HORTICULTURE. 421 



The 3 species of apricots in ciiltivatiou are the purple [Priiiius da.si/- 

 carjya), tlie Chinese or Japanese (/'. muDic), and the common and Hiis- 

 sian apricots (7*. armenhiva). The purple apricot is considered of little 

 merit and is a round, plum-like dark red fruit, stalked and fuzzj-, with 

 soft, subacid flesh, clinging- tigiitly to the pit. The Chinese or Japan- 

 ese apricot is also of little value, with small, hard clingstone fruits, but 

 possessing fragrant floAvers that are often double and ornamental. 

 The Russian apricots are smaller and poorer than the ordinary stand- 

 ard sorts. Several varieties of apricots are described and figured, and 

 the following are recommended for planting: Smith Karly, Hnrris, 

 Early Moorpark, St. Ambroise, Turkish (probably Roman), Montgamet, 

 Royal, and Moorpark. 



The native dwarf cherries, L. H. Bailey {Neic York CorneJl iSta. 

 Bui. 7U,2)p. L^'',!)-2(i:''),Ji(iH. Tj). — This bulletin comprises the results of 

 investigations upon dwarf or sand cherries made subsequent to the 

 issuing of Bulletin o8 of the station (E. S. R., 4, p. 105). They were 

 studied with a view to utilizing them for the redemptiou of sandy tracts 

 wh^ere it is thought their growth will tend to hold the saud and check 

 its drifting, and for the improvement of other waste lands. Illustrated 

 descriptive notes are given on the sand cherry [PrunKs pnniild)^ the 

 western dwarf cherry [P. hcsseyi), and the I'tah hybrid cherry (P. bes- 

 seyi X P. watsoni). They are low-spreading shrubs, rarely more than 

 4 or 5 ft. high, and bearing thick clusters of small, dark fruit of vary- 

 ing flavor and (piality, ripening in July and August. Several of the 

 wild plants bear fruit that is edible, with Juicy, aromatic though some- 

 what astringent pulp, and showing a tendency to improve upon culti- 

 vatiou. Crosses of the dwarf cherries with some of the native plums 

 are giving iiromising results. 



P. 2)umila, the con)mon sand cherry, is found more abundantly in the 

 region of the (Ireat Lakes and along rivers and lakes in the Northeast- 

 ern States. The fruit is about ^ in. in diameter and usually nearly 

 black, and sour. P. besseyi, which is described as a new species, grows 

 on the plains beyond the Mississippi and on the mountains of Colorado 

 and Utah. Its fruit is nearly twice the size of that of the last, with 

 flavor usually aromatic l)ut sometimes inclined to be bitter or astrin- 

 gent. It is believed to be worthy of efforts toward its improvement. 

 The Utah hybrid chcviy is found in Nebraska and westward and pos- 

 sesses a dark brown fruit of about the size of the last, and juicy but of 

 lX)or quality, with a bitter skin. 



Propagating cherries, J. Craki {Canada U.rptL Farms B])t. 1893, 

 jj}). 117, llti). — Scions of a number of varieties of Morello cherries were 

 grafted on some of the common commercial stocks. Those root grafted 

 gave very poor results, l)nt the crown grafts were correspondingly suc- 

 cessful. The bird cherry {Pr^onifi ])ennsylvanica) was used as a stock 

 for budding, but on account of th*^ large amount of sap in the stock 

 the buds did not unite well. 

 10104— No. 5 G 



