Peach tree, Persica. A small tree which originated in Persia in ancient times and is cultivated in all of the temperate climates of Europe for its excellent fruit. [1] It rarely grows to more than twelve or fifteen feet, and is covered with branches which always shoot up more on one side than on the other and soon spoil the tree’s shape. [2] Its bark is reddish, it grows few roots, and its leaves are long, narrow, smooth, serrulate, pointed, and alternate. The flowers can be large or small and are of diverse shades of red according to the cultivar. The fruit which replaces them is usually round, quite large, fleshy, and generally downy. The fruit is diversely coloured on the outside or inside according to the cultivar and has a variety of flavours of which most are excellent. It encloses a hard stone which is furrowed on the outside and smooth on the inside, and which envelops a kernel with a bitter flavour.

The peach is the first, most beautiful, and finest of all fruits which are cultivated in this kingdom, from where over the past century most of the good cultivars have originated. These excellent cultivars have been obtained from seeds sown in the tree nurseries outside Paris, and were one to sow seeds of known cultivars in each different province, the diverse soil conditions would give rise to many other such novelties.

The peach is easy to propagate and raise, but its cultivation is the most difficult aspect of gardening. The whole skill and attention of the gardener are required to maintain this tree when it is full grown and preserve its beauty. The best method of training the peach has not yet been entirely agreed upon: no comparison may be made on this point with other fruit trees, which may be revived and refreshed quite easily, whereas if the peach has been neglected it can scarcely ever be revived. Moreover, the peach is prone to a large number of diseases which are so difficult to treat that it is often quickest to replace a neglected or languid tree.

While it is easy, as I have stated, to propagate peaches, most seeds do not come true, and were one to obtain a few good peaches by this means, it would be only a chance occurrence. In tree nurseries, it is customary to graft peaches on to damsons if the soil is damp, or on to almonds if it is light. [3] Sometimes peaches are also grafted on to apricots, which gives fine fruit but trees which are not long-lived. They may also be grafted on to wild peach stocks, though this happens rarely because it produces trees which, though vigorous, are too prone to gumming.

The peach requires the same soil conditions as the vine. It is quite common to see this tree thrive in any location, in soil which is either prepared in order to compensate for the dryness of high ground or raised in areas which are low and damp.

Good soil must be dug to a depth of 2-3 and a width of six feet, but the digging should stop if one hits clay or tufa, since there is nothing to be gained from breaking through them and replacing them with good soil. One need not even fear reaching clay or tufa if there is a layer of about 1½ feet of good soil on top. If the surface soil is too light, sandy, or exhausted, that is, if it is poor, one may pile, up fresh pasturage soil.

The success of peaches depends primarily on their exposure: late peaches require a southerly aspect, while an easterly exposure suffices for early peaches. Following this, one must choose the site: the middle of a slope, which we refer to as ‘mi-côte’, is the most beneficial, followed by the rest of a mountain slope, then a valley, and in general any flat region, and, lastly, a mountain top, which is the least favourable site because it is most exposed to inclement weather of every sort. [4]

The finest peaches thrive so rarely in the open ground that they are generally grown as espaliers against trellised walls. If the walls are no taller than 9-10 feet they are suitable only for supporting half-standard trees, which are spaced at intervals of 15-20 feet depending on the soil condition. If the walls are at least twelve feet tall one may put half- standards of five feet between the first peaches without increasing the spacing. [5]

Autumn is the proper season for planting peaches: one cannot begin too early, whatever the soil condition. As soon as the sap has stopped flowing, that is, around 20 October, it is as beneficial to begin planting as it is detrimental to wait, especially until spring. I will not detail the many reasons which have prompted me to advise and even recommend this haste.

Raising peaches at home is the most reliable means of obtaining the desired quality peaches. However, since this is not always practicable and one cannot always wait for these trees to grow, one is most frequently obliged to look to others for help. One may find all of the good cultivars in the vicinity of Paris, and the majority at Orléans, while some are beginning to be raised in most provinces of the kingdom. It can be detrimental to have these trees brought from a distance if one does not take the precaution of covering the spaces between the roots with moss when the trees have been packed. This minor detail may seem unworthy of such a great work, but it is the only means of keeping the trees cool during a long journey. [6] When they have reached their destination, one should delay planting only if the weather is snowy or frosty, or the soil too damp, in which case it is better to moisten the roots lightly and lay the trees down in a healthy, sheltered place. As soon as the weather permits, one should unpack the trees and refresh the roots by cutting the tips bare. A cut should be made at an angle to the underside of each root so that it can make contact with the earth when the tree is placed in the planting hole. One should remove all of the root hairs along with those roots which are barked, broken, or slender. Then, in order to shape the tree, one should lop all of the lateral branches growing from the main stem, which is then cut back at an angle to seven or eight inches above the graft. Planting holes large enough to accommodate the roots are then dug in those areas of the prepared soil which have been marked out. The trees should be positioned so that they are four or five inches away from the wall and somewhat inclined towards it, with the slanting cuts facing the wall and the grafts two or three inches above the ground. Good soil, which should be loose and light, is then thrown round the trees and pushed with one’s fingers between the roots. When the holes have been filled in and the soil firmed by being lightly trodden, a few pails of water are thrown over the soil in order to make it adhere to the roots. However, if the planting has not been carried out until spring, the tree stems and bases must be covered with long straw, and the whole watered moderately each week in times of dry wind and drought.

