January  27,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
89 
APRICOTS. 
{.Continued  from  page  31.) 
Propagation. 
I  DO  n(;t  know  what  effect  the  stock  has  on  the  Apricot,  beyond  the 
fact  that  seedling  Apricot  stocks  do  far  away  the  best  on  warm  sandy 
soils.  Moorpark  and  Peach  Apricots  come  true  from  seed,  but  that  is 
no  reason  why  seedling  Breda,  Blenheim,  or  Shipley’s  should  not  be  used 
as  stocks.  The  stones  ought  to  be  sown  as  soon  as  ripe  3  inches  deep  in 
light  rich  soil,  covering  with  a  little  litter  in  winter.  After  a  season’s 
growth  lift,  shorten  the  tap  roots  to  4  inches,  plant  in  rows  a  yard  apart 
and  2  feet  from  plant  to  plant.  The  stocks  can  be  budded  about  the 
middle  of  June  at  6  inches  from  the  ground,  not  nearer  and  not  much 
higher,  and  in  another  year  we  have  maiden  trees,  the  snagging  being 
done  before  growth  starts  in  the  spring.  The  maidens  can  be  headed  in 
the  autumn  to  about  12  inches  from  the  ground,  as  there  is  then  less 
danger  of  gumming. 
There  are  Plum  stocks,  Mussel,  St.  Julien,  Brussels,  and  Black  Damson, 
but  I  could  never  make  out  which  was  which,  except  the  “riders” 
evidently  on-  Brussels,  by  the  looks  of  the  worked  trees  ;  and  as  for  report, 
those  stated  to  be  on  Mussel  and  Brussels  were  the  healthier,  the 
St.  Julien  and  Black  Damson  manifestly  liking  a  stiff  soil — not  one  for 
Apricots.  The  trees  gum  fearfully,  and  no  one  ever  ought  to  plant  a 
gummed  tree.  The  reticence  of  nurserymen  about  stocks,  especially 
for  stone  fruits,  is  very  noticeable.  Will  any'  knifeman  kindly  say  what 
influence  the  stock  has  over  the  scion  ?  for  though  the  latter  may  over¬ 
rule  the  former,  there  is  often  such  difference  between  trees  on  assumably 
the  same  stock,  that  either  these  are  themselves  unhealthy  or  the  scions 
must  be  full  of  disease  plasma.  Of  all  the  questions  appertaining  to 
horticulture  that  of  stocks  is  least  understood  by  those  having  to  produce 
fruit,  and  no  one  steps  in  the  arena  to  elucidate  the  subject  in  a  practical 
manner.  In  other  fruits  we  know  exactly  on  what'  stock  the  trees  are, 
and  thus  can  act  according  to  requirements  and  of  the  fitness  of  trees 
to  soil  and  position  ;  why  not  in  Apricots  ? 
Training. 
The  fan  shape  only  is  suitable  for  the  Apricot  against  walls,  and  the 
greatest  blunder  made  is  in  originating  the  branches  too  closely  together, 
so  that  they  join  against  each  other  and  give  rise  to  gumming.  Keep, 
therefore,  at  least  three  fingers  distant  between  the  side  branches  of  the 
young  tree,  and  though  this  means  but  three,  or  at  most  five,  branches  the 
first  year  the  distance  best  serves  in  the  end.  Any  number  of  branches 
can  be  secured  by  pinching  the  central  growths  in  June,  and  these  will 
ripen  sufficiently  to  withstand  the  severest  weather,  against  walls.  I  hardly 
know  how  to  describe  the  training  of  an  Apricot  tree  against  a  wall,  but 
it  may  be  explained  as  a  desire  to  cover  the  space  equally  from  bottom 
to  top  in  the  shortest  time.  The  main  growths  are  trained  in  full  length, 
and  side  shoots  push  so  freely  that  there  is  seldom  any  difficulty  in  filling 
up  the  spaces  between  the  main  limbs. 
Thus  in  summer  the  shoots  are  trained  at  certain  angles  upward,  and 
the  whole  area  is  occupied  as  the  trees  advance.  It  is  an  art  of  covering 
space  with  branches  at  certain  distances,  with  side  growths  between  them  for 
bearing.  About  two  trimmings  suffice — namely,  one  about  midsummer  to 
regulate  the  growths  over  the  surface,  and  cutting  back  to  two  or  three 
leaves  shoots  not  required.  Nothing  could  be  more  simple.  The  winter 
pruning  on  the  old-fashioned  lines  is  done  in  the  early  spring,  the  buds 
then  swelling,  useless  growth  cut  out  and  the  mos;  promising  retained, 
forerights  and  refractory  spurs  being  shortened  or  cut  clean  away.  It  is 
useless  to  tell  an  Apricot  grower  of  the  old  school  that  this  would  be 
better  done  as  soon  as  the  trees  are  cleared  of  their  fruit,  all  superfluous 
shoots  being  then  removed,  any  excess  of  growth  left  on  the  shoots  cut 
back,  and  every  effort  made  to  perfect  the  wood.  This  all  goes  for 
nothing,  and  certainly  is  better  left  alone  when  it  results  in  forcing  growth 
instead  of  solidifying  that  already  made.  Truly,  the  go-as-you-please  and 
spare-knife  treatment  suits  the  Apricot,  health  going  with  the  extension, 
and  the  reverse,  with  gum,  to  the  restriction  system.  Beyond  this  we  need 
not  further  proceed  at  present,  as  the  chief  points  are  to  plant  the  trees, 
train  them  so  as  to  cover  the  wall  space,  and  then  the  fruit  will  come 
if  the  other  conditions  are  favourable. 
