The Family Kitchen Gardener (1856)/Peach
PEACH.
Amy’gdalis Pérsica.—Pecher, Fr.—Pfirschbaum, Ger.
It is to be supposed that every inhabitant of the United States is familiar with the Peach. In both flavor and appearance it is legitimately a fruit of this country, though a foreigner—a native of Persia, where it has been known from the earliest ages. History says it was first sent by the king of Persia into Egypt, with the view of poisoning the inhabitants, with whom he was then at war: and, strange to say, most of the ancient writers describe this fruit as possessing deleterious qualities. The leaves of the tree, however, contain prussic acid. From the days of Virgil the fruit has been considered of first-rate excellence, which few will dispute; and the Peaches of this country are equal to any in the world. With the purposes for which they are used every one is familiar. They are cultivated in the States of New Jersey and Delaware by the tens of thousands of acres—one family alone employing a steamboat in the Peach season, to carry their fruit to market. There are hundreds of varieties cultivated—many orchards of natural fruit without names, and other orchards of a more profitable character, containing only a very few select sorts, known for their superior merits. The following twenty kinds we note as being such, whilst we will not deny that there may be others equally as good in other parts of the country, unknown to us.
Alberge, or Yellow Rare-ripe.—Color bright yellow, red cheek, round form, large size. Ripe early in August—free.
Columbia.—Color brownish-yellow, striped red, round form, large size. Ripe about the middle of September—free.
Early Melocoton (Crawford's).—Color brownish-yellow; red cheek; oval form. Ripe 15th August—free.
Early York.—Color dark red; round form; medium size; excellent quality; a great bearer. Ripe 10th of August—free.
Foxe’s Seedling.—Color greenish-white; red cheek; round form; large size. Ripe early in September.
Favorite (Reeve’s).—Color yellowish-red; round form. Ripe early in September—free.
George 4th.—Color greenish-white; red cheek; round form; large size. Ripe end of August—free.
Grosse Mignonne, or Royal George—with about twenty other names, is a large round Peach, rather flattened; color greenish-yellow; a mottled red cheek; flesh white, red at the stone. The first Peach we became familiar with, and have seen it eleven and a half inches in circumference. Ripe in August—free.
Imperial (Darby).—Color yellow-brown, with dull red cheek; round form. Ripe middle of September—free.
Late Heath.—Color white; faint red cheek; oval form. Ripe in October—cling.
Late Melocoton (Crawford’s).—Color dull yellow; dark red cheek; roundish form. Ripe 12th to 25th September—free.
La Grange.—Color greenish-white; oval form. Ripe 10th September—free.
Morris White.—Color pure white; oval form. Ripe early in September—free.
Nonpareil (Scott’s).—Dull yellow; red cheek; roundish form. Ripe 15th September—free.
Old Mixon (free).—Color dull red; oval form. Ripe early in September.
Old Mixon (cling).—Color dull red; round form. Ripe early in September.
Red Cheek Melocoton—Color yellowish-green; dull red cheek; oval form. Ripe 18th September—free.
Red Rare-Ripe.—Color greenish-white; dark red cheek; oval form. Ripe end of August—free.
Rodman’s Red.—Color dull red; oval form. Ripe end of September and 1st of October—cling.
Tippecanoe.—Color bright yellow, with red cheek; oval form. Ripe 10th to 20th September—cling.
Propagation.—This is of the simplest character. It is usually performed by planting the stones (or pits), in November, about two inches deep, in rich, light, or sandy soil. These nearly all vegetate in the Spring, and can be budded the following September, or about the end of August. They are then headed down close to the bud, early in the Spring, when they will make a growth of from three to nine feet the first season, with lateral branches all up the stem. In some parts of Ohio, Kentucky, and Mississippi, the stones are planted in November, budded the end of the following June, headed down in July, and make a growth of four to six feet all within one year of the stone being planted. These operations are all performed on the Peach-stone. The tree is consequently short-lived; but being so readily replaced, that is not generally considered of much consequence. However, we would prefer budding for our own use on the Plum stock. The tree will live half a century thereon, and will not be subject to the Borer, which is a great enemy to the Peach stock.
Planting.—If we wish to reap the fruit, we must prepare the soil. As the foundation is laid, so will the erection stand. Plough or dig your soil deep; manure well the year previous; plant your trees twenty feet apart, which will take one hundred to the acre. Our remarks on planting Apples will apply here. Cultivate the ground with a light crop, giving manure every two years.
Pruning.—This is very indifferently attended to in the Peach. The trees are allowed to grow at random—long, straggling branches, with the fruit at the extremity, bending them to the ground, and never thinned out. The result is, the first storm breaks half of the limbs, and the fruit does not grow over half its size, ripening prematurely, and commanding about one-third the price of full-grown, well-ripened fruit. It is twenty years since we pruned Peach trees, in the same manner as we have described for Currant bushes, keeping the young wood thin, and shortening every growth in the Fall or Winter pruning. The trees are thereby made more compact, not so liable to be broken, and produce finer fruit; the beauty of the tree is improved, and its age lengthened.
The Borer, or Peach-worm, is very destructive to this tree. The insect, according to Say, is a dark-blue, four-winged, slender moth, depositing its egg during the Summer months around the tree, close to the surface of the ground. Ashes have been long used as a protective against this destroyer, with very good effect; and recently half a peck of air-slacked lime, heaped round the tree during the month of May, is considered as a perfect antidote, effectually securing the tree against its enemy. The lime is spread over the ground after the fall of the leaf, and a fresh supply given every year at the above period.
There is a disease called “The Yellows,” very prevalent in some orchards, which is attributed to a variety of causes. The main one, we presume, will generally be found in ungenial soil, and overcropping of the trees. We say, thin out the crop—do not allow one fruit to be within two inches of its neighbor. Shorten the young growths of the tree by Winter pruning, and cut out others where they are too thick, thereby giving plenty of air to all parts of the tree. Manure every other year and crop light. With such a routine of culture the Yellows will be a stranger. Trees that produce a crop of fruit which is yearly carried off the ground, must have some return, by enriching the soil, either by manure from the stable-yard, or rich composts of lime, marl, plaster, &c.