136 CHERRY APRICOT. PEACH. ALMOND. 



drupe, slightly furrowed on one side, containing a nut enclosing 

 one or two oleaginous seeds. The domestic plum Prunus 

 domestica is a hardy tree of middle size, which accommodates 

 itself to all kinds of soil ; when left to itself it grows straight 

 and pyramidal, but from trimming forms a rounded top ; the 

 leaves are oval, smooth above and slightly pubescent below; its 

 flowers are white; and its fruit, the colour and form of which 

 varies, has a smooth skin, without down, and more or less 

 covered by a very fine powder, called flour. Nearly all the 

 species of plums may be dried in the sun or in an oven and con- 

 verted into prunes. 



110. The common clierry Prunus cera'sus is analo- 

 gous to the plum; it appears to be originally from Asia, and 

 Pliny informs us that in the year of Rome 880, Lucullus, after 

 his victory over Mithridates, introduced it into Italy. This tree 

 delights in temperate climates, and yields abundance of excellent 

 fruit. 



111. The apricot Prunus armeni'aca appears to be origin- 

 ally from Armenia; every one knows the fruit of this tree, and 

 the form of its stone or nut. The peach Amy'gdalus persica 

 (of which the nectarin is a variety) and the almond Amy 'g. 

 dalis communis and Amy'gdalus ama'ra belong to the same 

 genus, but differ from the apricot in the nut, the surface, of which, 

 instead of being smooth, is irregularly and deeply furrowed. 

 The peach is originally from Persia, and does not prosper except 

 in localities where it is exposed to the influence of the sun ; when 

 carefully trimmed it may live forty years. The almond is a tree 

 of twenty-five to thirty feet high ; its trunk is rugged, and cover- 

 ed with an ash-coloured bark ; the leaves are straight, pointed 

 and dentate; the flower is white, and expands before the leaves 

 are developed ; the fruit is ovoid, elongated, a little fleshy, and 

 of a green colour ; and the bony case which envelopes the 

 almond kernel is sometimes thin and pliable, and at others, thick 

 and very hard. There are two principal varieties; one called 

 the bitter, and the other the sweet almond ; both contain a good 

 deal of oil, and yield, when rubbed up in water, an emulsion 

 called almond milk, which forms the basis of orgeat. Bitter 

 almonds also contain, in very small quantity, a very volatile sub- 

 stance, called hydrocy'anic or prussic acid, which is a most vio- 

 lent poison. 



112. The strawberry Fraga'ria vesca is an herbaceous 



1 1 0. Where is the cherry tree from, originally ? 



111. What are the characters of the almond tree ? What is orgeat ? 



112. What are the characters of the strawberry 1 



