ARMENIACA, APRICOT TREE. 145 



and the stalk, nor in the middle, but located obliquely. The stalk is set into a round, 

 narrow, and not very deep cavity. The groove generally penetrates only near the stalk. As 

 it approaches the top, it fills in & becomes indistinguishable. 



The skin on the shaded side is a tan yellow, often mingled with a bit of green 

 when the tree is planted on an espalier. The side toward the sun is tan & takes on a bit of 

 red. 



The flesh is yellow, tending to red, very soft and juicy, becoming neither dry nor 

 doughy when the fruit turns very ripe. 



The juice is plentiful, flavorful, very pleasing to the taste, & unique to this 

 apricot. 



The pit is large, flat, rougher than that of the common apricot, and enlarged much 

 more toward the side that's elevated into three very prominent ridges. The pit of the 

 apricot with the dimensions that I've given above is fourteen lignes long, twelve lignes 

 wide, and seven lignes thick. The kernel is bitter. 



This apricot, that by its size and its excellent flavor deserves the top rating, ripens 

 in mid- August. Some call it the apricot-peach. 



We could add several other apricot trees, some of which are merely varieties that 

 aren't very much different than those that we've described. One such is the apricot tree 

 with variegated leaves, which is the only feature that distinguishes it from the common 

 apricot tree. The others succeed poorly in our climate. An example is the Alexandria 

 apricot tree whose flowers, too eager to herald the spring, are almost always ruined by 

 frost. The result is that it very rarely yields its small, round, vividly colored, & extremely 

 tastv fruit. 



