72 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
orchards south of the city of Shanghai, where it is found in the markets 
in August. “ It is quite the usual thing,” he says, “ to see peaches of 
this variety eleven inches in circumference and twelve ounces in 
weight.” The variety has always been known as the Shanghai in 
Europe, where, with its descendants, it has shown little adaptability 
for commercial use. 
In America —There have been two principal importations from the 
Orient from whieh the American varieties have largely descended. The 
first, so far as we can learn, was in the form of potted peach trees, prob» 
ably imported by the late Charles Downing, in 1850, through Mr. Win¬ 
chester, the British Consul at Shanghai, China. The variety was 
receivod under the names “ Chinese Cling ” and “ Shanghai,” and each 
name was supposed for a time to represent a distinct variety, but 
where grown side by side they proved to be identical. The variety 
was probably first fruited by Henry Lyon, Laurel Park, S. C., to whom 
one of the original potted trees was sent by Mr. Downing in 1850. 
The second important introduction was made by Dr. William A. W. 
Spottswood, of the United States Navy, Fleet Surgeon of the East 
India or Asiatic Squadron from 1857 to 1860, and, so far as we know, is 
recorded here for the first time Dr. Spottswood brought a quantity 
of peach stones from Japan in 1860, and presented them to the late 
Judge Campbell, an enthusiastic amateur horticulturist of Pensacola, 
Fla. Judge Campbell planted the seed, but was soon obliged to leave 
his home on account of the evacuation of Pensacola. On his return 
home in 1864 he found much of the place destroyed and the fences 
burned, but by careful treatment the peach seedlings grew into great 
vigor by 1867. 
Amongst others who received buds from Judge Campbell was the 
late R. R. Hunley, of Alabama, who, in 1864, sent a complete collec¬ 
tion of them to P. J. Berckmans, Augusta, Ga. Mr. Berckmans and 
his father, the late Dr. L. E. Berckmans, have originated and distrib¬ 
uted a large number, of varieties of the group. 
In JAPAN-The peaches from which Dr. Spottswood obtained the stones 
which were brought from Japan in 1860, probably came originally from 
the orchards around Shanghai, China. The peach is not native to 
Japan, and in the collection of fruit models in the Bureau of Plant In¬ 
dustry, United States Department of Agriculture, made by Prof. Kizo 
Tamari, of the Imperial University, Tokio, Japan, and which represent 
the important types of fruit in Japan, the Suimitsuto, which 
is a typical Chinese Cling, is described as originating at Shanghai, 
China. It is, therefore, probable that the American and Japanese 
sources of the group were alike. 
CLASSIFICATION OF THE GROUP. 
The name “Northern Chinese Race” was applied to the Chinese 
Cling group by Onderdonk, who recognized five distinct races of 
peaches in the United States—the Persian, the Northern Chinese, the 
Southern Chinese, the Spanish and the Peen-To, the geographical 
names representing the parts of the world in which each race was sup¬ 
posed to have originated, or to have reached its greatest development. 
The classification of Onderdonk, in its application to the Northern 
Chinese, Southern Chinese, and Peen-To races, was the first attempt to 
separate the peach into natural botanical groups, a system of classifica¬ 
tion which, in general principle, is similar to the group method inau¬ 
gurated at a later date by Bailey. The use of the geographical name 
“ Northern Chinese ” cannot be as strongly commended. The princi. 
pal objections to the name are as follows : 
1. It is probable that peaches of all types are native to China. No 
definite information exists concerning the number, the origin or the dis. 
tribution of of the types in their native home. It is, therefore, unsafe 
to apply a geographical name to a distinct group before something is 
definitely known about it in the country to which it is indigenous. A 
geographical name is also objectionable, as the geography of a country 
is subject to change. 
2. The so-called Persian Race is composed of a number of distinct 
types of peaches and probably crosses between the types. These types 
vary botanically and in their geographical adaptability. If their be¬ 
havior in the United States is an indication of their probable behavior 
in their native home, some of them must hftve originated in climatic 
conditions similar to those which gave rise to the Chinese Cling group. 
In the article of Cibot he points out that several types of peaches, 
which appear to correspond to different groups within the Persian 
Race, were growing around Pekin over a hundred years ago. It is 
likely, therefore, that several distinct types of peaches have been devel¬ 
oped in the cooler climates of China. 
