Historic, archived document

Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.

Fall of 1893, Spring of 1894,

The Grosbey or Frost-Proot Peach.

OW Ss) YER NURSERIES,

Concordville, Penna.

CROSBEY PRICES. One-Year Trees:

Each Doz. 100 AA moze eh, shea acdsee eae fan.) he ae pee OOS EO! 00 850 300

Ora he AS UOCIEYy elt ON RE Rad. Uh She ae ng 700 35 00

The Famous Frost-Proof Peach.

CROSBEY.—This iron-clad peach originated at Billerica, Mass., about 1875, and a few trees’ were distributed through northern Massachusetts and New Hampshire, after which the originator died, and propagation and distribution were discontinued. However, the constant bearing of these trees for ten years, often when all others have failed, has brought the hardiness and value of this _ variety to public attention, and the demand for trees has become enormous from those who know it best.

The tree is of the low, spreading, willowy habit of growth, similar to Hill’s Chile, Wager, and others of that class of hardy peaches; however, it is even more dwarf than these, and often the entire product of a tree, two bushels, or even more, can be picked by a man standing on the ground. The fruit is of medium size, roundish in form, slightly flattened, with a distinct seam on the blossom end; bright orange yellow, splashed with streaks of carmine on the sunny side; of beautiful appearance, and not so acid as most yellow peaches of the Crawford class. It ripens between Early and Late Crawford, or about with Old Mixon ; a good family peach at all times,and, on account of its beautiful color, will command a ready sale alongside of the best standard sorts, in a season of

Crosbey peach is of bright yellow, medium size, fine quality, freestone, with small pit, an enormous bearer, and fruits every year because its fruit buds are more hardy than those of most other varieties; it is almost an iron= clad. Plant CROSBEY, and be sure of peaches every year.

fry 4

s ‘ x If, fief 3 LS {. Co ra on es; Ps af LA i oh ‘; ye $ e. : adi Gt Rfif Gt “ed LP

rN

2 ~ “TP. W. StyverR NURSERIES. ;

abundance. However, when it is considered that z¢s fruzt buds are so hardy as to withstand the frosts of winter and spring that often kill all other good varieties, its special value is apparent. A fine yellow peach to supply the market when there are no others.

The following careful pomological description of this peach is given by Mr. W. A. Taylor, Assistant Pomologist of U. S. Department of Agriculture:

‘*The fruit is of medium size, round, oblate, sometimes compressed, and tapering toward the apex. The suture is distinctly marked, though not very deep, except at the apex, beyond which it extends about half aninch. The tip is small, not protruding outside of the suture. In color itis a bright yellow, beautifully splashed and distinctly striped with bright crimson, in this respect resembling Columbia; skin moderately thick and covered with short down. The flesh is light yellow, red at the stone, from which it is free; in texture it is firm, moder- ately juicy ; in flavor a mild subacid; quality good. The leaves are of medium size, dark green, with senulate margin, and prominent, reniform glands.”

The season of 1890 was one of almost total failure of peaches all over the country, yet Crosbey trees in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire were loaded with fruit, and the product sold in Boston and local markets at $2.50 and $3 per half bushel basket; $5 to $6 per bushel, wholesale; and it was much the same in 1886, when Crosbey was the only variety uninjured by the frosts of winter. The winter and early spring of 1890 killed nearly all peach buds east of the Rocky Mountains, yet Prof. Maynard, at the Massachusetts Experiment Station, reported in April, 1890, ‘‘ Ninety-two per cent. of Crosbey buds alive ;”’ and wherever growing in ‘‘cold, bleak, New England,’’ Crosbey gave a full crop of

fruit in 1890, when there was a total failure of all the old standard varieties in

the favored regions of New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.

It surely is what the New England Homestead calls a ‘* Frost-Proof Peach.”’

At the 1890, 1891 and 1892 exhibitions of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society the Crosbey was awarded premiums, and well-informed horticulturists know that this society does not give prizes at random. Crosbey was also awarded first premium at Fitchburg, Mass., fair, September 22, 1891, and at the meeting of the American Pomological Society in Washington, D. C., the same week; the special fruit committee, in their report, said of the Crosbey, ‘‘a very fine looking peach of fine quality, and said to be a great bearer.”

Samples of the Crosbey were sent to the office of Zhe Country Gentleman, at Albany, New York, and that paper, on September 24, 1891, said: ‘‘ The peaches reached us in excellent order, and answer well the description given above; indeed, they are among the best in quality and appearance of northern-grown peaches we have seen this season.”

The New England Homestead of October 3, 1891, said: ‘* The samples of this fruit (Crosbey peach) received by Zhe Homestead, September 23, were of medium size and exceedingly rich in color. The flesh was firm, of exquisite quality and melting flavor, and proved a perfect freestone.”’

At the Agricultural Fair, at Duxbridge, Mass., October 1, 1891, the Crosbey was awarded first premium. Committee write, Crosbey is the best flavored peach they ever tasted.

it is not what a tree costs, but what it will return, that should decide the matter, if we are after profit.

T. W. Strver NuRSERIES. 3

ee Professor S. T. Maynard, Horticulturist of the Massachusetts Experiment ‘Station, says : ‘*The epee peach was brought to my attention many years ago, and from the new buds sent me trees were grown, part of which were sent bs New Hampshire, some planted in North Hadley and others on the college grounds, before we knew its full value. The remarkable thing about the peach is that it has borne fruit for three or four seasons when all other varieties have failed. It is a yellow-fleshed variety, of medium size and of good quality. If it continues to fruit as it has done in the past it will be one of our profitable varie- ties. The Wager and Crosbey are somewhat alike, both in tree and fruit, but the Wager did not bear last season or ses year before (the buds were all killed), while those of Crosbey gave a full crop.’

