98 THE KANSAS APRICOT. 



ing, the eastern side should be especially avoided, as a hot morning 

 sun upon frosted buds would be nearly certain destruction. 



The liability to the attacks of the curculio, and the very common 

 destruction of the whole crop by this insect, have contributed to the 

 general conclusion that the apricot is not suited to our northern cli- 

 mate. Several cultivators, as far north as forty-three degrees of lati- 

 tude, by a systematic destruction of this insect, and by selecting a dry 

 subsoil, are said to obtain heavy crops of this delicious midsummer 

 fruit. More recently varieties from southern Russia have been intro- 

 duced, which, so far as hardiness and vigorous, thrifty growth are con- 

 cerned, appear to have advantages over the older kinds in cultivation. 

 But thus far, in producing satisfactory crops of fruit for market pur- 

 poses, apricots east of the Rocky mountains, neither North nor South, 

 have been very successful. By careful management, of which it is 

 surely worthy, sufficient for family use may be obtained wherever the 

 fruit will grow, but that apricots may be exj^ected to be about as pro- 

 ductive as the peach, as one eminent authority has recently stated, 

 unless indeed in a few favored localities, is hardly probable. 



Thomas describes twenty-nine varieties. 



APRICOTS. 



By L. H. Bailey, in " Cyclopedia of American Horticulture." 



The apricot is a fruit somewhat intermediate between the peach 

 and the jjlum. The tree is a round-headed, spreading grower, with 

 dark, somewhat peach-like bark, and very broad, or almost circular, 

 leaves. The fruit, which generally ripens in advance of both the 

 peach and i^lum, is peach-like in shape and color, with a smoother 

 skin, rich, yellow flesh, and large, flat, smooth stone. The flesh is 

 commonly less juicy than that of the peach, and, as a rule, perhaps, 

 of higher quality. The apricots are of three species, all probably 

 native of China or Japan. The common apricot of Europe and 

 America is Priutas americana ; fruit variable, but smooth at matu- 

 rity ; red or yellow ; the sweet and firm flesh free, or very nearly so, 

 from the large, smooth, flat stone; tree with a round, spreading top, 

 and a reddish, cherry-like or peach-like bark ; leaves ovate or round 

 ovate, with a short point and sometimes a heart-shaped base, thin 

 and bright green, smooth or very nearly so below, as are the gland- 

 bearing stalks ; the margins rather obtusely and mostly finely serrate ; 

 flowers pink white and borne singly, sessile or very nearly so, preced- 

 ing the leaves. 



The Russian apricot is a hardy but smaller-fruited race of the spe- 



