THE APKICOT. 



519 



shortened, as before described, may be cut clean 

 away at winter pruning, with the exception of a 

 leading one. After those spurs have borne fruit 

 three years, let each be cut down to the lowest 

 bud or to an embryo, for a new succession." The 

 young gardener can scarcely consult a better 

 authority on the management of the spurs of 

 trees than Harrison's " Treatise on Fruit Trees," 

 2d edition : the descriptions are truly practical, 

 and the illustrations— which, by the way, are not 

 remarkable for artistic taste — convey the ideas 

 of the author even better than his letter-press 

 descriptions. Under even good management, 

 the apricot is apt to become in time crowded 

 with worn-out branches; these must be removed 

 at the winter pruning. This state of things is 

 most likely to occur where too great depen- 

 dence has been placed on the spurring system, 

 and where little attention has been directed to 

 laying in a constant supply of young wood. — 

 For Forcing the apricot, see post. 



Protecting the blossoms. — The apricot blossoms 

 early in the spring, and often in the end of 

 February and beginning of March, and is often 

 subjected to 10° or 15° of frost ; it therefore 

 requires protection. The means recommended 

 for the peach are applicable to it. 



Thinning the fruit. — As soon as the fruit is 

 fully set, and about the size of a small marble, 

 thinning should commence, as they are apt to 

 set in groups. These should be thinned so 

 that not more than two or three are left in 

 each cluster. They are in this state excellent 

 for tarts, and should be appropriated to that 

 use. After the stones are fairly formed, another 

 thinning should take place, when the crop should 

 be left at from 6 to 10 inches fruit from fruit, 

 according to its natural size, and the purpose it 

 is intended for when ripe. The Masculines, and 

 other small-growing sorts, which are chiefly used 

 for preserving, may stand at the lesser distance, 

 while the Moorpark, and similar large varieties, 

 should stand at the greater. To over-crop the 

 trees is destructive to their health, and, besides, 

 the fruit can never attain its full size, flavour, 

 or excellence. 



Gathering and protecting the ripe fruit. — Apri- 

 cots should be gathered before they are dead 

 ripe, else they are apt to become dry and 

 mealy. To enhance their flavour in wet seasons, 

 portable projecting wooden copings should be 

 placed over them, to keep the trees and fruit 

 dry. To protect them from wasps and flies, 

 Hawthorn's octagon netting should be sus- 

 pended from the coping, and kept on during 

 the last stage of ripening. Sometimes one side 

 of the fruit becomes soft and ripe before the 

 other ; in such cases it is well to gather it, and 

 remove it on trays to a warm dry pine-stove, 

 turning the unripened side uppermost, and ex- 

 posed freely to the sun and light. A day or two 

 in this position will ripen the hard side, and 

 make the whole in fit condition for the table. 



Summer pruning. — Early in May the trees 

 should be gone over, rubbing off with the finger 

 and thumb all foreright, irregular, or misplaced 

 shoots when in a young state, retaining only those 

 that are of medium growth, and are required to 

 be trained in for next year's bearing. These 



shoots should be secured to the wall as they ad- 

 vance, placing them in the spaces between the 

 older branches, and where these are close to- 

 gether, training the young wood over the naked 

 branches. Shoots which are left on for filling the 

 wall, particular] y in the case of young trees, should, 

 when they are growing too luxuriantly, be topped 

 early in June, which will cause them to throw 

 out lateral or side shoots, which, if the topping 

 be done sufficiently early, will ripen and become 

 fruit-bearing ones. A judicious attention to dis- 

 budding, topping, and regulating the quantity 

 and position of the young wood during sum- 

 mer, will leave little to be done at the winter 

 examination beyond the removal of dead worn- 

 out branches, and spurs which have exceeded 

 their proper size, and the points probably of 

 such young wood as may not have ripened, or 

 have been injured by severe frost. All su- 

 perfluous spray and very weak wood should 

 be cut out, and no more left on the trees than 

 is absolutely required. The shoots, being laid 

 in moderately thin, will, by being exposed to the 

 sun and air, ripen properly, and form plump and 

 perfect buds, which they would not do if left too 

 crowded. 



Root-pruning should be attended to when the 

 trees assume too gross a character ; and taking 

 up and replanting may be resorted to when 

 they show indications of debility, or a habit of 

 growing too late in the autumn — a certain proof 

 that their roots have got too deep, and require 

 to be brought nearer the surface. 



SELECT LIST. 



Blenheim. — Flowers large ; fruit large ; form 

 oval ; colour orange, tinged with deep yellow ; 

 flesh moderately rich ; stone roundish and im- 

 pervious ; kernel bitter ; a good bearer, but in- 

 ferior to the Moorpark, although somewhat 

 earlier, indicative of its hardier origin ; one of 

 the few raised from seed in England. Syno- 

 nyms — Shipley s, Shipley's large, Miss Shipley's, 

 from the lady's name with whom this variety 

 originated. 



Breda. — Flowers lai'ge, tinged with deep red 

 before they expand ; fruit rather small ; form 

 roundish; colour orange, becoming dai'ker when 

 fully ripe, if exposed to the sun ; flesh deep 

 orange, rich, parting freely from the stone, 

 which is small and impervious ; suture dis- 

 tinctly marked ; kernel sweet. This nice little 

 apricot, although supposed to have come origi- 

 nally from Africa, is sufficiently hardy to ripen 

 well as a standard in most seasons in the 

 southern and warmer parts of England, pro- 

 ducing immense crops of fruit on walls in most 

 situations. Excellent for preserving. Adapted 

 to the walls of most parts of Scotland, where the 

 larger and better kinds do not ripen. Synonyms 

 — Ananas, Amande Areline, Brussels, Be Hol- 

 lande, Persique, Be Nancy, Hasselnussmandel. 



Hemskirk. — Flowers large; fruit large; form 

 roundish, somewhat compressed on the sides; 

 flesh bright orange, and tender; flavour rich 

 and luscious; stone rather small, pervious; 

 kernel bitter. In general character resembling 

 the Moorpark, but differing from it in ripening 

 earlier, indicative of its English origin. It has 



