112 FRUIT GARDEN. 



China, may be noticed here rather On account of its affinity 

 to the peach and apricot, than because of its importance as 

 a fruit-tree in Britain. Every good garden should contain 

 a tree or two trained against a west or east wall, and also 

 a few standards ; for in very fine seasons the latter will 

 yield crops, and they are always ornamental in spring from 

 the beauty of their blossoms. The sorts most worthy of 

 notice are the Tender-shelled Sweet Almond, or Jordan, 

 and the Common Almond, or Bitter. 



The almond is generally budded on seedlings of its own 

 kind ; but for heavy soils plum-stocks are preferable. The 

 training and pruning of almond trees on walls are much 

 the same as in the peach or the apricot.* 



The ArRicoT (Prunus Armeniaca) is a native of the 

 Caucasus and China ; it was cultivated by the Romans, and 

 was introduced into England from Italy in the reign of 

 Henry VIII. It has always, and deservedly, been a 

 favorite. The principal varieties are : 



Red Masculine. — Flowers small ; fruit small, roundish, 

 yellow and red : flesh sweet and juicy ; stone impervious ; 

 kernel bitter. This is a very early sort, but the tree is 

 rather tender, and requires a good aspect. 



Breda. — Flowers large ; fruit roundish, sometimes almost 

 four-cornered, orange-colored ; juice rich, stone small, im- 

 pervious ; kernel sweet. The true Breda is an apricot of 

 first-rate excellence, and in the south of England the tree 

 bears well as a standard. 



Roman. — Flowers large; fruit oblong, compressed, pale 



* The Hard-shelled Almonds will succeed in the open air in any of the 

 Middle States, and the soft-shelled have been matured in Camden, Delaware. 

 Very good hard-shell almonds are produced in Virginia. The culture is 

 similar to that of the peach and apricot, and ought to be more generally at- 

 tended to in the Southern and some of the Middlo States. 



