74 



JOmiNAIi OF HOETICULTtJBE AND COTTAGE GAEDEKEE. 



[ Anenst 1, 1S67. 



venerable Chasselas deFontainebleau either inbeanty or flavonr, 

 it was abundantly evident that bis was one of those special 

 organisations in which opposition to progress is a rule and a 

 principle. But this gentleman does not stand alone ; there 

 are many who have no sympathy with the experiences of others, 

 and refuse to recognise any truth except what falls within their 

 limited vision. It will take years before either orchard-houses 

 or ground vineries will become popular abroad, though well 

 salted to many districts. In England, however, we have 

 many evidences of their popularity, and of the increasing know- 

 ledge of those who work them. — T. Bkkhadt. 



APRICOT CULTURE. 



The Apricot succeeds in all soils where the wild Plum 

 (Primus insititia) flourishes, and the conclusion may be safely 

 acted upon, that where the Plum succeeds there the Apricot 

 •will also do so. It may also be accepted as an axiom, that in soils 

 where the Ehododendron is at home, the Apricot is a pining 

 stranger; and this does not apply to peat soils alone, in which 

 the Ehododendron spreads itself from self-sown seeds, but to 

 those strong clays where the Ehododendron is nearly if not 

 quite as much at home. The Apricot likes a good friable loam, 

 and such the soil may be from fine particles of sand, coarser 

 gravel, or pieces of chalk entering into its composition, and it 

 appears to me that it does not matter which. Strong clay soils 

 the tree does not thrive in, except those containing a large pro- 

 portion of marl, nor will it succeed in strong loams so well as 

 in those that are sandy and friable. 



The first requisite in the culture of the Apricot, as of all 

 fruits in our climate, is good drainage. The ground, therefore, 

 ought to be so draiued that no water shall remain stagnant 

 within 3 feet of the surface, and this ought to be most care- 

 fully attended to on what are known as deep loams, for in 

 these the roots soon penetrate deeply. In moist seasons the 

 trees grow rapidly, and from the great amount of evaporation 

 taking place by the foliage, the soil becomes dry, and the roots 

 are thus rendered altogether useless; the trees make a quan- 

 tity of wood, and canker results. Shallow soils are far superior 

 to those which are deep for Apricots, and, indeed, for all fruit 

 trees, for they are drier in winter, and warmer ; the trees are 

 not so liable to run to wood, and their roots may not only be 

 fed, but kept moist and near the surface by top-dressings of 

 rich compost. In soils of a rather sandy, friable nature it will 

 be sufficient to drain the border to a depth of 4 feet, and not 

 less than 3 feet, and to trench it to the latter depth, mixing 

 along with i! ■- the trenching a quantity of fresh turf (the 

 fuller of fibre tlie better), at the rate of a cartload to every ten 

 square yards of surface, and where the soil is adhesive a like 

 quantity of chalk broken small, gravel, or sharp sand, will be of 

 service in checking luxuriance, and promoting a sturdy growth. 

 In trenching, it the lower part is adhesive it should be turned 

 to the top, where, by the action of frost and air, and mixing 

 with friable compost, it miiy be rendered open. 



Where the soil is a strong clay, and the subsoil is wet, it is 

 well to make a new border. In that case all the soil should be 

 dug out, taking away all that is of a stiff, stubborn nature, but 

 retaining the more friable portion for mixing with the fresh 

 oompo^t. The soil ought to be taken out to a depth of 3 feet, 

 and the bottom should inclire from the wall at the back to the 

 front. At 3 feet from the front, and at 1 foot 6 inches from 

 the wnll, there should be drains along the border, and 1 foot 

 deeper than the bottom. No soil is to be placed over the drain 

 tilfs, but they and the buttom of the border should be covered 

 with brickbats or stones, as in making the foundation for a 

 walk. If the subsoil is strong and wet, it would be well to con- 

 crete the bottom, in whii;h case the excavation should be made 

 6 inches deeper, and that depth of lime riddlings or lime in the 

 proportion of one part, and two parts gravel, should be put on 

 soft, nijfl when the mixture hardens it must be beaten firm. 

 Xfpon this a drainage of l>rickbats. broken stones, &o., should be 

 placed to the depth of from 6 to 9 inches. The border may 

 then be filled 6 inches above its intended height, to allow 

 for settling, using for the purpose the top spit of a pasture 

 Wiere the soil is of a g.nirl loamy character, and sandy rather 

 tbati clayey. Bear in mind that the less soil and the more 

 tnrT taken the belter the bnrder will be, and to keep it open add 

 a'lbad of chalk in pieces from the size of a hen's egg down to 

 tifat iif a htizel nut to every six of soil, in case of the latter 

 'beiug deficient in CHlcareoUa matter, also the same quantity of 

 ehiYp saiid, yarj-ingtheSai'tigredientsaiiedtaihg'ld'the friability 



or adhesiveness of the loam. The border should be equal in 

 width to the height of the wall against which the trees are 

 planted. As a rule, the border may be 12 feet wide, and the 

 surface of the border ought to have a slope frcm the wall to the 

 front of not less than 1 foot, nor more than 2 feet. 



