FRUITS. CHAP. 



subject to mildew, and to the various blights to which 

 the peach and other fruit-trees are subject ; but it is sub- 

 ject to this blast, of which I have never heard a reason- 

 able cause assigned. The proper situation for the apricot- 

 tree is a wall facing the east or the west. Facing the 

 south is as good, perhaps, but that situation is wanted 

 for the peaches, the nectarines and the vines. The 

 apricot is a prodigious bearer, and of life equal to that of 

 an oak. It will bear, and bear prodigiously, too, after 

 the trunk is perfectly hollow, and there is nothing left of 

 it but the mere shell. It is well-known that the young 

 fruit, when of the size of a half-grown walnut, is used 

 for the making of tarts, and for other purposes ; and, 

 though, in my opinion, inferior to green gooseberries, is 

 more highly esteemed, because it is more rare. Whether 

 part of the fruit be gathered for ^this purpose or not, 

 courage should not be wanting to thin the fruit so as not 

 to leave it at aearer than six inches at the most from 

 each other upon the tree. A tree eight feet high, and 

 spreading seven feet from each side of the trunk, will 

 cover a space of a hundred and twelve square feet : the 

 fruit, at six inches apart, would be four apricots to a 

 foot, that is to say, four hundred and forty-eight apricots 

 upon the tree, or pretty nearly thirty-eight dozen. It is 

 not to be supposed, however, that the fruit would be dis- 

 tributed equally over every part of the tree 5 but, sup- 

 pose you have half the number, what prodigious quan- 

 tities must come from either of the end walls of the 

 garden ! There is no greater error than that of permit- 

 ting trees to bear too great a quantity of fruit. Gene- 

 rally speaking, you have the same weight in half 

 the number that you have in the whole number if too 



