AMYGDALACE^;. III. ARMENIACA. 



497 



" make choice of trees with one stem, or if they have two, one of 

 them should be cut off' ; for by planting those with two stems, the 

 middle of the tree is left naked, and, of course, one third of the 

 wall remains uncovered." 



Season of planting. Abercrombie says the best season is from 

 the fall of the leaf until February or March. Forsyth says the 

 best time is in August, when the leaf begins to fall. 



Final planting, The Breda and Brussels are occasionally 

 planted as standards or espaliers in warm situations ; and in these 

 states, in fine seasons, produce more highly flavoured fruit than 

 on walls. The other varieties are generally planted against 

 walls, which Miller and Forsyth say should have an east or 

 west aspect, for if they are planted full south, the heat causes 

 them to be mealy before they are eatable. The borders should 

 not be less than 6 or 8 feet wide, and 2 or Z\ feet deep. The 

 soil a light rich loam, perfectly dry below. Standard apricots, 

 according to Abercrombie, do not come into bearing under a 

 considerable number of years, sometimes 10 or 12; but then 

 the fruit, in a congenial situation, is abundant, and of the finest 

 flavour. The training of the plant to a trellis, almost touching 

 the south wall, will improve the flavour of the apricot, and 

 render it more succulent than if trained against the wall. 



Mode of bearing. The varieties of the apricot in general 

 bear upon the young shoots of last year, and casually upon 

 small spurs, rising on the two or three years' old fruit branches. 

 The Moorpark bears chiefly on last year's shoots, and on close 

 spurs formed on the two years' old wood. The bearing shoots 

 emit the blossom-buds immediately from the eyes along the 

 sides ; and the buds have a round and swelling appearance. 



Priming mall trees. The general culture of wall apricots 

 comprehends a summer and winter course of regulation by prun- 

 ing and training. 



Summer pruning. Begin the summer pruning in May, or 

 early in June, and continue it occasionally in July and August, 

 &c. This pruning is principally to regulate the young shoots 

 of the same year. In the first place take off close all the fore- 

 right shoots, and others that are ill-placed or irregular, or too 

 luxuriant in growth, taking care to retain a competent supply 

 of choice, well-placed, moderately growing side shoots, with a 

 good leader to each mother branch. Continue these mostly at 

 their full length all the summer, regularly trained in close to the 

 wall, to procure a sufficiency to choose from in the general 

 winter pruning for new bearers next year. If the summer re- 

 gulation commence early, while the shoots are quite young, and, 

 as it were, herbaceous, 1, 2, 3, or 4 inches long, those improper 

 to retain may be detached with the finger and thumb ; but 

 when of firmer growth they must be removed with the knife. 

 If any very strong shoot rise in any casually vacant part, it may 

 be topped in June, which will cause it to produce several la- 

 terals the same year of more moderate growth, eligible for train- 

 ing in to supply the vacancy. 



Thinning the fruit. Sometimes the fruit are much too nu- 

 merous, often growing in clusters, in which case thin them in May 

 and the beginning of June in their young green state, leaving the 

 most promising singly at 3 or 4 inches' distance, or from about 3 

 to 6 on the respective shoots, according to their strength. The 

 apricots so thinned off, and the first principal green crop are 

 esteemed very fine for tarts. 



Winter pruning. This may be performed either at the fall 

 of the leaf, or in mild intervals from that time until the begin- 

 ning of March. When it is deferred until the buds begin to 

 swell, the promising shoots can be the better distinguished. It 

 comprehends a general regulation, both of the last year's shoots 

 and the older branches. A general supply of the most regular 

 placed young shoots must be every where retained for succes- 

 sional bearers the ensuing year. Cut out some of the most 



VOL. II. 



naked part of the two last years' bearers, and naked old branches 

 not furnished with competent supplies of young wood or with 

 fruit-spurs, either to their origin, or to some well-directed la- 

 teral, as most expedient, to make room for training a general 

 supply of the new bearers retained, and cut away all the decayed 

 wood and old stumps. Generally observe in this pruning to retain 

 one leading shoot at the end of each branch, either a naturally- 

 placed terminal, or one formed by cutting, where a vacuity is to be 

 furnished with a proper leader. Let the shoots retained for bearers 

 be moderately shortened ; strong shoots reduced in the least 

 proportion, cutting off one-fourth or less of their length ; from 

 weak shoots take away the third, and sometimes half. This 

 shortening will conduce to the production of a competency of 

 lateral shoots the ensuing summer from the lower and middle 

 placed eyes ; whereas without it, the new shoots would proceed 

 mostly from the top, and leave the under part of the mother 

 branches naked, and the lower and middle part of the tree 

 unfurnished with proper supplies of bearing wood. Never 

 prune below all the blossom-buds, except to provide wood, in 

 which case, cut nearer to the origin of the branch, as in these 

 trees, small fruit-spurs, an inch or two long, often appear on 

 some of the two or three years' branches, furnished with blossom- 

 buds ; these spurs should generally be retained for bearing ; but 

 when any project foreright from the wall, cut them in accord- 

 ingly, for the spurs projecting above 3 inches, though they may 

 set their fruit, seldom ripen it, unless the season and situation 

 are both favorable. The thick clusters of spurs, which are apt 

 to form on aged trees, ought also to be thinned. As each tree 

 is pruned, nail it, laying in the branches and shoots from 3 to 

 6 inches' distance, straight, and close to the wall. 



Pruning espaliers. As directed for wall trees. 



Pruning standards. Half standards will require only occa- 

 sional pruning, to regulate any branches which are too numerous, 

 too extended, or cross placed, and to remove any casually un- 

 fruitful parts, and dead wood. At the same time the regular 

 branches forming the head of the tree should not be generally 

 shortened, but permitted to advance in free growth. Aber- 

 crombie. 



Training the apricot tree. This is generally done in the fan 

 manner, which is the method of training not only for the apricot, 

 but for wall trees generally. Forsyth recommends a mode be- 

 tween the fan and horizontal manner. 



Renovating old decaying trees. Forsyth had the greatest suc- 

 cess in this department of fruit tree culture, by cutting down to 

 within a footer 18 inches, or more occasionally, of the ground, 

 and then renewing the soil of the border. 



Gathering. The apricot is apt to become mealy if left on 

 the tree till over ripe. It should be gathered with the peach- 

 gatherer while moderately firm. 



Insects, diseases, fyc. As the fruit ripens early, it is very 

 liable to be attacked by wasps and large flies, which should be 

 kept off by a net, stretched a foot or more apart from the wall 

 or trellis. The other insects, and the diseases of the tree are 

 the same as in the peach tree ; but it is not nearly so obnoxious 

 to their attacks, probably owing to the comparatively hard na- 

 ture of its bark and wood, and coriaceous leaves. 



Forcing the apricot. The apricot does not force well ; but a 

 few are sometimes tried in pots, and placed in a peach-house 

 and forced in the same manner as peaches and nectarines, see 

 p. 492. 



Common Apricot. Fl. Feb. Mar. Clt. 1548. Tr. 10 to 15 ft. 



2 A. DASYCA'RPA (Pers. ench. 2. p. 36.) leaves ovate, acumin- 

 ated, serrated ; petioles glandular ; flowers pedicellate ; pedicels 

 filiform. Jj . H. Native country unknown. A. atropurpurea, Lois, 

 in Duham. edit. nov. 5. p. 172. t. 15. f. 1. Priinus dasycarpa, 

 Ehrh. bietr. 6. p. 90. Lodd. bot. cab. 1250. Lindl. bot. reg. 1243. 

 38 



