CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



like the peach root is a consideration with some planters. In grow- 

 ing stocks, pits of a strong-growing yellow peach are believed to 

 yield more uniform and thrifty seedlings. 



For deep, rich, well-drained, loamy soils, the apricot on its own 

 root makes a magnificent tree. Apricot roots for budding are easily 

 secured. The pits sprout as readily as corn. Sometimes, where 

 cutting and drying are done in the orchard, the ground the next 

 spring will be almost covered with a volunteer crop of seedling 

 apricots. These little plants, taken up and set out in nursery rows 

 in March, are ready for budding in June or July. Large numbers 

 of trees are sometimes secured in this way. In the upper San 

 Joaquin Valley there are situations 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 tributary valleys in Southern Cali- 

 fornia the apricot root has recently advanced in popularity. It is, 

 however, rather more sensitive to soil-drouth than the peach root. 

 Formerly in the Imperial Valley the apricot root was regarded as 

 less tolerant of alkali than the peach root, but recently in the San 

 Joaquin valley the reverse has been held. 



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 myrobalan 

 plum root. Some growers complain that this root has a dwarfing 

 effect on the tree, but recently its use has increased. It is, however, 

 not adapted to the lighter soils in which the peach root may thrive. 

 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 does not make a good union with the wood of the stock but 

 is 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. 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 in- 

 stead of budding, using the side graft as described in Chafter IX, 

 but still caution is urged against the use of the almond as a stock 

 for the apricot except by double working, growing on the almond 

 seedling first a shoot from a peach 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 on a 

 suitable root 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 distress unless its roots are fairly 

 supplied all during the season, but it dislikes standing water and 

 should not be planted on undrained situations. 



