1884 .] 
the AMERICAN GARDEN. 
105 
APRICOTS. 
Midway Ijetwcen Cherries and Peaches 
ripens one of the most delicious and most 
beautiful fruits in existence — the Apricot. 
The tree as well as the fruit rhsembles tlio 
Peach in general appearance, but in quality 
the fruit is superior and more delicate. 
The principal obstacles in the culture of 
this fruit are tliat the blossoms appear so 
early as to become often exposed to spring 
frosts which prove ruinous to the crop ; and 
that the curoulio is so extremely fond of it 
that it does not leave any for the oivncr. 
Yet there is no groat difficulty in preventing 
eithei’. The measures, recommended in our 
last number, for the protection of Plums 
will also xirove efficacious with Apricots; 
and to retard the blossoming so.ason it is 
recommended to plant the trees on the north 
side of buildings, walls, or shelter-belts. 
In small gardens they may advantageously 
be trained in espalier form against houses or 
trellises, which affords easy moans for the 
protection of 
the blossoms by 
thronung mat¬ 
ting over them 
when frostj' 
nights threat¬ 
en. 
The ■ general 
treatment and 
pruning of the 
Apricot is simi¬ 
lar to that of the 
Peach. The 
shoots should 
be cut back 
every season in 
order to pro¬ 
duce new bear¬ 
ing buds. 
The Moorparli, 
shomi in om' 
illustration, is 
one of the larg¬ 
est and finest 
varieties ; its 
skin is yellow 
with red cheek; 
flesh, orange, 
sweet,, juicy, 
and rich, part¬ 
ing readily from 
the stone; very 
productive. The 
best among the 
many other varieties named in catalogues 
are: Breda, Marly Golden, ffemskerl,', Large 
Marly, and Peach. 
they .do not bear. Land in Apples should 
w. ’leavily than land i„ 
Wheat; but m less than one ease in ten is 
iis t OHO. In placing our orchards upoii 
high ground, we have been forced to plant 
t lern upon ridges, whicli are never so fertile 
as the low gi’ound, because for ages the rains 
have been carrying fertility from the ridges 
to the depressions. After the land is brought 
under cultivation, this process is hastened 
by the slovenly system of cultivation. As a 
result, orchards upon high land are in a soil 
much loss fertile than those upon low lands. 
If the orchardist whoso trees are upon the 
high land will keep it well fertilized, his 
orcl'.ard will do as well, if not better, than 
that of his neiglibor who has planted upon 
low laud. If of equal fertility, high hand is 
lietter for orchards than low land ; but fer¬ 
tile low laud is better than sterile high land, 
and it is this which has led some to suppose 
that low land is best, unqualified by any 
conditions of fertility. 
it must be because its temperature is more 
equable, for it is extremes of temperature 
which destroy a gi-eat many of our trees. 
That the temperature of the air above low 
land is more equable appears plausible. As 
low land will bo the moister, the exhalations 
from it will bo gi-eater and the more moist¬ 
ure there will be in the air above it. This 
condition of the air would retard the radia¬ 
tion of heat from the earth, reducing the 
extremes of temperature of the soil at all 
seasons, and keeping it warmer at night in 
winter, when its temperature is likely to 
sink to a hurtful point On low land there 
would always be more surface water, and 
the freezing of this would protect the trees, 
for a time at least. But will not this 
very moisture in low land work more evil 
than good ? Are we to suppose that all the 
evils attending low, wet land for orchards 
have 
“ Folded tlieir tents like the Ai-ahs, 
And as silently stolen away”? 
Reallj', I be¬ 
lieve that the 
site has veiy 
little to do with 
the orchard. 
Insects prey 
upon trees, no 
matter what 
their elevation, 
and diseases at¬ 
tack them any¬ 
where. Good 
cultivation, 
good care, and 
manure will 
make an or¬ 
chard of good 
varieties pi’ofit- 
able upon al¬ 
most any site; 
while the lack 
of these will 
cause failure, 
no matter 
where or how 
the orchard is 
situated. What 
little advantage 
there is in local¬ 
ity is in favor 
of high land. 
Jno. M. Stahl. 
LOW LAND FOE ORCHARDS. 
Solomon was sure there was no new thing 
under the sun, but when the Illinois horti¬ 
culturists announced that low land was best 
for Apple orchards, not a few peoiile con¬ 
sidered it decidedly novel. Yet, when a 
large number of our best orehardists aver 
•that low land is best, and thus contradict 
all received opinions upon the subject, the 
matter is worthy of investigation. 
That in many cases orchards on low land 
have done best, it is useless to deny. But I 
am sure this is owing to fertility, and not to 
location. The fact is, that we starve our 
orchards. I know of orchards which have 
not received a bushel of manure in fifteen 
years, and yot their owners wonder why 
MOORPARK APRICOT. 
I know that in every instance my experi¬ 
ence with well surface-drained but not 
under-drained laud has proved that high 
land is best for an Apple orchard. My 
observation confirms what experience has 
taught me. It is true that this is a day of 
new developments and of new theories. But 
I cannot believe that all natural conditions 
have so radically changed as to make, other 
things equal, low land superior to high, be¬ 
ing laud for Apple orchards. 
It is claimed that orchards on low lands 
are more productive and longer-lived. If 
they are more productive upon low land, it 
is clearly because low land contains in a 
greater degree the elements of tree growth 
and nourishment; in other words, greater 
fer-tility. If longer-lived upon low lands, it 
must be because the conditions of the soil 
and atmosphere there are more favorable to 
longevity. 
If the condition of the air favors longevity. 
THE FRIENDLY MOLE. 
That, in grub-infested ground, the mole is 
only a blessing in disguise can hardly be 
doubted; and, although we do not urge our 
readers who do not already have a supply to 
stock their gardens with moles, the experi¬ 
ence of an Indiana fniit-gi'ower is woi’thy of 
consideration: 
“ Last year I put twelve moles in my 
Strawberry patch of five acres to catch the 
grubs, and they did the work. I never had 
a dozen plants injured during the summer, 
either by the gi-ubs or moles. I know some 
people do not care for moles on their farms, 
but I want them in my Strawberry patch.” 
A SPEOIHC FOE RASPBERRIES. 
If there is such a thing as a specific in 
horticulture, says J. T. Lovett, ground bone 
is a specific for Raspberries. 
