THE ROMANCE OF OUR TREES 



is preserved by sun-drying, and dried apricots are 

 an article of commerce in High Asia and Thibet. I 

 have eaten fruits of such origin in the frontier town 

 of Tachien-lu, situated on the Chino -Thibetan 

 borderland. Apricots make a delicious preserve 

 and to my thinking are very much better as jam than 

 as fresh fruit. 



In central Korea the Manchurian Apricot (P. 

 mandshurica) is a common wild tree and grows to a 

 very large size. Its fruit is similar to that of the 

 Common Apricot but the leaves differ and its bark 

 is thick, corky, black outside and red beneath. Then 

 there is the so-called Black Apricot (P. dasycarpa) 

 of uncertain origin but probably west Asian. It was 

 introduced into England in 1800, has white flowers 

 produced very early, and purplish black fruit. There 

 is a strong family likeness among all the Apricots 

 and what is needed is to get all the kinds together 

 in one place and study them comparatively. In any 

 case this would serve to provide the hybridist with 

 material for further effort to improve the existing 

 races of Apricot. 



The Cherry-trees cultivated in gardens and or- 

 chards of the West for their fruit are the product of 

 two species — Prunus avium and P. Cerasus — re- 

 spectively the Sweet and Sour Cherries — both of 

 Eurasian origin. They have been cultivated from 



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