518 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



Planting the apricot. — Much of what has been 

 said of the peach and nectarine is applicable to 

 the apricot also. The Brussels and Breda, 

 believed to be the same, are the hardiest of this 

 class, and are sometimes planted in the south of 

 England as standards. One of the latter ex- 

 isted some years ago in a garden in the village of 

 Esher, Surrey, which had attained a very large 

 size, and produced enormous crops annually. 

 This, we would say, is adapted to walls in the 

 coldest localities, where other and finer kinds 

 would not succeed. On east and west aspects 

 the others succeed well in the southern locali- 

 ties of England, but in most of Scotland they 

 require, and are justly entitled to, a southern 

 aspect. A light rich loamy soil is most suitable 

 for the apricot, if it is natural, or only slightly 

 aided with well-decayed manure; if too rich, it 

 causes too great a production of young wood, 

 which in cold situations, in particular, is disad- 

 vantageous, as such wood would seldom ripen, 

 so as to become of itself productive of fruit. 

 A less exciting soil will induce the production 

 of innumerable fruit spurs and buds, and on 

 them fine fruit close to the wall is produced, 

 and on such the Scotch gardener should in the 

 majority of cases rest his hopes. In selecting 

 trees for planting, those of from two to three years 

 trained in the nursery are the best, and those 

 should be selected which have two branches on 

 each side with a leading one in the centre; and 

 it is desirable that the side branches on each 

 side be of equal strength, and that the stock be 

 free from canker or disease. In regard to the 

 season of planting, Forsyth advocates early 

 planting, even to an extent beyond what we 

 have endeavoured to inculcate, in our advocacy 

 for performing that operation even earlier than 

 the majority of writers have hitherto done. He 

 says August is the best season for planting, as 

 soon as the leaves fall from the trees. It should, 

 however, be understood that Forsyth was 

 writing for the neighbourhood of London, he at 

 the time being superintendent of the Royal 

 Gardens at Kensington, the site of which is now 

 to be sought for amidst a locality of Italian 

 palaces. In good soils, permanent trees should 

 be planted 20 feet apart. 



Pruning and training. — The apricot is for the 

 most part trained in the fan manner, and such 

 we think the best form, and most suitable to the 

 nature of the tree. Harrison and Forsyth i'e- 

 commend the horizontal mode ; the former, 

 however, recommending an elevation of 20° at 

 the extremities of the branches, which angle is to 

 be elevated or depressed according to the luxuri- 

 ance or weakness of the tree. Hayward trains 

 the apricot as he does the peach, fig. 222, in 

 what may be almost called the horizontal man- 

 ner, arising from two main stems laid in at first 

 nearly horizontally, and afterwards turned up to 

 a more vertical position towards the points ; and 

 from these the branches are trained in a similar 

 direction, choosing the shoots which proceed from 

 the buds on the upper side of the branch, and not 

 those arising from the under. Inclination and 

 depression are recommended by him too, with a 

 view to regulate the flow of sap, for on this much 

 of his theory is founded. The season for pruning 



the apricot may be considered identical with 

 that of the peach. Most of the varieties, with 

 the exception of the Moorpark, bear their finest 

 fruit on the young shoots of the preceding year, 

 and for this reason a yearly stock of the best- 

 formed and best- placed shoots should be laid 

 in. This is necessary also to keep up a healthy 

 state in the trees. They also produce fruit on 

 natural spurs, but these should be retained only 

 when placed close to the wall ; for although the 

 fruit will set even on those of several inches 

 distant from it, they seldom ripen in cold situa- 

 tions. The Moorpark mainly produces its 

 fruit on short spurs of from two to three years' 

 growth ; these, therefore, should be encouraged. 

 Many excellent pomologists prune and train 

 their apricots as they do their peaches — that is, 

 by laying in annually a store of young well- 

 placed wood, shortening them more or less 

 according to their strength ; they at the same 

 time encourage the growth of spurs close to the 

 wall on the older branches, which latter mode 

 is advisable in cold climates, for reasons given 

 by Knight (vide Peach). 



In shortening the young wood, care must be 

 taken to cut at a wood-bud, or at such as are 

 triple, so that a leader may be secured to draw 

 nourishment to the fruit behind it. Where, 

 as is often the case, the whole young shoot is 

 covered with fruit-buds, and has only one, and 

 that the terminal one, a wood-bud, then such 

 shoots are not to be shortened at all, unless 

 there be urgent necessity for having young wood 

 in the exact place : when this is the case, the 

 shoot should be cut back beyond all the fruit- 

 buds, as at its base dormant wood-buds may 

 be situated, which, if cut back to, will push 

 and fill the place with one or more shoots ac- 

 cording to its strength. In securing a supply 

 of young wood, great care should be taken to 

 obtain a shoot as near to the origin of the branch 

 from which it proceeds as possible, both in sum- 

 mer and winter pruning. In regard to shorten- 

 ing, the most vigorous may have one-fourth of 

 their length reduced ; if of medium strength, 

 one-third; and if very weak, one-half or even 

 more ; and in cutting, make the slope in the 

 same direction as the bud, and about a quarter 

 of an inch above it. Spurs should be carefully 

 examined to prevent their elongating ; if they 

 consist of three or four fruit-buds, cut them 

 back to two. If the spur consists of only two 

 buds (a wood-bud and a fruit-bud, the former 

 being the lowest), cut the spur close to the latter; 

 if there be only one wood-bud, and it be the 

 lowest, cut the spur down to that ; but if it be 

 the uppermost, let it remain its whole length, 

 and the second bud will push a shoot next year, 

 whilst the lower one will form a fruit-bud, which, 

 at the following winter pruning, is to be cut off 

 entirely. In regard to the production and re- 

 gulation of such buds, Harrison justly remarks : 

 " Such buds will be produced at the lower part of 

 those shoots that afterwards push, and are short- 

 ened to three or four buds in summer pruning, 

 and to two in winter pruning, also upon short 

 lateral spurs, placed close to the old wood. When 

 there is a sufficient supply of such lateral spurs, 

 all the shoots which have been produced and 