In sheltered spots in the south, the Apricot succeeds as a 

 standard, but the kinds are the Breda, and the Common or 

 Roman. The fruit, however, is in general small for the kind, 

 and the crop exceptional rather than certain. Mr. Eive'r.^? states 

 it may be calculated upon twice in seven years. Mr. Thomp- 

 son, in his " Gardener's Assistant," page 536, writes, " In the 

 south of England, some kinds of Apricots, such as the Breda, 

 and the Eoman or Common, bear well as standards, if the 

 springs are favourable, and although the fruit of such is not so 

 large as from trees on walls, yet it is more juicy, and of richer 

 flavour." I allude to this as conclusive of the uncertainty of the 

 bearing of standard Apricot trees in the open air, and as proving 

 that walls, as retainers of heat, are destructive of juiciness and 

 flavour. Might 1 ask in what way an orchard-house, whose 

 merits are the protection of the blossoms from frost, the throw- 

 ing oS heavy rains, and the retention of heat to the trees, can 

 give more juiciness and flavour than exist in fruit against a wall, 

 when the retention of heat by the last destroys these qualities '/ 

 As to the culture of Apricots as out-door standards, they have 

 proved with me only productive of blossoms, and fruit which 

 never ripens. 



Against an east or west wall the Apricot may succeed in the 

 south, and no doubt does in the warmer parts ; but in the east 

 and west of England it requires south-east or south-west aspects, 

 and in exposed situations, and for the whole of the north country, 

 a south aspect is needed for ripening the fruit well. In some 

 elevated and exposed localities the crop is not a certain one, 

 even upon a wall with a south aspect ; hence we find the trees 

 trained against flued or hot walls in some parts, but such are 

 now becoming obsolete, either from their inutility, or the cheap- 

 ness of glass, neither of which circumstances, however, is any 

 excuse for the trees not producing good crops. I have grown 

 Apricot trees on such walls successfully not one year but many ; 

 but I admit Apricots can be grown quite as well under glass. 



The best time to plant Apricot trees is the first moist weather 

 succeeding Michaelmas-day ; for, by planting early, young roots 

 are secured wherewith to make a good start in the following 

 year. Take up the tree carefully and remove it with as much 

 earth adhering to the roots as practicable. It is better to pay a 

 little more for this being done at the nursery, and if neatly 

 packed and the foliage covered with matting, the trees may 

 be safely transmitted by rail to any part of the island. 



In planting, the trees should be placed on the border, their 

 roots spread out at full length over the surface, and if they can 

 be covered with C inches of soil, and the stem be as deep in the 

 ground as it was before, that is the best way to plant Apricots ; 

 but if a greater depth of soil than 6 inches is required to cover 

 the stem to its former depth, take out soil, but not an inch 

 more than is absolutely necessary to plant the tree as deeply as 

 before, and yet on an elevation 6 inches higher than the rest of 

 the surface. In the ease of heavy, wet soils, it is well to e::- 

 tend the roots on the surface, and to place soil over them, 

 which will be equivalent to planting the trees on a cone. The 

 roots should not bo covered more than C inches, nor less than 

 3 inches deep. The soil used for planting may be three or four 

 barrowloads of rather light loam, the turf from a pasture cut 

 3 or 4 inches thick, and chopped up rather finely. 



After planting give a good watering, and sprinkle the foliage 

 with water through a rosed watering-pot. If the sky is clear a 

 mat should be placed over the trees for a day or two, and the 

 foliage sprinkled with water morning and evening for a week. 

 The leaves will soon fall, and the roots by that time will have 

 taken hold of the soil. The ground about the trees should now 

 be mulched with 3 inches of rather long stable or farmyard 

 manure, and then the trees are safe for the winter. 



There may be cases in which the trees cannot be planted 

 so early as the end of September, but planting chould be per- 

 formed as soon afterwards as possible, and not later than the 

 middle of November if the trees are expected to luuke a good 

 start in the fidlowing year, for after this time fre^h roots cannot 

 well be formed. Planting may be done any time between Sep- 

 tember and March, but planting later than the middle of No- 

 vember, though commonly practised, is unnatural, and less 

 successful. 



I may here state for the Information of those having unfruit- 

 ful, though not very old Apricot trees, that the best lime in the 

 yea* to HfrtBetai is the middle bf September, and for' three 



