V 
ranges it In' his twelfth clafs of plants, entitled tcofan- 
dria Monogynia ; the flowers of tills clafs have from 
twenty to thirty ftamina fattened to the empalement, 
and a fingle ftyle. 
The joining of fo many plants tinder the fame genus, 
as Linnaeus has done, renders it much more diffi- 
cult to afcertain their fpeciflc difference, than when 
they are ranged under different genera ; and although 
molt of them do agree in -thofe parts from whence the 
characters according to his fyftem are taken, yet if 
their fruits may be allowed as one of the charafteridic 
notes (which in rely ought not to be totally omitted) 
there will be reafon for feparating fome of them, 
efpecially when we confider the boundary which na-' 
ture has fet between them •, for it is well known that 
all fruits which are of the fame genus, may be grafted 
or budded upon each other ; but thofe of different 
genera will not take upon each other, nor will any 
two plants of different genera impregnate each other. 
Now the Cherry and Plum cannot by any art be made 
to take when grafted or budded upon docks of the 
other kind; nor will the Apricot take upon the Cherry, 
the Laurel, or Padus ; but it will grow upon the 
Plum to which it is nearly allied, therefore thefe may 
be joined together according to the drift rules of bo- 
tany : yet in a work of this kind, defigned for the 
inftruftion of the praftical gardener, were thefe fruits 
to be included under the fame appellation, it would 
rather confound than inftruft, thofe who had not ap- 
plied themfelves to the ftudy of botany : therefore I 
fhali continue this genus under its former title, and 
Phall enumerate all the varieties of this fruit which 
are at prefent cultivated in the Engliffi gardens, rang- 
ing them according to the orders of their ripening. 
For although mod, if not all thofe which are by the 
gardeners called different forts, may have been pro- 
duced by culture, fo ffiotild be deemed as one fpecies; 
yet as the differences may be continued for ever, by 
the method in which they are propagated, fo it would 
be unpardonable in a book of gardening to omit 
them. 
The fpeciflc title given by Linnaeus to the Apricot is, 
Prunus fioribus fubfeffilibus foliis fubcordatis. Sp. 
Plant. 474. i. e. Plum whofe flowers want foot-flalks , 
and he art -floated leaves . 
The Varieties are, 
1. The Mafculine Apricot. 
2. The Orange Apricot. 
3. The Algier Apricot. 
4. The Roman Apricot. 
5. The Turkey Apricot. 
6. The Breda Apricot. 
7. The Bruffels Apricot. 
The Mafculine is the fird ripe of all the Apricots •, it 
is a fmall roundifh fruit, of a red colour towards the 
fun ; as it ripens, the colour fades to a greeniffi yellow 
on the other fide. It is chiefly preferved for being the 
fird ripe, and there is a quicknefs in the flavour of 
the fruit when it Is not too ripe, which renders it agree- 
able ; the tree is very apt to be covered with flowers, 
but as they corne out early in the fpring, they are 
frequently dedroved by the cold, unlefs the trees are 
covered to protect them. 
The Orange is the next ripe Apricot; this fruit is 
much larger than the former, and as it ripens changes 
to a deep yellow colour. The fifth of this is dry and 
not high flavoured, it is better for tarts than for the 
table. 
The Algier is the next in feafon ; this is of an oval 
fnape, a little compreffed on the Tides ; it turns to a 
pale yellow, or draw-colour, when ripe ; the fleffi is 
high flavoured, and very full of juice. 
The Roman is the next ripe Apricot ; this is a larger 
fruit than the former, and not compreffed fo much 
on the fldes; the colour is deeper, and the fifth is not 
fo mold as the former. 
The Turkey Apricot is yet larger than either of the 
former, and of a globular figure ; the fruit turns to 
a deeper colour than the former ; the fifth is firmer, 
and drier than thofe or’ the two former. 
