THE WAYS of fruit trees seem past finding out. Last year, on this farm, the Peen-to or Flat Chinese peaches were ripe first; this year all the "early tribe" of white-flesh peaches, such as Briggs' May, Waterloo and Alexander, have beaten the Peen-to by a fortnight. "Something in the season" says the old rancher, with the air of having settled the problem. "The Chinese peach tree 'curled' badly this spring,*' says some one else in an equally serene tone of conviction. But the Peen-to has always "curled" more or less, and yet usually leads the peach orchard in point of earliness. Then, too, a tree of Brice*s Early that was sent to me by mail ten years ago, from the originator's own nursery, ripened its most excellent peaches several days ahead of the Alexander this year; usually it is a trifle later. This peach is of so high quality here that I wonder it is not more often planted, but it seldom appears in the catalogues, nor has it a place in Wickson's "California Fruits.**

We have the old Purple Alberge, or Alberge Red, a peach that is here of remarkable quality, and a prime family favorite. Thirty-five years ago it was first grown on this farm, and a great many orchard-ists wanted bads, but hardly one has kept the variety, and yet it continues to thrive here, "curling" in bad seasons, and casting its fruit, but averaging about four crops out of five. The house-wife says that she must have her Alberge peaches to can, and so the orchard will never be without a dozen trees.

I have grown a Yellow Alberge from another source, a larger, lighter-colored and much less valuable fruit than the very dark yellow-fleshed peach that has been so long famous in this township. Thomas, in his "American Fruit Culturist," says of the Alberge : Yellow Alberge (Purple Alberge), size medium, roundish, suture distinct, passing half round ; skin yellow, with a deep purplish-red cheek ; flesh deep red at the stone, juicy, sweet, pleasant, of moderate flavor." Downing says it is an old French variety, and "of only second-rate flavor." In fact, none of the authorities give the Alberge a high rank.

The Purple Alberge, as grown here, ripens a week earlier than the variety sent from New Jersey as "Yellow Alberge; " it is very dark in color, almost black on the sunny side, and dull red on the other -

"those black peaches of yours" is often the phrase men use in ordering them. The shape, size, and other details agree well enough with the description given by Thomas, but in point of flavor it is certain that this peach, as grown here, outranks any other of its season. Elsewhere it often fails to come up to the expectations of its growers, and it is not a market peach, being so different in appearance from the leading sorts. We probably have in this matter a case of complete adaptation of the variety to its environment, and its possibilities are thus more fully developed than elsewhere. The highest-flavored, most fragrant and luscious peach in the orchard, among a hundred or more sorts, is usually acknowledged by every visitor to be the Purple Alberge. If there is any particular moral, it is to keep a good thing when you find out its value.

There was a peach " sport " on this farm a good many years ago, that promised to be of enormous market value. The history of its failure to be permanent is perhaps worth the telling. In the early fifties, when everyone in California was trying to raise some fruit trees, being inspired by the huge profits of the business, every peach-pit was planted out, and often considered the most valuable result of an investment of a dollar in a small, sour, Sacramento river peach. Sometimes these seedlings were budded, and sometimes not, but buds of good sorts were worth ten cents apiece, and were hard to obtain even at that price. So the first lot of peach seedlings on the old farm was for the most part left to grow up into trees. One of them was particularly worthless and was one of the first to be budded over. The kind chosen was a forgotten California variety, originating in Alameda, called "Myers' Rareripe " and historically of importance because it was undoubtedly the first step on this coast towards several famous early seedlings.

After the Myers peach had been bearing for several years, a bough well up in the tree showed late fruit. No one cared, and the branch was broken by the weight long before the peaches ripened. A few years later a bud from the stub had grown out, and again bore fruit - a late white-flesh - very late indeed, and soon found to be of surpassing excellence. It was then named "October White," and largely disseminated by nurserymen, and planted in orchards.

But not one of the descendants of the "October White" ever equalled the original tree for quality. The variety "ran out" almost immediately, ripened earlier and earlier, according as it was one or more removes from the parent stock, and had more and more of a "wild and woolly Western" aspect. In brief, it has "dropped out of sight," the old tree is dead, and the episode is forgotten by fruit-growers.

If there is any moral to this last incident, it is to the effect that nothing should ever be 'disseminated" by a grower until it has been tested so long that its characteristics are fixed beyond a doubt. One of the indirect advantages of a law which permits a man to have the pleasure of paying twenty-five dollars or so for an " exclusive right " to sell a new variety, is that it willmake him amazingly careful to ascertain that he has a new variety to sell, before he parts with his hard-earned ducats, and so avoid innocently duping his neighbors. Charles H. Shinn.

Alameda Co., California.

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