RELATIONS OF APRICOT AND ALMOND 213 



secured in this way. In the upper San Joaquin Valley there are situa- 

 tions in which the apricot seems more productive on its own roots than 

 on the peach, and in the moister parts of the San Fernando and tribu- 

 tary valleys in southern California the apricot root has recently ad- 

 vanced in popularity. It is, however, rather more sensitive to soil- 

 drouth than the peach root. 



When it is desired to grow the apricot in moister and heavier soils 

 than have been described, or where a light soil is underlaid by a heavy, 

 retentive subsoil, recourse should be had to the plum root. Only a 

 non-suckering plum stock should be used. For this purpose the Myro- 

 balan has been considerably used. Some growers complain that the 

 root has a dwarfing effect on the tree, and object to its use. The 

 manner of securing Myrobalan stocks has been described in the chapter 

 on propagation. 



Apricot and Almond. The almond should as a rule be rejected 

 as a stock for the apricot. Hundreds have tried it, and found that the 

 scion never made a good union with the wood of the stock but was 

 knit to it only by the bark, and is, therefore, easily broken off by the 

 wind. It may grow well and sometimes gets to be two or three inches 

 in diameter before it breaks off, thus wasting much time for the 

 orchardist. Whole orchards worked in this way have been a loss and 

 disappointment. 



A few growers, however, approve the almond and use it with the 

 idea that it gives larger fruit. It has been claimed that the Royal 

 apricot will take well on the almond seedling by root grafting instead 

 of budding, using the side graft. Cut off the top of the stock about 

 four to six inches above ground, scrape away the dirt, bend the stock, 

 and, with a sharp, thin knife, cut into the root to the center, making 

 the cut perpendicular, so that the graft will be that way when in- 

 serted. The scion should be made wedge-shaped. After insertion, 

 draw the loose earth around it, and the work is done until the graft 

 has made a growth of eighteen to twenty-four inches. This is given 

 as a record of experience, but still caution is urged against the use 

 of the almond as a stock for the apricot. 



The apricot may also be made to hold on the almond by double 

 working, growing on the almond seedling first a shoot from a peach or 

 plum bud and then working an apricot bud higher up in the new shoot. 



In addition to the specifications of certain stocks for different soils, 

 it may be remarked, in a general way, that the apricot seems to thrive 

 better on a tolerably heavy soil, with enough sand to make it work 

 easily, than on a very light soil. It does well on soil rather too heavy 

 for the peach. It also enjoys moisture better and gives signs of dis- 

 tress unless its roots are fairly supplied all during the season, but it 

 dislikes standing water and should not be planted on undrained situa- 

 tions. 



PLANTING THE APRICOT 



The apricot becomes a large tree in California, as has already been 

 remarked, and it should be given plenty of room. Twenty-four feet 

 each way is certainly the minimum distance for so large and long- 

 lived tree, and some orchards have been planted at thirty feet. If 



