THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



207 



Grafting. — When this is practised the scions 

 should he taken off in December, and laid in the 

 ground till the following February, the best season 

 for grafting Apricots. Common whip-grafting is 

 best, and the scions should be of medium-sized well- 

 ripened wood, from four to six inches long. 



Amateurs should purchase maiden trees ready 

 worked to their hands, or seedlings, from those who 

 make the raising of such for fruit-bearing a 

 speciality. 



In regard to site, south walls throughout many 

 of the warmer parts of England are almost too hot 

 for Apricots. The fruits are less highly flavoured ; 

 the trees lose branches, and perish sooner on south 

 than on west or south-east walls. In colder climates, 

 such as the North of England or Scotland, southern 

 sites, or walls, are best. 



The soil should be lighter than that recommended 

 for Peaches or Pears. Loams running into sand 

 rather than clay suit the Apricot best. What are 

 called friable soils are, however, the most suitable. 

 As to width and depth of borders, much depends on 

 local climate, character of soil, height of wall, and 

 other circumstances. From two feet to a yard are 

 good depths for Apricot borders. The hotter and 

 drier the locality, the deeper the border should be, 

 and vice versa. The width of the borders may range 

 from six to twelve feet, according to the height of the 

 walls to be clothed. 



The Apricot not only starts early into growth 

 in the spring, but also matures early in the autumn. 

 The trees may, therefore, be planted through Sep- 

 tember, and ought not to be later than the middle of 

 October, to insure a crop of fruit the following season. 



Distance to Plant.— This should be closer 

 than either Peaches or Pears, as the trees are 

 mostly short-lived, and prone to die piecemeal from 

 what is known as branch-perishing. An average of 

 ten feet apart is consequently safer and more pro- 

 fitable than one of twenty, which is often recom- 

 mended for fan-trained Apricots. Fan-shaped trees 

 from ten to fifteen feet apart are, on the whole, 

 the best ; and in order to keep the walls fairly 

 well furnished it is good practice to plant trees 

 between them as soon as they fairly furnish their 

 allotted spaces, so that the young ones may be ready 

 to take their places in case of failure. With a few 

 trifling exceptions the after-treatment and training 

 will resemble that of Peach-trees. 



Standard Apricots.— These are only possible 

 in Devonshire, and other warm parts of the country, 

 or under glass in orchard-houses. From three to seven 

 feet are good and convenient heights for standards. 

 Three, five, or seven branches form good bases for 



standard Apricot-trees. In orchard-houses bush- 

 trees may often prove more convenient and equally 

 fruitful. 



Apricot-trees on Gable-ends. — A special 

 mode of treatment and training is frequently adopted 

 in cases where the side-roofs are carried a foot or 

 more beyond the line of the gable-end. The trees 

 are trained over the area in the usual way, and 

 when the framework of a good fan-shaped tree is 

 laid, the young wood is permitted to grow out at 

 almost right angles from the wall to a distance of six 

 inches or a foot, and at distances of a foot asunder, 

 the tree thus assuming the character of a one-sided 

 stumpy bush or standard. On Swiss, and other 

 fancy cottages, with wide side-roof extensions over 

 gable-ends, the writer has seen Apricot-trees pro- 

 jecting a full yard from the gable, laden with fruit 

 from, base to summit. 



Apricot - trees Trained Fan - shape on 

 Walls. — The only, or chief, difference between 

 these and Peaches is that main and sub-branches 

 should be kept at wider distances apart — from a foot 

 to two feet between being close enough for Apricots. 

 Apricots bear fruit on spurs, as well as on the young 

 wood of the previous season, consequently space 

 should be provided for the development of the dual 

 mode of bearing. 



Pruning. — Generally this may be said to re- 

 semble that of Peaches— which see. But the dual 

 mode of bearing necessitates a difference in prun- 

 ing. So far as the mere keeping up of a suffi- 

 cient supply of young wood is concerned, the 

 two kinds of trees may be treated alike, but for 

 the development and maintenance in bearing con- 

 dition of fruit-spurs on the older Avood of the 

 Apricot a rather different system must be adopted. 

 And this should be borne in mind at the earliest 

 period ; hence, instead of disbudding Apricots, all 

 superfluous shoots should be pinched back to one, 

 two, or, at the very most, three leaves at an early 

 period of their growth. These closely-stopped 

 shoots form the basis of future fruit-bearing spurs. 

 As the spurs grow too large they may be boldly 

 shortened back. But this is better avoided, as large 

 wounds on Apricots mostly result in canker or gum, 

 and properly-managed Apricot-spurs seldom need 

 such severe manipulation. 



The moment a branch begins to flag, or become 

 yellow, it should be cut off bodily. Summer is 

 by far the best season for these surgical operations, 

 ;.s it affords greater facilities for healing, and 

 young shoots may often thus be forced forth to fill 

 the vacancies incident to branch-perishing. 