Protection. 
The  most  unfavourable  circumstances  are  those  of  the  weather  at 
flowering  and  setting  time,  especially  in  low-lying  districts,  as  a  night’s 
frost  may  destroy  the  prospects  for  a  year.  The  spouting  of  dwellings, 
kept  in  a  proper  state,  act  as  sort  of  coping,  and  a  double  thickness  of 
herring  nets,  secured  to  the  brackets  of  the  spouting,  and  let  down  in 
front  of  the  trees  to  within  18  inches  or  2  feet  of  the  ground,  securing 
there  and  taut,  usually  affords  the  needful  protection  ;  indeed,  I  have 
never  known  this  simple  mode  of  protection  fail  to  efficiently  resist  the 
radiation  of  heat  and  the  keeping  at  bay  of  frost  for  the  safe 
cropping  of  Apricots-  on  cottage  walls.  There  is  the  heat  and  dryness 
of  the  wall  as  compared  with  a  garden  wall,  and  this,'  with  free  access  of 
air  at  all  times,  implying  a  sturdy  and  hardy  blossom,  goes  a  long  way 
with  the  Apricot,  The  netting  also  comes  in  handy  for  protecting  bush 
fruit  against  birds,  so  that,  all  points  considered,  nothing  better  can  be 
advised  for  cottagers  and  farmers  than  old  herring  nets. 
Nevertheless,  cottagers  often  have  recourse  to  means  that  few  would 
think  of  service.  Twiggy  sticks,  such  as  Hazel,  can  be  utilised 
similarly  to  herring  nets,  securing  the  sticks  so  as  to  form  a  sort  of 
network,  thickest  at  the  upper  part  of  the  wall,  but  all  over  some  of  the 
twigs  in  front  of  the  blossoming  trees,  and  this  sieve-like  protection  alike 
prevents  the  heat  radiating,  and  the  cold  from  coming  in  to  the  trees. 
I  have  known  the  easy  plan  answer  on  a  cottage  wall  when  trees  on  4he 
garden  wall  near  by  have  been  practically  ruined  by  a  protection  of  ever¬ 
green  boughs.  The  Apricot  blossom  wants  air  and  light,  and  these 
secured  a  little  protection  serves  better  than  much. 
Another  plan  used  by  a  farmer  who  had  poles  for  nothing  was  to  place 
these  just  under  the  spout /ind  in  a  channel  cut  towards  to  the  wall  6  inches 
deep,  18  inches  from  it  at  the  base,  the  poles  being  4  feet  apart  and  secured 
by  soil  at  the  foot.  Soft  straw  bands  were  then  twisted,  stout,  medium,  and 
thin,  and  the  first  placed  topmost  next  the  spout  of  the  building,  running 
with  the  wall  and  about  6  inches  apart  ;  the  next  lot  similar,  and  likewise 
the  lower  lot,  all  secured  to  the  poles  and  drawn  tight.  The  straws  stuck 
out  from  the  bands,  and  being  hollow  formed  excellent  non-conductors  of 
heat  and  protection.  The  thickest  bands  were  not  more  than  two  fingers 
in  diameter,  the  medium  about  the  thickness  of  the  thumb,  and  the  small 
equal  to  the  stoutness  of  a  finger.  The  bands  told  a  tale,  not  in  one 
year,  but  during  the  lifetime  of  the  farmer,  who  planted  the  trees  during 
the  year  of  his  marriage,  and  his  son  of  three  decades  followed  in  his 
steps,  the  two  trees  occupying  an  area  of  20  feet  by  18  feet  each,  and 
bearing  respectively  100  dozen  fruits — choice  IMoorpark,  which,  at  the 
wholesale  price  of  Is.  6d.  per  dozen,  realised  £15,  besides  supplying  the 
requirements  of  the  household. 
