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l"anges it in his twelfth clafs of plants, entitled Icofan- 

 driii Monogyniai the flowers of this clafs have from 

 twenty to thirty ftamina fallened to the empalement, 

 and a fingle ftyle. 



The joining of fo many plants under the fame genus, 

 as Linna:u3 has done, renders it much more diffi- 

 culc to afcertain tlieir fpec'.fic difference, than when 

 they arc ranged under different genera •, and although 

 moil of them do agree in thofe parts from whence the 

 charaders according to his fyllern are taken, yet if 

 their fruits may be allowed as one of the charafteriftic 

 notes (which furely ought not to be totally omitted) 

 there will be reafon for feparating fome of them, 

 efpccially when we confider the boundary which na- 

 ture has let between them •, for it is well known that 

 all fruits which are of tlie lame genus, may be grafted 

 or budded upon each other ; but thofe of different 

 genera \viil not take upon each other, nor will any 

 two plants of different genera impregnate each other. 

 Now the Cherry^and Plum cannot by any art be made 

 ro take when grafted or budded upon Itocks of the 

 other kindi nor will the Apricot take upon the Cherry, 

 the Laurel, or Padus; but it will grow upon the 

 Plum to which it is nearly allied, therefore thcfe may 

 be joined together according to the ftricl rules of bo- 

 tany : yet in a work of this kind, defigned for the 

 inffru(5lion of the practical gardener, were thefe fruits 

 to be included under the jame appellation. It would 

 "rather confound than inftrud, thofe who had not ap- 

 plied thcmfelves to the ftudy of botany : therefore I 

 fhaii continue this genus under its former title, and 

 Ihall enumerate all the varieties of this fruit which 

 are at prefent cultivated in thcEnghfli gardens, rang- 

 ing them according to th.e orders of their ripening. 

 For although moft, if not all thofe which are by the 

 gardeners called different ibrts, may have been pro- 

 duced by culture, fo fhould be deemed as one ipecies; 

 yet as th.e differences may be continued for ever, by 

 the method in which they are propagated, fo it would 

 be unpardonable in a book of gardening to omit 

 them. 



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The fpcciftc title given by Linnasus to the Apricot is, 

 Prunus floribus fubfeffilibus fohis fubcordatis. Sp. 

 Plant. 474. i. c. Plu7n 'whofe floivers want foot-ftalks^ 



and heart-Jloaped leavt'S. 

 The Varif^ties are, 



1. The Mafculine Apricot. 



2. Th.e Orange Apricot. 



3. The Algicr Apricot. 



4. The Roman Apricot. 



5. The Turkey Apricot. 



6. The Breda Apricot, 



7. The Bruffels Apricot. 



The iVIafculine is the firit ripe of all the Apricots •, it 

 is a fmall roundifh fi'uit, of a red colour tov/ards tlae 

 fun y as it ripens, the colour fades to a greenifli yellow 

 on the other fide. It is chiefly preferved for being the 

 lirfl: ripe, and there is a quicknefs In the flavour of 

 the fruit when it is not too ripe, which renders it agree- 

 able ; the tree is very apt to be covered with flowers, 

 but as tlicy come -out early in the fpring, they are 

 frequently deftroyed by the cold, unlefs the trees arc 

 covered to protecl them. 



1'ht Orange is the next ripe Apricot; this fruit is 

 much larger than the former, and as it ripens changes 

 to a deep yellow colour. The flefli of tliis is dry and 

 not high flavoured, it is betfer for tarts than for the 



table. 



The Alnner is the next in feafon ; this is of an oval 



fliape, a little compreffed on the fides ; it turns to a 



pale yellow, oi* fl:ra\v-colour, when rlpcj the flcfli is 



high flavoured, and very full of juice. 



The Roman is the next ripe Apricot ; this is a larger 



fruit than the fornier, and not compreffed fo much 



on tlie fides; the colour is deeper, and the flefli is not 



fo moift as the former. 



'i'he Turkey Apricot is yet larger than either of the 



former, and of a globular figure ; the fruit turns to 



a deeper colour tlian the former; the S^Kifw is firmer, 



and drier than thofe of the tvro former. 



