112 . FRUIT GARDEN. 
China, may be noticed here rather on account of its affinity 
to the peach and apricot, than because of its importance as 
a fruit-tree in Britain. Every good garden should contain 
a tree or two trained against a west or east wall, and also 
a.few standards; for in very fine seasons the latter will 
yield crops, and they are always ornamental in spring from 
the beauty of their blossoms. The sorts most worthy of 
notice are the Tender-shelled Sweet Almond, or Jordan, 
and the Common Almond, or Bitter. 
The almond is generally budded on seedlings of its own 
kind; but for heavy soils plum-stocks are preferable. Tho 
training and pruning of almond trees on walls are much 
the same as in the peach or the apricot.* 
The Arricor (Prunus Armeniaca) is a native of the 
Caucasus and China; it was cultivated by the Romans, and 
was introduced into England from Italy in the reign of 
Henry VIII. It has always, and deservedly, been a 
favorite. The principal varieties are : 
Red Masculine.—F lowers small; fruit small, roundish, 
yellow and red: flesh sweet and juicy; stone impervious; 
kernel bitter. This is a very early sort, but the tree is 
rather tender, and requires a good aspect. 
Breda.—F lowers large ; fruit roundish, sometimes almost 
four-cornered, orange-colored ; juice rich, stone small, im- 
pervious; kernel sweet. The true Breda is an apricot of 
first-rate excellence, and in the south of England the tree 
bears well as a standard. 7 
Roman.—Flowers large; fruit oblong, compressed, pale 
* The Hard-shelled Almonds will succeed in the open air in any of the 
Middle States, and the soft-shelled have been matured in Camden, Delaware, 
Very good hard-shell almonds are produced in Virginia. The culture is 
similar to that of the peach and apricot, and ought to be more generally at- 
tended to in-the Southern and some of the Middle States. 
