82 UNDER THE OPEN SKY 



THE PEACH AND THE ALMOND 



How much man can do to mould Nature's 

 creations to his own fancy is rarely better 

 shown than in the case of the peach and 

 the almond. There seems much reason to 

 believe that each is descended from, the 

 same wild ancestor and that each owes its 

 present delightful qualities to the fostering 

 care of man. Two nations, whose needs 

 were altogether different, selected and then, 

 perhaps quite unconsciously, accentuated 

 different qualities in the same primitive 

 fruit. 



Thomas Moore tells us, 



" A Persian's heaven is eas'ly made, 

 ' Tis but black eyes and lemonade." 



To such people succulent fruits appealed 

 most strongly, and they seized upon and 

 strove to improve the amount and flavor of 

 the pulp, and the luscious peach is the 

 result of their labors. To the stone they 

 gave no heed, and here Nature took care 

 of her own. The hard coat protects the 

 kernel against the jaws of its enemies. 

 Even where, by reason of unusually heavy 



