114 FRUIT GARDEN. 



The training and pruning of almond-trees on walls are 

 much the same as in the peach or the apricot.* 



The Apricot {Primus 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, round- 

 ish, yellow and red; flesh sweet, and juicy; stone im- 

 pervious ; 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, impervious ; 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 yellow ; flesh soft ; stone impervious ; kernel very 

 bitter. The tree is a good bearer, but the fruit is fit 

 only for preserving. It is sometimes called the Brus- 

 sels — a name also occasionally given to the preceding. 



Moorpark. — Flowers large ; fruit roundish, compress- 

 ed, orange and red ; flesh parting from the stone, juicy 

 and rich; stone pervious; kernel bitter. This is gene- 

 rally considened the best apricot in this country. There 

 are several sub-varieties known under different names.; 



■* the, Hard-shelled Ahiionds 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 pro- 

 duced in A^irginia. The culture is similar to that of the peach 

 and apricot, and ought to be more generally attended to in the 

 Southern and some of the Middle States. 



