THE APRICOT IN FRANCE. 



201 



By means of the foliage Apricots may be divided into three 

 great classes. First, the varieties with large leaves, the blade 

 of which forms a right angle with the petiole, as in Apricot 

 Eoyal, Commun, &c. ; second, those kinds in which the blade 

 of the leaf is rather tapering and forms a sharp angle with the 

 petiole, as in Montgame, Luizet, &c. ; and, thirdly, the varieties 

 in which the leaves are flaccid, wavy, and partly folded, as in 

 Peach, Moorpark, Viart, &c. 



The stone is also of some assistance in classification. It is 

 generally of a bitter taste, but has a sweetish flavour in the fol- 

 lowing varieties, viz. Montgame, Hollande, Blenheim, Luizet, 

 &c. In Apricot Peach and its sub-varieties the stone is per- 

 forated — that is to say, it presents on one side a small orifice 

 through which a needle may be passed. This is a characteristic 

 which is not to be found in Commun or the Boyal, and many 

 others. 



The Apricot is cultivated in many parts of France. The 

 locality in which the fruits are chiefly ripened in spring is at 

 Solespont, in the department of the Var. Here the fruits, though 

 only of ordinary quality, are ripe by the 1st of June. When 

 sending to market, about a dozen are packed in a small light 

 box, and, notwithstanding their somewhat inferior quality, they 

 readily find purchasers at a comparatively high price. 



In La Limogne d'Auvergne a larger number of Apricots are 

 grown, and these represent for the most part a variety with 

 large white fruits bearing the name of the province. The entire 

 produce is almost entirely utilised by the manufacturers of 

 Apricot preserves, into which an appreciable quantity of Pumpkin 

 pulp finds it way. It is easy to imagine the enormous profits 

 realised by the manufacturers who were the first to direct their 

 attention to this particular business. 



In the valley of the Bhone, in the departments of the Bhone 

 and the Isere, there are several places in which the Apricot 

 grows remarkably well. For several years the variety Luizet — 

 raised by M. Luizet, of Ecully-les-Lyon — seems to have excelled 

 all others. The fruit is of good quality and ripens rather early, 

 while the trees present a vigorous and fruitful appearance. The 

 average income derived from Apricots in these three departments 

 is said to exceed £4,000. 



TheSaumurois, in the department of Maine-et-Loire, is another 



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