When the peaches begin to grow, the stems should be uncovered and the trees left to grow freely during the first year, though care should be taken to secure the new shoots to the trellis-work as they gain sufficient stength and length.

The cultivation of the peach tree, which consists mainly in pruning, disbudding, and training, is the most important and difficult aspect of gardening: it is the stumbling block of gardeners, the primary manifestation of their talent, and the greatest perfection of their art; indeed, it is the first point on which they should be examined, followed, and principally directed. The pruning of other fruit trees is nothing compared with that of the peach: the former must, of course, be properly understood and trained, but while it is possible to revive other fruit trees which have been neglected or badly handled for a sustained period, it is almost impossible to revive a peach which has been abandoned or badly trained for one or two years. I cannot discuss this matter in sufficient detail in a work of this nature and must restrict myself to a broad outline.

Peaches need to be tended and supervised for most of the year, that is, from the shedding of their leaves to after the harvesting of their fruit. Constant vigilance is required to protect these trees from inclement weather, preserve their beauty, maintain them when they are full grown, and make them last and thrive. I will present a brief survey of the various tasks which are necessary to the cultivation of the peach during each different season.

Pruning is the most essential form of cultivation required by the peach: it is even indispensable to this tree and must be carried out punctually, for if one neglects to prune the peach for only a year it will become slender, bare, and deteriorated to the point where it is often impossible to revive it in three years, and if this neglect continues for two or three more years there is scarcely any further means of reviving it, much less of shaping it into a fine tree. One can prune the peach from the time when the leaves are shed to the point when the sap begins to rise, but it is misguided to wait until the tree is in flower or the fruit set. One must begin with the weakest trees and finish with the most vigorous. The belief that pruned trees are more prone to being damaged by unpredictable weather at the onset of spring is also erroneous, since it is generally admitted that pruned trees are at no greater risk than unpruned trees. Before using the pruning knife, one must detach the tree from the trellis-work and clean it of dirt and insects. Young trees of up to six years are then separated from those which are full grown or waning. In general, the pruning and growth of the branches should be regulated according to the strength of the tree. If the tree is a maiden and has made little progress, it is reduced to two or four lateral branches distributed equally on either side, which are pruned to five or six inches. But if the tree has grown vigorously, the branches may be left with a length of 8-10 inches. In subsequent years, one’s primary objective should be to ensure that the tree remains well balanced so that one side does not become more laden than the other. If the tree is feeble it must be cut back from the centre, and if the sap flows too fully on one side this side must be shortened in order to strengthen the other. In general, the entire weight of the tree should be borne on two or four main branches furnishing the crown. Main branches may be pruned each year by twelve or fifteen inches, and sometimes by up to 2 or 2½ feet, as practised by the gardeners of Montreuil. [7] Other branches are pruned by 6-8 inches. It is commonly believed that the peach lasts for only twelve or fifteen years, but when it has been well trained, this period constitutes only one third of its life and the beginning of it strength, which can sustain itself for as long again. The rest of the tree’s duration may be regarded as a period of decline during which it is maintained entirely by the skill and vigilance of the gardener. It is pruning proper which contributes most to the longevity of the peach. For peaches which are in their prime, it consists of not allowing the tree to become overladen while ensuring that a full crown is retained. Having first examined the condition of the tree, one begins by lopping those branches which are dry, deteriorated, or exhausted, before removing those which are too broad or small, excepting the small spurs or shoots which are likely to bear the finest fruit, those branches which are necessary to furnish a full crown, and the lowest branches of the current season’s growth. Then comes the pruning proper: trees which are impoverished as a result of having borne too much fruit are pruned shorter, while other trees are pruned to eight inches. Pruning should also be regulated according to the cultivar. Peaches which are waning should be pruned short and left with only the most vigorous branches. When working towards the maintenance and fructification of the peach, one should also endeavour to enhance its beauty, by pruning it so that it is covered with branches right down to the tree base, forms a regular fan, and occupies only the site to which it has been assigned.

The beauty of the peach consists primarily in neat, orderly training: there should be no crossing wood, unless one needs to cover a space in the wall. Osier is used for tying the shoots in spring and rush in summer.

