PEACHES AND APRICOTS. 165 



an occasional specimen of fruit. From this it is 

 believed that the plum is an uncongenial stock for 

 the apricot. To add to this testimony, many of 

 these varieties budded at the ground surface on the 

 common wild plum stocks grow finely till an inch 

 or more in diameter when they broke off under the 

 strain of a moderate wind, as directly as though 

 cut off with a saw. It is surmised that the apricot 

 is condemned too soon, and more for the reason 

 that it is worked on an uncongenial stock than from 

 reason relating specially to the tree itself. From 

 the first its hardiness of tree has been apparent. In 

 this it is the equal of our ordinary apple list at least 

 such as Winesap, Ben Davis, Jonathan, etc. The 

 trouble seemed to be in tenderness of fruit buds 

 which killed usually at from 18 to 20 'below, 

 about the same as the peach. 



In the winter of 1891-2 there was a degree of 

 cold most uncommon here of 34 below. At the 

 time of the next thaw following this it was discov- 

 ered, greatly to the surprise of all, that the fruit 

 buds were very little injured, and some fine fruit 

 was grown the following summer. 



This effectually closed the argument of tender 

 fruit buds. 



There is upon the ground of this station one 

 seedling apricot eight years from the seed, that 

 bore about one bushel of fruit the past summer 

 (1893), after a hard, dry winter in which 28 below 

 was recorded. This tree is 15 feet high, has a 

 spread of 12 feet and a circumference of 22 inches. 