The Breda Apricot (as it is called from Its being 
brought from thence into England) was originally 
brought from Africa : this is a large roundiih fruit* 
changing to a deep yellow when ripe ; the flefh is foft, 
full of juice, and of a deep Orange colour within fide ; 
the done is rounder and larger than any of tire other 
forts : this is the bed Apricot we have, and when 
ripened on a ftandard, is preferable to ail other 
kinds. 
The Bruffels is the lated ripe of all the Apricots, for 
when it is planted againd a wall, it is generally the 
beginning of Augud before it is ripe, unlefs when it 
is planted to a full fouth afpeft ; which is what fliould 
not be praclifed, becaufe the fruit is never well taded 
which grows in a warm expofure. This fruit is of a 
middling fize, rather inclining to an oval figure ; red 
on the fide next the fun, with many dark fpc ts, and 
of a greeniffi yellow on the other fide ; the fleffi is 
firm, and of a high flavour ; the fruit often cracks 
before it is ripe. This is commonly preferred to the 
former fort by mod people, but when the other is 
planted as a dandard, the fruit is fuller of juice, and 
of a richer flavour than this. 
Mod people train thefe trees up to dems of fix or 
feven feet high, or bud them upon docks of that 
height ; but this is a praftice I would not recommend 
to the public, becaufe the higher the heads of thefe 
trees are, the more they are expofed to the cutting 
winds in the fpring, which too frequently dedroy the 
bloffoms; and the fruit is alfo more liable to be blown 
down in dimmer, efpecially if there ffiould happen 
to be much wind at the time when the fruit is ripe ; 
which by falling from a great height, will be bruifed 
and fpoiled ; therefore I prefer half dandards, of 
about tv/o and a half, or three feet in the dem, to 
thofe which are much taller ; or to plant them as 
dwarfs againd an efpalier, where, if they are Ikilfully 
managed, they will produce a large quantity of good 
fruit ; and the trees in efpalier may be more conve- 
niently covered in the fpring, when the feafon proves 
bad, whereby there will be a greater certainty of fruit 
every year. 
Thefe fruits are all propagated by budding them on 
Plum-docks, and will readily take upon almod any 
fort of Plum, provided the dock be free and thriving 
(except the Bruffels kind, which is ufually budded on 
a fort of dock, commonly called the St. Julian, 
which better luits this tree, as being generally planted 
for dandards, than any other fort of Plum will.) The 
manner of raffing: the docks, and budding thefe trees, 
ffiall be treated of under their particular articles, to 
which I refer the reader, and ffiall proceed to their 
planting and management. 
Thefe trees are all (except the two lad forts) planted 
againd walls, and fliould have an ead or wed afpeft ; 
for if they are planted full fouth, the great heat caufes 
them to be meally before they are eatable. 
The borders near thefe walls ffiould be fix or eight feet 
wide, at lead, and if it were more, the better ; but I 
would never advife the making of them fo deep as is 
the general cudom, for if the earth be tv/o feet deep, 
or tv/o and a half at mod, it is enough. 
If the ground is a wet cold loam or clay, the borders 
ffiould be railed as much above the level of the fur- 
face as it will admit, laying fome dones or rubbiffi 
in the bottom, to prevent the roots from running 
downwards ; but if you plant upon a chalk or gravel, 
it v/ill be better to raife the borders above either to a 
proper thicknefs, with good loarny earth, than to fink 
the borders by removing the chalk or gravel ; for al- 
though thefe are removed the whole breadth of the 
border, which we may allow to be eight feet, and 
this trench filled with good earth, yet the roots of the 
trees will in a few years extend this length,, .and then 
meeting with the chalk or gravel, they will re- 
ceive a check whereby their leaves will fall off 
early in the feafon, and the fruit v/ill be fmall, dry, 
and ill-flavoured, and the ffioots of the trees will be 
v/eak. But where the borders are railed upon either 
to their full height, the roots will not ftrike down 
into 
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