempt such an arrangement of Peaches and Nec- 

 tarines as will, to a certain extent, give a facility of 

 discrimination in distinguishing one sort from another. 

 For this purpose, I have formed a synopsis on ^o 

 extended a scale as to admit not only all those which 

 are at present well known, but such also as are likely to 

 become known, or to be introduced hereafter. 



To accomplish this, I create three classes, each of 

 which has three divisions ; these are each separated 

 into two subdivisions, and every subdivision into two 

 sections ; making in the whole thirty-six sections. Part 

 only of these sections are applicable to those varieties we 



