Some fifty years ago there were brought from China seeds of a type of a pear that was entirely new to this country, and was called by us the “Sand” pear. The only apparent reason for giving it this name is, that it is gritty, hard, and little better to eat than so much sand. But the seeds made trees that grew with remarkable vigor and were much alike, and so was their fruit.
From this stock came up a seedling some thirty years ago, in the garden of Peter Kieffer, in Philadelphia, that has almost revolutionized pear growing in America. It is supposed to be the result of a cross between a Chinese Sand pear-tree and a Bartlett that stood near each other, although this is mere supposition. The fruit is only of medium quality, and some say it is very poor; but it is large, very beautiful when fully mature, late in ripening, and endures rough handling with as little harm as so many potatoes. It is very popular with the canners. The greatest point in its favor is the freedom of the tree from blight, its vigor and almost never-failing and abundant bearing. It is the business pear of to-day, despite its inferior quality.
The Peach.—When the peach was first planted in America by the Spanish and French, and later by other nationalities, there was little thought of it ever becoming a great commercial fruit. The trees that sprang from the seeds brought across the ocean grew so luxuriantly and bore so abundantly that their progeny was soon scattered far and wide. Peach trees were early found growing wild, like our native trees, wherever seeds had been dropped by travelers or hunters. There was no attempt at commercial peach orcharding until well into the present century, and for the first half of this there were scarcely more than a few seedling orchards planted for family use or for making brandy. In some sections dried peaches were an article of trade before any commercial peach orchards, in the true sense, had been planted; but they were always the product of women’s work, and were prepared under the disadvantageous conditions with which they are usually hampered. It is no wonder that the grade was low, for the peaches were generally of poor quality, and no other mode of drying was then known than on boards and wooden trays, exposed in the open air to flies, moths, and dust. All that was sent to market was first taken in at the stores where the country people came to trade, and it was a mixed mess, indeed, that was thus collected. What fresh peaches were sold brought a very low price, rarely more than twenty-five cents per bushel.
Early in the century budded peach-trees were almost unknown in America. A few were brought over from France and the fruit houses of England, all of which did very well here. However, it was soon learned that there were seedlings of American origin that were equal to the best of the foreign kinds. Among the first of these were Heath, Early York, Tillotson, and Oldmixon Cling and Free. A little later, two large yellow freestones came up by accident on the premises of William Crawford, of Middletown, N. J., one ripening early and the other late. Early Crawford and Late Crawford are, after more than sixty years of trial, still very popular upon the markets. Many other kinds, once popular, have long since been discarded and forgotten.
Just before our Civil War the Hale peach was discovered and, being earlier than any kind then known, it became very popular. About 1865, the Amsden, Alexander, and some others came to notice. They were a month earlier than the Hale. A peach, called Peen-to, was imported from southern China about the same time, that ripened still a month earlier; but as it belonged to a very different race from our other peaches, and was exceedingly tender, it has been found suitable only to Florida and other semitropical regions.
The most popular peach of the present day is the Elberta. It was originated by Samuel H. Rumph, of Georgia, about twenty years ago. Its large size, creamy, yellow color, and good flavor, added to its productiveness, make it very acceptable to both grower and consumer.
The most extensive peach orchards in America are located in Georgia, North Carolina, Southern Missouri, Western Colorado, and California. A few are each more than a thousand acres in extent.
The advent of patent evaporating machines, about 1870, aided greatly in the production of high grade dried fruits of all kinds, and the peach shared in the progress. California and Oregon alone shipped in a single recent year nearly 40,000,000 pounds of dried peaches. The peach is canned more than any other fruit, as may be seen upon the shelves of any grocery store, or in the fruit closets of the country housewives. Whether eaten fresh from the trees, served up with cream and sugar (a dainty dish unknown in Europe), evaporated or canned, the peach is one of the blessings of our great country.
The Plum.—There are three general classes of plums grown in America to-day, the European, American, and Japanese. European plums were introduced here at an early day, but were grown very sparingly until within the last thirty or forty years. The principal reason for this is the presence of a deadly enemy to the plum, apricot, and some other fruits, commonly known as the plum curculio. It is a little enemy but a mighty one; for it deposits its eggs in the young fruit, and they soon hatch into little grubs that work their way into the fruit and cause it to die and drop off. West of the Continental divide there are none of these insects. There the soil, climate, and all else seem to conspire to enable the plum-grower to prosper. Great prune orchards are planted in the fertile valleys from New Mexico and Colorado westward. Some of them cover thousands of acres in a body, and the yield is enormous. The rainless autumns of California permit the drying of the fruit in the open air and in the most economical and perfect way. From an infant industry twenty years ago it has now grown so great that, in 1897, California alone produced nearly 98,000,000 pounds of dried prunes. Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and some other western States are almost equally well suited to this industry.
East of the Rocky Mountains plum-growing is not so easy. The curculio damages all classes of plums to some extent, but the European kinds seem to be much less able to endure its attacks than any other. This led to the selection and cultivation of the best varieties of our several native species. Their fruit is not so large or so richly flavored as some of the foreign kinds, but much of it is very good, and the brilliant red, purple, and yellow colors are greatly admired. The Japanese plums are of quite recent introduction. The beginning was in 1870, when the Kelsey, which is the largest, the latest to ripen, and about one of the least valuable varieties of this class was brought to California. Later importations have brought us many very valuable kinds. The trees bear well, the fruit is mostly large, handsome, of good quality, and resists the stings of the curculio quite as well as our native kinds.