Mr. David Baird, an old and experienced peseh grower of New Jersey, writes: **7] was pleased with the Crosbey peach as I saw it on the tables at the American Pomological meeting in Washington D. C., and, judging from its appearance as I saw it on the plates (with what is said of its iron-clad proclivities, fruiting when and where all other varieties fail), would regard it as a valuable late market sort.”

Mr. Charles Wright, one of the most progressive peach cultivators of Dela- 'ware, writes: ‘‘I saw the Crosbey peach at the recent meeting of the American Pomological Society, held at Washington, D. C., and being one of the committee to examine and report on peaches, I had ample upportunity to test its merits as avariety. Itis of fair size, similar in size, quality and appearance to St. John; a perfect freestone of delicious flavor, and, if, as you say, hardy in fruit bud, it certainly leaves little else to be desired. While it is not so large as Crawford or Old Mixon, if it will bear a crop when these varieties fail, it will certainly be more profitable to the peach grower. This seems to me to be just what we are all looking for, a peach with a hardy fruit bud that will stand frost and cold and produce a crop, and you have my best wishes for success in Dimes so valuable a peach before the public.”

The Massachusetts Ploughman of October 3, 1891, says: ‘*We have just received some beautiful specimens of the Crosbey peach. They are of very attractive appearance, yellow, with a red side next the sun, and with red spots. The flesh is yellow, with a red pit; the flavor ts simply delicious.”

Mr. A. N. Brown, a life-long peach grower of Delaware, and special census agent of the government to investigate the great peach industry, under date of Wyoming, Del., October 12, 1891, writes: ‘‘It was my pleasure to see the new

-Crosbey peach at the meeting of the American Pomological Society, recently held at Washington, D. C., and was very much pleased with its appearance. It has a beautiful color, which is one of the strong points in a peach, in order to have a

“market value; of excellent flavor; a perfect freestone. All these favorable qualities, together with its time of ripening and most wonderful hardiness, make it-an extremely valuable acquisition to our list of profitable peaches. I shall certainly want trees for planting next spring, and think our growers here will be anxious to get hold of it, as it possesses the characteristics in a peach they are looking for.”’ Rew. D: Hinds, writing to Zhe New England Homestead, of Sensei Mass.,

‘By some secret power of its own the tree of this variety (Crosbey) main- tains through severe frost the vitality of its fruit buds.

4 T. W. StrverR NuRSERIES:

says: ‘‘The Crosbey peach is proving to be remarkably hardy and prolific. It has borne full crops for the past five years here, very near the New Hampshire line, also in Greenville and Goffstown, N. H. It has stood twelve degrees below zero, and borne immense crops, while all other kinds were killed in the same orchard. One orchard of one hundred trees was set seven years last spring of, Stumps, Crawfords, and twenty-five Crosbeys. The Crosbeys have given four full crops, the Crawfords have given none until this year, and the Stumps gave only two crops in the same time. The fruit is roundish in form, slightly flattened, with a distinct seam across the blossom end. The color is bright yellow, with a red cheek, freestone, yellow flesh, sweet, juicy and rich. In fact, it combines more good points than any other peach ever known here. This variety will revolutionize peach growing in New England, when it becomes known to fruit growers.”

W. P. Corsa, an old nurseryman and peach grower of Delaware, but now connected with the Pomological Division of U. S. Department of Agriculture, writes us under date of Washington, D. C., October 15, 1891: ‘‘I was much interested in the examination of the Crosbey peach, of which variety specimens were on exhibition at the recent meeting of the American Pomological Society. A fruit of medium size, in season before late Crawford, it presents a strikingly bright yellow surface, splashed and distinctly striped with bright crimson; its skin and texture of flesh are firm enough to insure good carriage; its light yellow, firm flesh (red at the stone) becomes melting and juicy at maturity; its short, plump seed is entirely free; in flavor it is mild subacid, and in quality good. I am pleased to learn that, by some secret power of its own, the tree of this variety maintains through severe frost the vitality of its fruit buds. On the lines of hardiness of buds and of later spring blooming seem to lie the future peach for profit.’’

For season 1892, Crosbey sustained its former reputation in every way, pro- ducing its tenth successive crop in Massachusetts and New Hampshire—full crops of superior fruit on all trees old enough to fruit. In one three-year-old orchard of 5,000 trees, Mountain Rose, Old Mixon, Stump and Crosbey, it was” the only variety to produce a crop of fruit. The quality proves to be even better than we had supposed, and it is genernlly agreed to be the best flavored yellow peach grown, and so pronounced by expert judges at half a dozen fairs where it was exhibited this last fall.

On January 24, at the annual meeting of the Connecticut State Pomological Society, Prof. Taylor, Assistant United States Pomologist, said he was at the Chicago meeting of the American Horticultural Society, helped tosample the Crosbey there, found all samples sound and in good condition; bright color, small pit, and superior quality; thought it belonged to a new type of eee that were to be of great value where many others would fail.

Peaches of one’s own growing are delicious at any time, but especially so when none are to be bought in market. Therefore, it is well to note that the

Crosbey peach has a record of producing full crops, generally, when other |

varieties fail. The reason for this was, as stated in the ‘‘New England Homestead,’’ the Crosbey is a Frost-Proof Peach.

| |

: ro Are ¢ P i iTnt o. wal r wf Fit eg: a | f i oY ' » is a 4" ery er

3 7 ae ‘a bas (aie teen YU aed,