We believe it to be in the interest of a more exact and practical 
nomenclature to drop the name “ Northern Chinese Race ” and to sub¬ 
stitute the name “ Chinese Cling Group” in its place. 
VARIETIES OF THE GROUP. 
The varieties of the Chinese Cling group have originated largely as 
chance seedlings, or have been selected from seedlings purposely devel¬ 
oped for new varieties. No systematic effort has been made, except in a 
limited way, to improve the group by the eareful intercrossing and 
selection of varieties. The variety list will expand rapidly in the next 
few years, as several orchardists and nurserymen now have blocks of 
seedlings in which they hope to discover new kinds of commercial 
merit. The present tendency is to introduce too many varieties. From 
our observation of many of the newer kinds, a large proportion of them 
will find no permanent place in commercial orchards, as they do not 
possess the fundamental characteristics of stable commercial sorts. It 
seems desirable at this time to record and describe as many of the varie¬ 
ties as can be brought together in order that the early history of the 
group may be made complete, and also that peach growers may have 
opportunity to compare the different sorts. It should be remembered, 
however, that a description of specimens from Texas will not apply to 
the same variety in Delaware. The variety is profoundly modified by 
its environment, and each one needs to be thoroughly tested under 
widely varying conditions. 
Mr. Powell gives a catalogue of varieties, in the course of 
which he says: 
The Carman is considered by leading peach growers in the South as 
the most valuable commercially tested variety of its season. It is very 
promising also for northern sections. It is not grown successfully in 
Connecticut. Its strongest features are the vigorous growth and pro¬ 
ductiveness of the tree, the earliness, large size and beauty of its fruit. 
The one weak point that has developed in the Carman in Georgia is a 
serious tendeney to rot in damp weather, though it rots much less than 
peaches of the Hale or Alexander type. This tendency to rot we have 
also seen in Delaware, though it is less susceptible there than other 
strains of early peaches. 
Chinese Cling. Shanghai of early authors,-and in Europe. Parent¬ 
age unknown. Introduced in 1850 from Shanghai, China, probably by 
Charles Downing, through Mr. Winchester, British Consul at Shang¬ 
hai ; first fruited by Henry Lyon, Laurel Park, Columbia, S C.; dis¬ 
tributed largely through the tidewater and southern peach belts; fruit 
too tender for shipment and subject to rot; tree often a weak grower 
and a shy bearer; remarkably prepotent, and has probably given rise 
to more valuable varieties than any other variety ; a large proportion 
of its seedlings are similar to it. 
Connett’s Southern Early. Parentage unknown ; originated with the 
Rev. Alfred Connett, McLeansville, N. C., about 1880, from a stone 
from a peach that was bought on the cars. It was introduced in 1884 
as Connett’s Southern Early by the Greensboro Nurseries, Greensboro, 
N. C. Not tested sufficiently to warrant an expression of its commer¬ 
cial value in the North. J. Van Lindley writes in 1901: “Connett 
ripens with Carman, but does not have quite so much color, and is not 
quite as good a shipper, but ships very well, and is a fine peach.” 
Denton. Seedling of Early Beauty and pollinated with Elberta. 
Originated by J. W. Kerr, Denton, Md. The cross was made in the 
spring of 1888, and the stone planted the following fall. The fruit of 
Denton has more characteristics of the Crawford than of the Chinese 
Cling group, and possibly could be classed appropriately with the Craw¬ 
fords, though the tree is similar to Elberta. 
Ede. Parentage unknown; originated in 1870 as a seedling in the 
dooryard of Capt. Henry Ede, Cobden, Ill. Near it was standing a 
peach called the honest John, which possibly was the St. John ; intro¬ 
duced by George Gould & Son, Villa Ridge, Ill. It is a popular variety 
in Southern Illinois, where it ripens several days before Elberta. On 
the Chesapeake Peninsula it ripens with Elberta and is smaller and 
lighter in color. 
Elberta. Seedling Chinese Cling; originated with Samuel H. Rumpli, 
Marshallville, Ga., from stones planted in the fall of 1870. From an 
orchard of 200 trees, containing from 50 to 75 varieties of seveial trees 
each, Mr. Rumph saved a quantity of stones and planted them in the 
