VARIETIES OF APRICOTS 



315 



Tree vigorous, upright, hardy, productive. Leaves glandular. Fruit 

 very early; small, oval, flattened; suture deep; halves unequal; skin golden- 

 yellow, tinged with red on exposed sides ; flesh bright orange, coarse, stringy, 

 juicy, firm, sweet, peach-like in flavor; good; stone cling or half -cling, 

 rather large. 



487. Smyrna is grown on the grounds of the Experiment 

 Station, Davis, California. The following description of the 

 fruit is sent by Lloyd Austin, a specialist in apricots: 



Fruit midseason; large, round-oval^ slightly conical, sides compressed; 

 cavity shallow; suture medium to deep; color yellow; flesh pale yellow; 

 flavor distinctive and very pleasing; stone free, medium in size, oval, 

 plump; kernel sweet. 



488. Luizet (Fig. 137) is an old French 

 sort little grown in America, but offered by 

 several American nurserymen. Wickson stated 

 that it was approved in the upper San Joa- 

 quin Valley, California. 



Fruit early; very large, round-ovate, sides a little 

 compressed toward the apex; suture prominent, divid- Fig. 137. Luizet. 

 ing a swollen ridge; halves of the fruit unequal; cav- 

 ity broad, deep; color a deep rich yellow with a crimson blush and dots of 

 crimson; flesh deep yellow, firm, juicy, aromatic, sweet, rich; very good in 

 quality; stone large, round-ovate, free, rough, variable in thickness; kernel 

 bitter. 



489. Early Moorpark (Fig. 138) is one of the standard early 

 apricots East and West, and is very popular with the apricot- 

 growers in southern California. The fruits 

 resemble those of Moorpark, best known of all 

 apricots, in shape, color, and quality, but are 

 smaller and appear three weeks earlier; they 

 are choicely good in quality but are a little 

 too small for the market. The trees are very 

 productive, but are tender to cold, and the 

 crop ripens unevenly in some situations. This 

 is a good variety to try in the East because 



of extreme earliness. Early Moorpark is an old English va- 

 riety. 



Tree vigorous, hardy, healthy, productive, with strong luxuriant shoots. 

 Fruit very early; small, round-oval, with a well-marked or deep suture ex- 



FiG. 138. Early 

 Moorpark. 