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The Brc(Ja Apricot '(as it is called from its beincr 

 brought from thence into England) was originally 

 brought from Africa: this is a large roundifli fruit, 

 changing to a deep yellov/ when ripe ; the flefli is fofr, 

 full of juice, and of a deep Orange colour within fidej 

 the Hone is rounder and larger than any of the other 

 forts : this is the befc Apricot we have, and when 

 ripened on a fl:andard, is preferable to all other 

 kinds. 



The Bruffels is the latefl: ripe of all the Apricots, fjr 

 when it is planted againft a wall, it is generally the 

 beginning of Auguft before it is ripe, unlefs wlicn it 

 is planted to a full fouth afpect; which is what ihiould 

 not be praftifed, becaufe the fruit is never v/ell tafted 

 which grows in a v/arm expofure. This fruit is of a 

 middhng fize, rather incUning to an oval figure; red 

 on the fide next the fun, with many dark ipots, and 

 of a greenifli yellow on the other fide ; tlie flefli is 

 firm, and of a \wj\\ flavour; the fruit often cracks 

 before it is ripe. This is commonly preferred to the 

 former fort by moft people, but when the other is 

 planted as a ftandard, the fruit is fuller of juice, and 

 cf a richer flavour than this. 



Moft people train thcfe trees up to flcms of fix or 

 feven feet high, or bud them upon ftocks of that 

 height ; but this is a praftice I would not recommend 



to the public, becaufe the higher the heads of thefe 

 trees are, the more they are expofed to the cutting 

 winds in the fpring, which too frequently dcftroy the 

 bloffoms; and the fruit is alfo more liable to be blown 



down in funimer, efpctially it there flaould happen 

 to be much wind at the time when the fruit is ripe \ 

 which by falling from a great height, will be bruifed 

 and fpoiled ; therefore I prefer half ftandards, of 

 about two and a half,* or three feet in the ftem, to 

 thofe which are much taller; or to plant them as 

 dwarfs againft an efpalier, where, if they are flcilfully 

 managed, they will produce a large quantity of good 

 fruit ; and the trees in efpalier may be more conve- 

 niently covered in the fpring, when the feafon proves 

 bad, whereby there will be a greater certainty of fruit 

 every year. 



Thefe fruits are all propagated by budding them on 

 Plum-ftocks, and will readily take upon almoft any 

 fort of Plum, provided the flock be free and thriving 

 (except the Bruffels kind, which is ufually budded on 

 a fort of ftock, ccmmorly called the St. Julian, 

 which better futts this tree, as being generally planted 

 for ftandards, than any other fort of Plum will.) The 

 manner of raifing the ftocks, and budding thefe trees, 



fliall be treated of under their particular articles, to 



which I refer the reader, and fliall proceed to their 



planting and management. 



Thefe trees are all (except the two laft forts) planted 



againft walls, and flioukl have an eaft or weft afpeft ; 



for if they are planted full fouth, the great heat caufes 



tliem to be meaUy before they are eatable. 



The borders near thefe walls fliould be fix or eight feet 



wide, at leaft, and if it vv*ere more, the better; but T 



would never advife the making of them fo deep as is 



the general cuft.om, for if th^e earth be two feet deep, 



or two and a half at moft", it is enough. 



If fhe ground Is a wet cold loam or clay, tlie borders 



fliould be raifed as much above the level of the fur- 



face as it will admit, laying fome ftones or rubbifli 

 in the bottom, to prevent the roots from running 

 downwards ; but if you plant upon a chalk or gravel, 

 it wfll be better to raifc the borders above either to a 



proper thicknefs, with good loamy earth, than to fink 

 the borders by removing the chalk or gravel ; for al- 

 though thefe are removed the whole breadth of the 

 border, v/hich we may allov/ to be eight feet, and 

 this trench filled w^ith (:i;ood earth, vet the roots of the 

 trees will in a few years extend this length, and tlien 

 meeting with the chalk or gravel, they will re- 

 ceive a check whereby th.eir leaves will fall off 

 early in the feafon, and the truit will be fmall, dry, 

 and ill-flavoured, and the flioots of tlie trees will be 

 weak,- But where the border,'^ are raifed upon either 

 to their full liciglit, the roat> v/111 not ftrike down 



into 



