THE KANSAS APRICOT. 101 



fall upon the sheet. One man wheels the device by wheelbarrow-like 

 handles under the tree, then drops the handles and jars the tree ; or 

 sometimes two men go with a machine, one wheeling it and the other 

 jarring the trees. This device is used extensively by practical fruit- 

 growers for catching the curculio on the various stone fruits. 



It is not yet certain what are the best stocks for apricots in the 

 East, in commercial orchards. It is probable that no one stock is 

 best under all circumstances. 



The apricot root itself seems to be impatient of our cold and wet 

 soils, which are drenched by the drainage of winter. It needs a very 

 deep and rich soil, but it is doubtful if it is safe for the East. The 

 common plum (not Myrobalan) is an excellent stock for plum soils, 

 and the apricot does well either nursery budded or top- worked upon 

 it. Peach is probably the commonest stock, and, for peach soils, it is 

 j)robably the best that can be used. If the apricot thrives upon 

 various stocks, it is thereby adapted to many soils. The apricot is 

 often trained on walls, where the fruit reaches the highest perfection. 

 Care should be taken that the wall does not face to the west or the 

 south, or the early forced flowers may be caught by frost. An over- 

 hanging cornice will aid greatly in protecting from frost. 



THE APRICOT IN CALIFORNIA. 



By Edwakd J, WiCKSON, 



The apricot is one of the leading commercial fruits of California. 

 It was introduced by the mission fathers, for Vancouver found it at 

 the Santa Clara mission in 1792. However, there is no relation be- 

 tween this early introduction and the expansion which quickly fol- 

 lowed the American occupation, because the mission fathers had 

 only seedling fruits, while the early American planters, shortly before 

 the gold discovery, introduced the best French and English varieties, 

 and were delighted to find that these sorts, usually given some pro- 

 tection in the old world, grew with surprising thrift of tree and size 

 of fruit in valley situations in California in the open air. Upon 

 these facts the apricot rose to wide popularity. The acreage has 

 steadily increased during the last fifty years, and with particularly 

 swift rate during the last twenty years, until the number of trees at 

 the present date (1899) is about three millions, occupying upwards 

 of 40,000 acres of land. This notable increase, and the present pros- 

 pect of much greater extension, is based upon the demand which has 

 arisen for the fruit in its fresh, canned, dried and crystallized forms 

 in all the regions of the United States, in England, and on the con- 

 tinent, where, by reason of its superior size and acceptable manner of 



