174 STONE FRUITS 



fifteen feet apart each way. They do well in any well- 

 drained, rich soil and will grow with less moisture than 

 most fruits. 



Apricots are largely raised in the South; and in Cali- 

 fornia there are apricot orchards many acres in extent. 

 The fruit is eaten fresh, and it may be dried or canned 

 for winter use. 



QUESTIONS 



1. What are the most important kinds of stone fruits? 



2. Where are the great peach-growing sections of the United 

 States ? 



3. What situations are best for peach trees ? 



4. How are peach trees propagated? 



5. What are nectarines ? 



6. Where is the great plum-growing section of the United 

 States ? 



7. What are prunes ? 



8. What states lead in the production of cherries ? 



PRACTICAL EXERCISES 



i. In the fall select good peach stones from healthy trees, 

 and keep them through the winter out-of-doors in a box of sand 

 so that the shells may be softened by freezing and thawing. In 

 the spring plant the seeds in a bed in the garden. The young 

 seedling trees will grow three or four feet high during the first 

 season. 



In August or September each seedling should be budded with 

 a bud taken from a tree of the variety you wish to propagate. 

 In the South, budding should be done a few weeks earlier. 

 Make a T-shaped cut in the bark of a seedling, and in the cut 

 insert a bud with a little shield of its own bark. Close the 



