134 I'he Canadian Horticulturist. 



LETTERS FROM RUSSIA IX. 



URIUCK APRICOT. 



X the Russian provinces of Central Asia, Bucharia, Chive, Turkes- 

 tan, and even as far as the boundary line of China, is met, both in 

 J^ the wild and the cultivated state, a variety of apricot, known 

 locally as Uriuck. As I am better acquainted with the Semire- 

 chenskaja district, with its principal town Vjerny, than the other 

 districts in Asia, I will, therefore, make some observations on this apricot as 

 grown in that locality. I think it necessary to observe that Vjerny and its 

 suburbs have a climate subject to great drought in summer and extremely cold 

 north-west winds in the winter, and frecjuently there are very sharp changes from 

 heat to cold. 



The Uriuck apricot is growing at Vjerny in wild situations in the woods, 

 where there are still to be found very old trees which endured the severe winter 

 of 1877. They have thick trunks about one meter in diameter, with low, broad, 

 but roundish, heads. But such giants are only left in protected places. The 

 cultivated Uriuck is grown in the gardens of Vjerny, as also in other places in 

 Asia, entirely from seeds. Previous to the occupation of this country by Russia, 

 the Uriuck was the chief fruit grown in local gardens. Now the inlanders have 

 learned from the Russian people how to grow other varieties of fruit also, especi- 

 ally the popular Alexander apple. They sow the seeds of the Uriuck directly in 

 the place where they wish the trees to grow, usually in the time of the season 

 when fresh gathered from the fruit, spring planting not being so favorable. The 

 Uriuck does not bear transplanting well, because the trees thereby become more 

 bushy and liable to injury from gumming. As soon as the stone opens, it sends 

 out long, vertical roots, which take hold deep down in the ground and supply 

 the plant with water during the extreme heat of the summer. The seedling soon 

 grows up, if there is sufificient moisture, and throws out lateral twigs on the lower 

 pan of the trunk. The seedling should be pruned in the second or third year, 

 or else these lateral twigs dry up and render the trunk unsightly. In the third 

 year the seedling usually blooms for the first time, the flowers being small, white, 

 or rose-colored, and in the fourth year it bears fruit. The Uriuck blooms earlier 

 than other fruit trees and sheds its bloom sooner. The time of ripening of the 

 Uriuck at Vjerny begins in July ; the wild variety in the mountain ripens later. 

 The color of the Uriuck is orange yellow, blushed on sunny side, though not 

 always. In the ripe fruit the stone parts freely from the flesh. In taste, some 

 are sweet, juicy and aromatic, not inferior to our apricots, others are inferior in 

 quality. 



There are many varieties of Uriuck whirh. in general terms, may be divided 

 into wild and cultivated. Usually the wild Uriuck bears a small fruit, oftener 



