MAY 



79 



these flowers are near of kin to the rose. 

 And if the rose is queen of the family, most 

 surely the apple is king. 



THE FRUIT IN THE BLOSSOM 



To the observing eye each blossom has a 

 prophecy of its own and already foretells 

 the character of the fruit. The peaches 

 bloom before their leaves are well out, so 

 their flowers run no risk of being hidden. 

 Accordingly they waste no material in mak- 

 ing stems, but each rose-colored blossom, 

 with its delicately bitter fragrance, nestles 

 close to the twig from which it springs. Of 

 course, when the fruit comes, it must hug 

 the branch. So you find practically no 

 stem on the peach. Then, too, if you look 

 right into the heart of the peach-blossom, 

 you will see, already formed and deep hidden 

 at the bottom of a green cup, the little globe 

 that is to become the peach. The more 

 showy parts of the flower stand on the edge 

 of the cup, quite away from the forming 

 fruit, and they are thrown aside when the 

 blossom fades. When the little globe swells 



