132 .S'y.s'77":.V.177r' PoMOLOdY 



are iiulistingiiishal)lt' in the two Iruits; ])i'a('lies and nectarines 

 are a(lai)ted to the same soil and eliniatie conditions, and wher- 

 ever tlie peach is grown the nectarine may he raised. A draw- 

 back to the culture of the nectarine is tliat the smooth-skinned 

 fruits are more susceptible to fungous diseases and to the 

 curculio than ai'c the velvety-skinned i)caclics. The liistory of 

 the nectarine goes back over two thousand years and then merges 



into that of the peach. 



The Apricot 



In tree and fruit the apricot is an intermediate between the 

 peach and the plum. The relationship of the three fruits is so 

 close that they may be intergrafted readily, and the apricot 

 has been hybridized with both the peach and the plum. A 

 hybrid between the apricot and plum is called a plumcot; be- 

 tween the peach and apricot, peach-apricot. Evolution in the 

 fruit seems to progress from the smooth-skinned plum to the 

 slightly hairy apricot, a further development of which is the 

 velvety peach. 



187. The apricot distinguished from the plum and peach. — 

 The flowers of the apricot are solitary; those of the peach and 

 plum are two or more. The flowers of the apricot and plum 

 are white when fully out; of the peach, usually pink. The 

 blossoms of the apricot appear much earlier than those of either 

 peach or plum and the fruits ripen earlier. The stone is smooth 

 in most apricots like that of the plum but in a few kinds is 

 pitted much as in the peach. The dorsal suture of the stone is 

 soft and previous, a character not found in either peach or 

 plum. The fruit of the apricot is much like that of the peach 

 in shape and color but is less juicy and the flesh is yellower 

 and the flavor richer and sweeter. The leaves are broad, almost 

 circular, more or less cordate, smooth and shining, very different 

 from those of either peach or plum. The kernels of some apri- 

 cots are sweet, of others bitter; those of peach and plum are 

 usually bitter. 



188. Prunus Armeniaca, the common apricot, described. — 

 Three species of Prunus are known as apricots: P. Armeniaca, 

 the common apricot ; P. Mume, the Japanese apricot ; and P. 

 dasycarpa, the black apricot. The apricot-plum, P. Simomi, is 

 more closely allied to the plums and is classified with them. 



