January  16,  1902 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
51 
him,  have  been  pursuing  inquiries  as  to  where  a  suitable 
■site  for  a  Hall  might  be  got,  its  cost,  and  other  necessary 
information.  Full  particulars  will  most  likely  be  given  at 
the  annual  general  meeting  next  month,  if  not  before  then 
through  the  medium  of  the  Press. 
A  large  and  substantial  Hall  belonging  to  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  is  necessary — that  is  the  great  point — 
but  a  new  garden  can  be  got  at  a  more  convenient  period. 
Chiswick  lease  has  many  years  to  run  yet,  and  things  could 
Proceed  there  as  they  have  been  doing  for  years  past.  When 
-^e  Society  had  recuperated  its  resources  after  erecting  a 
Hall,  all  its  strength  of  purpose  and  purse  could  be  directed 
toward  the  furnishing  of  a  garden  on  a  magnificent  scale, 
w-here  trials  of  the  highest  importance  could  be  undertaken 
and  carried  on  over  an  extended  period  of  years.  (Woburn  • 
Rothamstead.)  The  question  of  the  greatest  importance 
tor  decision  now  would  appear  to  be.  What  will  the  Horti- 
cultur^  Hall  cost  (all  told)?  Some  persons  have  hinted  at 
obtaining  a  Hall  site  in  the  Royal  Botanic  Society’s  garden 
at  Jlegent  s  Park  ;  a  possible  amalgamation  of  the  societies 
has  even  been  suggested.  Other  persons  ask  whether  a 
not  be  secured  in  or  about  St.  James’ 
the  Green  Park,  by  soliciting  the  proper  authorities. 
The  Apricot  and  its  Culture. 
(Concluded  from  page  635,  December  12,  1901.) 
ordinarily  cultivated  hardy  fruits  there  is 
^he  Apricot!  o? 
the  hAbtbfv  nf  gardener,  a  prolific  factor  being 
the  liabiJity  of  certain  varieties,  notablv  the  Moornark 
section,  mystenously  to  lose  their  branches,  but  which^has 
been  a;Ssigned  to  more  causes  than  one.  Indiscreet  prunine 
■'‘canSrinr’”''AnBS^-^®  X®’  induces  “gumming”  and 
ascribed  Anti-climatic  conditions,  however,  has  been 
^cnbed  as  a  fertile  cause,  and  is  not  altogether  an  irrational 
idea  considering  the  natural  habitat  o!  the  Apricot  fn 
■^^d^Umbe.  fSe*  Vff'  1°  dimensions'i.f  a  fair 
^  ^  ^  streams  are  constantly  descending 
from  the  snow-capped  summits  of  that  country’s  mountains^ 
cooling  in  their  descent  the  soil  and  vegetatiX  These 
beinXo?fh  something  essentially  suitable  to  the  well- 
geographical  position  precludes 
the  imitation-  of  the  highly  rarefied  and  clear  air  of  that  and 
'friX  Minor— the  natural  habitats  of  this 
Soli. 
Soil  too  is  a  great  factor  in  the  successful  culture  of  the 
Apiicot  A  holding,  calcareous  loam  (essential  for  stone 
fruits)  being  a  desideratum,  and  which,  if  not  at  command, 
must  ei  her  be  procured  fiom  elsewhere,  or  the  natural  soil 
supplied  with  a  sufficiency  of  limy  or  calcareous  matter. 
In  substantiation  of  this,  I  know  where  long-lived  Apricot 
trees  including  several  formerly  under  my  own  manage¬ 
ment,  mamtained  the  r  existence  and  almost  unvarying 
successful  fruiting  condition,  owing  to  the  coherent  cal¬ 
careous  nature  of  the  natural  soil,  and  suitably  drained  to 
avoid  stagnant  moisture.  Large  and  otherwise  flourishing 
Apricot  trees  have  been  known  hardly  ever  to  bear  a  good 
crop  of  fruit  owing  to  the  sandy  and  too  dry  a  condition  of 
tne  soii,  to  afford  an  insufficiency  of  nourishment,  either  to 
•setting  the  embryo  fruit  or  the  stoning  process.  It  would 
appear  to  be  somewhat  of  an  anomaly  why  Apricots  should 
suffer  under  the  same  conditions  that  other  trees,  such  as 
the  Peach,  Nectarine,  and  Fig,  grow  healthily.  Probably 
the  chief  cause  may  be  ascribed  to  the  fact  that  the  Apricot 
possesses  a  comparatively  large  amount  of  foliage  to  sup¬ 
port  causing  a  greater  demand  on  the  roots  than  they  can 
supply.  Ihis  perta  ns  more  particularly  to  trees  growing 
m  a  light  dry  .vi'.  sn  that  ffm  foliage  itnl)  bes  a'l  the  water 
it  can  secuie,  and  the  fruit  thereby  falls  prematurely  from 
lack  of  nounshment. 
Old  Specimen  Trees. 
In  exernplificat  on  of  my  contention,  or  advocacy,  of  a 
heavy  medium  for  the  successful  cultivation  of  the  Apricot, 
I  remark  that  for  a  period  of  upwards  of  twenty  years 
1  had  the  management  of  several  fine  old  trees  in  a  garden 
I 
containing  an  underlying  stratum  of  stiff  lias  clay  on  a 
sharp  slope,  thus  facilitating  drainage  of  excessive  rain  or 
o^er  natural  flow  of  water.  The  site  had  a  south  aspect. 
