The New Student's Reference Work/Peach

Peach, the well-known fruit of a species of Prunus (P. Persica) which is native to China. Associated with the peach, in the genus Prunus, are the almond, plum, apricot and cherry. A smooth-skinned variety is called nectarine. The peach has long been cultivated and many varieties have been produced. They are extensively cultivated in the warmer parts of Asia as well as in certain regions of the United States. The pericarp, that is, the transformed ovary, ripens into an outer fleshy layer and an inner stony one. Cultivation has done much in increasing the thickness of the pulpy layer. The tree is small, from 10 to 20 feet high and bears many branches. The fragrant, pink blossoms usually appear before the leaves; the leaves are lanceolate. In this country peaches are grown in orchards, but in England they are trained against walls and also cultivated under glass. Peaches are cultivated in the United States most extensively in Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Michigan, Arkansas, Texas and on the Pacific slope. A great danger lies in the early blossoming and the killing of the fruit-buds by frost. Insect enemies are the peach-tree borer, the twig-borer, the fruit-tree bark-beetle, the peach-tree leaf-roller, scale insects and aphids. The trees must be carefully examined, and spraying is essential. They are subject to various fungous diseases, and under the best conditions are not long-lived.