6 4 THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



ROUTINE OPERATIONS. 



Protecting Blossom. Apricot blossoms, from their early production, are frequently 

 damaged or destroyed. In mild winters they unfold in February, and the foliage is 

 not produced until a later period to afford shelter. Damp is almost as inimical to a 

 good set of fruit as is prevailing frost. A slight frost will not prove injurious, par- 

 ticularly if the blossom is dry, but a continuance of cold and wet does mischief that 

 might have been prevented had due regard been paid to the protection of the blossom ; 

 at the same time harm may result from covering trees during mild weather, for it 

 renders the blossoms more liable to injury from frost in those periods of cold which very 

 often follow. Protection is only required against frost, and to be efficient it must be 

 adequate. 



Apricot blossoms against cottages, farmhouses, and similar buildings are often 

 uninjured by a severe frost, whilst those on trees trained on garden walls are so damaged 

 that the crop is poor. In trees against a building the dew does not fall on the blossoms 

 to the same extent as in the case of a garden wall, because the overhanging roof of the 

 building affords shelter. In addition to that, the walls of buildings, from the air they 

 enclose, are warmer and drier than garden walls, and, small as the difference may seem, 

 it often leads to important results. 



Covering apricot trees too early is highly inimical to the blossoms. Therefore 

 protection should be deferred as long as possible. When the blossoms are so far 

 expanded as to show their white petals, then the protection ought to be applied whenever 

 there is a likelihood of a frosty night. The protection should remain over the trees by 

 day when the weather is cold, wet, and frosty ; but on fine days it should be removed 

 by 8 A.M., and not replaced at night unless there is a prospect of frost, and not sooner 

 than half-past five o'clock. The protection should be continued until the trees are 

 plentifully furnished with leaves, for the young fruit is as liable to injury from frost 

 as the blossom is, if not more so. The fruit is not safe until spring frosts are over, and 

 though it would be most injurious to employ protection when the nights are not frosty, 

 neglecting to afford it when they are may result in the fruit falling when the size of 

 horse-beans or larger. The protecting material should, therefore, be in readiness in case 

 of an emergency. An hour's extra attention on a cold night may save a good crop of 

 fruit from destruction. 



Disbudding. As the apricot produces its fruit upon spurs and on the wood of the 

 preceding year, shoots ought to be trained in between all the principal and extending 