With regard to fructification, it is most important to ensure that the tree is preserved, since wintry weather often destroys the promise of the flower. The best means of protecting these trees is to form a type of eaves along the wall below the coping, composed of matting about two-feet wide. This matting is supported by brackets which are attached to the wall for a certain period, from February to May. This covering protects the top of the trees and in bad weather other mattings may be added in order to protect the bottom.

From the end of April, one should begin another task to which one must return at the end of May, once the fruit has set. This is disbudding, which is often neglected in spite of its importance. It involves breaking off with one’s thumb the young shoots which appear misplaced, feeble, or superfluous. Those which shoot at the front or back are judged to be misplaced, while new shoots are considered superfluous when more than two or three appear on each branch, in which case those growing in the most appropriate parts of the tree are retained and the rest are suppressed. Disbudding must be carried out by an intelligent gardener, because serious errors can be made which are not easily rectified. Nonetheless, it is on the success of this operation that the vigour, longevity, and fertility of the peach principally depend.

Other forms of cultivation are required after disbudding, such as pinching certain new branches and stopping others. But as there are widely divergent opinions and practices on this point, some claiming that these secondary cares are absolutely necessary and others that nature should be left to take its course, I will refrain from entering into detail on the subject.

It is the same with soil cultivation, to which I will refer only in order to present its futility: when one cultivates the borders at the tree bases, it is less to promote the growth of peaches than to plant vegetables. But it is often overlooked that grasses, whether good or bad in themselves, are pernicious to trees. They intercept light rainfall, dew, mist, etc., and exhaust the soil of sugars, salts, and moisture, so that vegetables and grasses must be regarded as the scourge of trees. [8] I have come to the conclusion that nothing is more beneficial to peaches than to have a sanded allée approaching and running along the trellised wall, which requires no cultivation save that of being raked over regularly. In several areas I have seen peaches grown in this manner for twenty years, which have made astonishing progress and are extremely beautiful.

Since winter pruning and spring disbudding oblige the sap to flow vigorously into the remaining branches, frequent tying is required. The first is carried out in June when the disbudding has been successfully completed, without any selection, lopping, or constraint save that of spacing, stretching, and turning the branches so that they ornament the tree decoratively and the fruit is, where possible, covered with leaves. The second tying takes place one month or six weeks later: it consists only of securing one extra tie to those branches which have grown longer and cutting back untidy branches. A few vigorous trees sometimes require a third review in September.

In some light soils, peaches need watering during periods of dry wind and drought, in which case a few pales of water are given to each tree once a fortnight and the tree bases and stems are covered with long straw.

One must also tend the fruit: having thinned those which are overcrowded when they have swollen and set (for it is claimed that a good-sized peach tree should conserve only sixty), one should uncover them gradually when they begin to turn white by removing a few leaves in three separate stages, at intervals of four days. By this means, they will be exposed to direct sunlight, and will colour, mature, and become perfectly ripe. Peaches are ripe when they remain in one’s hand after having been pressed lightly. [9]

Peaches are subject to attack by a great number of pests: from spring, the flower buds may be infested with green caterpillars, which are found behind the branches and must be destroyed. When the walls are poorly roughcast, dormice, field mice, rats, mice, and shrew mice take refuge in them and bite into the fruit as soon as it begins to ripen. One can destroy these harmful animals by setting mousetraps and figure-four traps in the surrounding area. Defective walls can also occasion attack by ants, which gather and cause harm only when the tree is infested with aphids, which excrete a honeydew to which ants are attracted. One must firstly destroy the aphids by cutting the tips of the branches and removing all of the infested leaves. A great number of ants may be killed by putting a fresh ox foot, the skin of which has been burnt but not removed, at the base of the tree. It quickly becomes covered with ants, which one may destroy by immersing the ox foot in water. Earwigs often damage the large and small ‘Mignons’: they may be baited with a prime cut of lamb, in which they enjoy taking refuge. Lastly, one has found no better means of controlling fruit flies, wasps, and other insects of this type than to compensate them with other, more common fruits, the sweetness and softness of which attract them.

Plants, like animals, are prone to disease. There is one in particular which is unique to the peach: this tree is often damaged by the nipping winds of April, which occasion a blight or nip called peach leaf curl. [10] The leaves thicken and curl up, while turning red and scabby. This disagreeable condition, which is even more harmful to the tree than to its fruit, may be improved by cutting the tips of the branches and removing the affected leaves. Gumming is another disease which ought not to be neglected. Once it has been detected, there is no other remedy save that of lopping the branch below the exudation. If the condition deteriorates and spreads beyond a certain point, the quickest expedient is to uproot the tree. The same is true when it is attacked by a type of blackish gum which covers the whole tree: this disease is caused by corrupt sap which extravasates, and is so contagious that one must have the infected tree removed immediately, [11] Lastly, the peach is sometimes afflicted by a contagious, powdery mildew in June and July which damages the tree and fruit. The remedy is to prune the affected branches.

