ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



XVII. — Description of the Kaisha, a neio Syrian Apricot, 

 introduced by John Barker, Esq., of Suedia. By Robert 

 Thompson, Superintendent of the Orchard and Kitchen 

 Garden Department in the Society's Garden. 

 (Communicated August, 1848.) 

 Fruit of this was sent to the Society, July 21, 1848, by J. 

 Warmington, Esq., of Kensington, accompanied by the following 

 note: — "I take leave to send you a couple of Apricots from one 

 of Mr. Barker's Syrian trees, which has borne for the first time 

 this year, and carried twelve fruits to maturity — rather too many 

 for its size. I know not if it possesses any advantages over the 

 common sort, but it certainly is early. Some of the fruits were 

 ripe on the day of the late Chiswick Exhibition, 12th of July ; 

 and on the same wall where these ripened were Moorpark and 

 Turkey apricots perfectly green and hard." The tree was sent 

 to Mr. Warmington by John Barker, Esq., from his garden at 

 Betias, near Suedia, in the Pachalik of Aleppo, where he states 

 there exist thirteen varieties of Apricots with sweet kernels — 

 this is one of them ; and tlie sueet-kernelled apricot of Ispahan, 

 or " Shuker Para," described in vol. iii. p. 228, is another. 

 The fruit is roundish, five inches and a half in circumference, 

 rather deeply and acutely channeled on one side near the base, 

 the channel becoming less, till only like a shallow indented line 

 as it approaches the summit, where it terminates in a slight 

 depression formed round the base of the style. The fruit is 

 semitransparent. Skin sliglitly downy, pale citron-coloured 

 where shaded, tinged and marbled with red next the sun. 

 Flesh tender, juicy, of a clear citron-colour, parting freely 

 from the stone, sugary and delicious — like well-refined lump- 

 sugar combined with the Apricot flavour. Stone small, roundish ; 

 kernel siveet, like a nut. 



A valuable early variety for the dessert ; and probably excel- 

 lent for preserving; if it be employed for this pui-pose, the 

 transparency of its flesh will exhibit a new feature amongst 

 apricot preserves. By its clear citron-coloured flesh it may be 

 distinguished from tJie orange-fleshed varieties hitherto known in 

 this country, some of which have likewise sweet kernels, such as 

 the Breda, Musch-Musch, and Turkey. It is earlier than either 

 of these. 