I  have  seen  cottagers  improvise  old  sheets,  anything  handy,  on 
sharp  frosty  nights  to  hang  in  front  of  the  Apricot  trees,  and  those  not 
afraid  of  a  little  trouble,  horny  hands,  and  practical  brains,  always  had 
Apricots  when,  as  before  stated,  there  were  but  few  in  the  parson’s  or 
squire’s  gardens,  the  produce  ever  being  in  demand  by  the  ladies  of  the 
large  residences  near.  They  prefer  home-grown  produce,  and  only 
buy  Apricot  concoctions  in  pots  now  because  the  home  supplies  are  alike 
uncertain  as  inadequate.  The  copings  of  garden  walls,  and  the  poles 
with  woollen  netting  or  scrim  canvas  contrivances  for  letting  down  and 
drawing  up  by  means  of  pulleys,  are  hardly  the  sort  of  thing  to  recom¬ 
mend  for  cottage  and  farmhouse  walls,  for  besides  the  first  cost  and  the 
requisite  daily  attention,  there  is  little  use  for  them  during  the  remainder 
of  the  season,  hence  they  are  not  advised  where  remuneration  is  the  prime 
object,  the  simpler  means  of  protecting  being  better  and  efficient  in  a 
generality  of  seasons.  Whether  the  expense  of  such  contrivances  has 
anything  to  do  with  the  abandonment  of  Apricot  culture  on  walls  may  be 
a  moot  question  now  that  so  many  gardens  are  really  market  gardens. 
I  make  no  question  of  glass  copings  being  the  best  for  garden  walls,  and 
with  coverings  suspended  from  them,  and  drawn  up  in  the  daytime,  there 
is  no  reason  why  Apricots  should  not  be  grown  in  gardens  at  a  liberal 
return  in  produce  for  outlay  in  material  and  labour.  In  certain  localities 
glass  cases  may  be  necessary,  but  this  is  a  phase  of  the  subject  only  referred 
to  incidentally  in  the  case  of  endeavour  to  grow  more  for  the  love  of  things 
than  for  profit,  as  neither  the  wall  nor  the  soil  suits  in  a  majority  of  cases. 
We  know  gardeners  can  do  anything  they  set  their  minds  on,  but  unless 
we  get  a  dwarfing  stock  for  Apricots,  or  have  such  dwarf  and  prolific 
growers  as  Kaisha,  it  is  worse  than  useless  planting  Apricot  trees  against 
ordinary  garden  walls  for  marketing. 
The  protection  should  not  be  applied  until  the  trees  are  starting  into 
bloom,  it  being  better  to  lose  the  first  flowers  than  attempt  anything  in 
the  wav  of  coddling.  When  the  first  flowers,  however,  are  fully  open, 
then  is  the  time  to  put  up  the  nets,  sticks,  or  haybands  ;  and  once  up  let 
them  abide  until  the  trees  have  produced  leaves,  and  these  form  a 
natural  awning  agamst  frosts.  This  will  usually  be  some  time 
in  April  or  early  in  May,  the  late  frosts  seldom  having  any  effect  on 
Apricots  but  the  coddled  under  thick  coverings,  and  then  as  tender  at 
the  end  of  May  as  the  others  are  hardy  right  along  ;  but  take  off  half  the 
netting,  sticks,  or  straw  ropes  at  a  time,  always  commencing  the  reduc¬ 
tion  in  mild  weather,  and  the  final  clearance  under  similar  conditions. — 
G.  Abbey. 
COLOURED  LIOHTS  AND  PLANTS. 
Unless  exposed  to  sunshine  plants  would  never  acquire  their  proper 
colours,  elaborate  their  various  secretions,  or  properly'  mature  their  seeds. 
This  sunshine,  or  white  light,  as  it  is  called,  consists  of  several  coloured 
rays,  which  are  known  to  possess  very  different  illuminating,  heating, 
and  chemical  properties.  Hence  it  has  become  a  subject  of  great  interest 
to  examine  and  determine  whether  all  these  rays  are  alike  in  the 
development  of  vegetation.  The  solar  beam  of  white  light,  when 
subjected  to  prismatic  analysis,  is  found  to  consist  of  seven  or  more 
distinct  colours  —  viz.,  orange,  red,  yellow,  green,  blue,  indigo,  and  violet, 
all  produced,  of  course,  from  a  mixing  or  mingling  of  the  three  primary' 
colours — red,  blue,  and  yellow. 
Of  these  the  red  rays  evolve  the  greatest  quantity  of  heat,  the  yellow 
the  largest  amount  of  light,  whilst  the  blue  produce  the  strongest 
chemical  effects.  It  naturally  follows,  then,  that  by  the  use  of  glasses  of 
these  colours  the  natural  conditions  of  a  plant  may  be  very'  greatly 
altered,  for  heating  rays  may  be  admitted  whilst  light  and  chemical  effect 
are  excluded  ;  or  light  may  be  given  whilst  heat  and  chemical  eff  ect  are 
withheld ;  or,  lastly',  the  maximum  chemical  power  may  be  afforded 
without  exposure  to  light  or  heat.  Seeds  and  plants  treated  thus  furnish 
the  following  results  ;  — 
Under  yellow  glass  the  germination  of  seeds  was  prevented,  or  if  it 
took  place  the  plant  soon  died.  Agarics  and  the  fungus  tribe  generally 
flourished  luxuriantly  under  the  influence  of  the  yellow  glass.  It  is 
thought  that  although  the  luminous  rays  are  injurious  to  vegetation  in 
its  early  stages,  in  the  later  developments  they  are  really  essential  to  the 
formation  of  woody  fibre.  Under  red  glass  germination  takes  places  if 