The peach tree has various medicinal properties: the leaves, and especially the flowers, are purgative; they are used in infusions and for making a common syrup which is vermifuge, as is the oil extracted from the expressed kernels of the fruit.

The fruit of the peach is grouped into peaches, clingstones, and nectarines. Peaches are the most highly regarded because their flesh is tender, soft, succulent, and flavourful, and because they are free-stoned. Clingstones, on the contrary, have hard, dry flesh, which adheres to the fruit stone and rarely ripens in our climate: they are valued only in hot countries, where they thrive much better than peaches. The same is true of nectarines. Collectors value only fifteen or twenty peaches, but were one to admit medium-quality peaches, one could collect up to forty different peaches for the sake of variety. [12] There are at least forty known clingstones, of which one or two thrive in this climate. There are also eight or ten nectarines: this fruit is smooth and cling- stoned, but there is only one prized cultivar in the neighbourhood of Paris. The nature of this work does not permit us to describe every cultivar in detail: we will simply compare a few peach cultivars which are notable for their ornamental interest or singularity.

1. The white peach is so named because its flowers are white, as are the skin and flesh of the fruit.

2. The double-flowered peach is of ornamental value, as the large, extremely double, bright pink flowers are extremely beautiful. However, the fruit is late and mediocre.

3. Peach-almond: the fruit of this tree owes something to the peach but far more to the almond. The leaves are smooth and the tree flowers early. The stones are without furrows and the kernels are sweet. The only resemblance which the fruit bears to the peach is that, since the flesh is thicker than that of ordinary almonds, it becomes succulent when it ripens. However, it conserves an unpleasant bitterness. [13]

4. Peach-nut: this fruit is prized only because of its singularity. The tree grows shorter than the peach but its leaves are larger. Its flowers are of a striking, deep red. The fruit, which is smooth and mediocre, always conserves the green colour of the nut even when it ripens, which is not before the end of October.

5. Dwarf peach: this is indeed an extremely small shrub which scarcely grows taller than 1½ feet, with the result that it may easily be kept in a medium-sized pot. This is its only merit: the small, colourless fruit ripens late and has a mediocre flavour.

6. Double-flowered dwarf peach: since this tree is sterile, botanists differ on the genus to which it should belong. Some classify it with peaches, some with almonds, and others with plums. This shrub grows to three or four feet, and in April it bears a large number of flowers, which are quite broad and very double: they are pale red above and white beneath. Direct sunlight discolours them and makes them fade too quickly: consequently, this shrub should be planted in a north-facing site, where the flowers will be brighter and longer-lasting. It is robust and can be pruned into a palissade; it is propagated by being grafted on to the same rootstocks as the peach. Layering is not always successful.

For a list of good peaches, the reader may refer to the catalogue of the R.R.P.P. Chartreux de Paris and the essay on agriculture by abbé Nolin, and for the cultivation of the peach tree to M. de Combes’ [ sic ] treatise and a memoir by abbé Roger which was published in Journal économique (February 1755). [14]

Notes

1. Prunus persica originated in China and may have reached Persia by the old Silk Road through Kashmir and Afghanistan (Huxley et al., 1992, iii.489).

2. The branches of Prunus persica are elongate (ibid., p. 738).

3. Miller remarks that grafting on to almonds is seldom practised in England because it gives trees which rarely last for more than twenty years (article ‘ Persica ’, Miller, 1752).

4. See article Site.

5. Miller advises against building walls of over ten or twelve feet for espaliers, since it generally gives rise to the practice of planting half-standard trees between the first, thereby depriving them of nutrients, ‘for the same space of ground can’t nourish twenty trees equally as well as it could ten’ (article ‘ Persica ’, Miller, 1752).

6. Attention to fine detail is very much in keeping with the spirit of the Encyclopédie: see article ‘Arbre (le jardinier)’, above, pp. 230-31.

7. A garden near Paris which specialized in the cultivation of peaches (article ‘ Persica ’, Miller, 1752).

8. This passage may be found in article ‘Pépinière’, below, p. 453.

9. See article Maturity, Ripeness.

10. Taphrina déformons.

11. These are the symptoms of bleeding canker.

12. Miller lists thirty-one good peaches, of which the majority are French, but recommends only ten of them for planting (article ‘ Persica ’, Miller, 1752).

13. This is a cross between the peach and the almond which is called Prunus + amydalo- persica. It was first recorded in c. 1623 (Harris, pers. comm.).

14. See Nolin and Blavel, 1755; Combles, 1750.