The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-10-05
,r,.;,,en far rhe Florida Agricult"'tS''
Peach Lore.
Ry HELEN HARCoURT'

:. . NOT within our reach, is enough
to "make the mouth water" ana the
nostrils expand, in the futile hope OF
rooollino the taste and smell OF past
Measures connected with that "irolt
of the gods
We have yet to meet with the first
nerson who avows a distaste Tor a
fine, aromatic peach, and, strange to
saw we have met with but few more
who could tell whence It's name OF
what's it's name"
The botanical designation OF the
peach, AmygdaI1s Persia, at once re-
veals it's origin, and the land OF It's
aavity, tor to Persia do we owe this
most popular fruit, and yet strange
to say, in this, its native home, 1t was
considered unwholesome and so was
far from being the favorite it now is
with the civilized world.
In point of fact, it really was un-
wholesome in those days, just as 1t is
now, where its due care and cultlva>
ton are neglected, or not understood
for the peach is one Of those ariSto>
cratic trees that object to "roughlng
it" through the world, and will not
flourish as it might, if not intelligent
ly waited upon by its owner.
Hence, in Media, that province OF
Persia to which we owe our improved
peach of to day, the fruit seldom
ripen, the flesh was tough and indi>
iestible and the flavor bitter, and all
because it's true character and re-
uuirements were unknown. Just ex-
actly as many a human heart has be-
come toughened and embittered
from not being understood and right
ly treated by those about it.
Columella tells us that when the
peach was first introduced into the
Roman Empire, from Media, DUR
ing the reign of the Emperor Claud-
ius, it was possessed of extremely
injurious qualities.
Somehow the Chinese in the "good
olden times" even more than in the
present, seemed to take hold of every
new plant or discovery, with zest
that soon carried them beyond the
nations Of Christendom, so it was with
the peach; although native of Per-
STA, its first visit to foreign lands. and
the first true appreciation it met with
was on Chinese soil, and there we
find it tlouriShing and at home, al
most as early as it was noted in its
native land. Thence it spread to
Asiatic Turkey, where the natives
regarded it with deep veneration and
even connected various superstitioni
with the tree and its fruit, at least SC
Pliny and other classical writer's tel
US.
That the peach was Que of: the
strees in the Garden OF Eden" there
can be TO doubt, and surely God
could have placed there, for the com
ioit of our first parents, no more de-
licious fruit than this, and perhaps it
was for this reason that after their fall
it was withdrawn from the knowledge
of their descendants. For, curously
enough, we find no mention OF the
peach in the Bible, although its cons
cener, the almond, is mentioned even
as Jar back as in the time of Jacob,
for we read that when preparing his
Gift tor the Governor of Egypt, he
CONN anded his sons 10 take "myrrh,
nuts and almonds, thus showing the
high eseem in which these three arti-
cles were held. And yet again in the
minute directions for making the
golden candlestick we find mentioned
among the chief ornaments, the myr-
lie and almonds; again and again the
almond you see, yet never once the
peach, hence it is quite safe to inter
that to the Israelites the peach was
am unknown fruit,S although the ais
1911 - ca rnnrlu identical with il