184 HORTICULTURAL MANUAL. 



writer. The process is an injury to the quality, and 

 experience warrants the belief that they are not as health- 

 ful as properly dried commercial prunes with natural 

 color. 



184. Apricot. The apricot seems closely related to the 

 plum, as it buds and grafts readily and makes a good union 

 of wood on stocks of some of the plum species, especially 

 the Americana. But it also unites well with the wood of 

 the peach and the domestica plums, but it fails to unite 

 with the wood of the myrobalan stocks. In California it 

 is propagated mainly on apricot and peach- seed! ings by 

 budding seedlings of the same season's growth (74). 



It is one of the most beautiful of the stone fruits, with 

 handsome heart-shaped shining leaves and large white or 

 pinkish-white blossoms. The tree runs into variations as 

 to hardiness. Some good varieties, such as the Shense 

 and the best Kussian varieties, are. as hardy as most of the 

 domestica plums, but all varieties have the fault of blossom- 

 ing very early. Hence it can only be grown profitably 

 where there is little danger from spring frosts. 



In its ancient home in central Asia, it has run into 

 many varieties, varying, we are told, in season of blossom- 

 ing and ripening of the fruit. Edward Eegel gave it much 

 study in the far East, and says : ' ' The earliest apricots of 

 Tashkend ripen in May, and toward the upper Amudaria, 

 however, the apricots hang on the trees until August. 

 The beautiful and delicately flavored varieties of Badach- 

 shan before being dried are stoned and then pressed into 

 a long shape like dates/' 



It is more than probable that later blossoming hardy 

 varieties can be secured from north Turkestan and 

 Bokhara. Henry Lansdell, D. D. , in his interesting work 

 on central Asia says that at Samarkand he measured the 

 stem of an apricot-tree, loaded with large and beautiful 



