A MANUAL OF BOTANY 63 



11. Flowers of the Prune Family or Subfamilv — 



Plums, Peaches, Apricots, and Cherries 



(Stone Fruits) 



The trees. Which of these trees liave you seen ,!:^rowing ? 

 How can you tell the fruits from each other ? AVhat two 

 main forms of inflorescence have cherries ? When with 

 reference to the leaf appearance do cherries and i)luins 

 bloom ? What general name is applied to these fruits ? 

 What kinds are wild in the United States and in your own 

 vicinity ? 



Flowers. Examine the flowers in the same manner that 

 you did the apple. How do these flowers differ from apple 

 flowers and also from other flowers of the Rose family ? 

 (They are commonly grouped, along with apples, etc., in 

 that family.) ^lake drawings as in the last exercise. 



Characterize the family by comparison with the charac- 

 teristics of the Kose and the Pear families. 



Uses. What uses have these trees and shrubs ? Why 

 are peach and cherry pits unwholesome ? How are cherries 

 regarded by the Japanese ? How does an almond differ 

 from a peach ? Make a list of all the fruits furnished by 

 this family which are useful to man. What are prunes ? 

 What are prunelles ? Discover the use of the wood of the 

 different kinds. 



AVhat has ]\[r. Burbank done to improve the fruits of this 

 family ? 



Where are the peach, prune, apricot, and cherry growing 

 centers in the United States ? 



Which require more room, cherry or apple trees ? 



Diseases. Apples, and in fact all the fruits named in this 

 lesson and the last, are subject to many insect and fungous 

 diseases. What damage is caused ? What means are suc- 

 cessful in preventing these troubles ? AVhat are some of 

 the principles of " sprayin;j; " ? Why ought spraying 