The  trees  occupied  a  position  against  the  upper  south  walls, 
the  varieties  being  Moorpark  and  the  Peacn-Apricot.  With 
the  aid  of  protection  afforded  by  frigi  domo  curtains  during 
the  flowering  period,  good  crops  were  almost  invariably 
secured  ;  while  on  more  than  one  occasion  fruit  of  the  Peach 
variety  obtained  first  prize  at  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society’s  exhibitions.  The  roots  of  the  trees  were  allowed 
to  ramify  year  after  year  without  being  interfered  with,  and 
any  extraneous  food  was  probably  supplied  by  the  annual 
manurings  of  the  borders  for  the  benefit  of  vegetables,  and 
occasionally  Strawberries. 
There  was  also  a  tree  each  of  the  Breda  and  Orange 
varieties,  grown  for  preserving  purposes.  Both  usually  bore 
very  good  crops  of  fruit.  If  the  trees  are  still  alive  (it  is 
about  twenty  years  since  I  last  saw  them)  they  must  be  hard 
upon  their  centenary.  One  in  particular  was  a  fine  specimen 
— -about  30ft  high,  growing  against  a  stone  built  stable  wall, 
with  an  eastern  aspect.  The  tree  was  partly  shaded  by  high 
Elms,  growing  in  the  grounds,  outside  of  the  lower  end  of 
the  kitchen  and  fruit  garden.  The  roots  of  the  tree  had 
evidently  penetrated  deeply  into  the  stiff  clay,  as  the  foliage, 
especiallv  during  extra  wet  seasons,  assumed  a  slightly  un¬ 
healthy  hue.  It  was  the  largest  Apricot  tree  I  remember 
ever  to  have  seen  or  heard  of  in  this  country.  A  significant 
circumstance  was  that  rarely  the  Apricot  trees  in  the  garden 
in  question  lost  branches,  or  were  trained  fan-shape  from 
close  to  the  ground.  This  raised  the  question  regarding  the 
most  suitable  stock  for  the  Apricot,  and  of  which  there  ever 
has  been  a  considerable  amount  of  physiological  speculation. 
Some  authorities  claim  that  the  “  gumming  ”  and  decay  of 
the  branches,  specially  inherent  in  certain  varieties,  such 
as  the  Moorpark,  for  instance,  is  attributable  to  influence 
of  the  stock  employed  for  grafting  or  budding  upon.  Doubt¬ 
less  there  exists  a  considerable  modicum  of  truth  in  the 
matter.  It  has  been  proved  that  the  stock  upon  which  some 
of  the  sorts  are  budded  has  a  great  influence  upon  the 
longevity  of  the  trees. 
Stocks. 
The  stock  generally  adopted  is  that  of  certain  kinds  of  the 
Plum,  such  as  the  St.  Julien,  Damascus,  or  Myrobalan. 
What  has  been  deemed  a  more  natural  and  suitable  stock 
is  that  from  the  seed  of  the  wild  Apricot,  or  what  has  been 
found  to  be  even  more  satisfactory  in  the  native  countries 
of  the  Apricot,  are  the  stocks  procured  from  the  seed  of 
the  finest  varieties.  The  Plum  stock  is  especially  suit¬ 
able  as  a  standard  by  reason  of  its  vigorous  growth.  It 
has  been  reported,  nevertheless,  that  in  some  districts 
in  France  that  the  Plum  stock  is  not  conducive  to 
longevity  of  the  Apricot ;  that  the  average  durat  An  of 
the  Apricot  grafted  on  it  does  not  exceed  four  years.  The 
scion  grows  at  first  very  vigorouslv — then  dies.  The  stock 
continues  to  flourish.  As  previously  mentioned,  no  doubt 
the  nature  of  the  soil  is  a  chief  factor  in  influencing  the 
well-being  of  the  Apricot,  and  probably  to  a  greater  extent 
than  the  atmosphere.  But  we  have  greater  facilities  for 
adopting  the  former  than  for  controlling  the  latter.  Apropos 
of  the  nature  of  the  soil,  I  am  reminded  of 
Oxfordshire, 
where  a  large  area  of  the  county’s  geological  formation  is, 
I  believe,  of  a  calcareous  nature,  and  eminently  suited  to 
the  Apricot,  as  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  in  no  other  part 
of  the  country  was  the  Apricot  cultivated  to  so  great  an 
extent.  In  the  viflages  nearly  every  cottage  was  furnished 
with  a  tree,  whilst  also  being  extensively  grown  in  the  gardens 
of  the  wealthy  proprietor.  For  instance,  I  am  reminded  of 
the  fine  old  trees  with  their  abundant  crops  of  fine  fiuit  in 
the  gardens  at  Blenheim  Palace,  also  of  those  in  the  gardens 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Woodstock.  My  first  acquaintance 
with  Woodstock  was  in  the  early  fift'es  as  a  budding 
“  Knight  of  the  Spade,”  in  company  with  my  father,  when 
on  a  visit  to  Mr.  Turnbull,  the  celebrated  gardener  and 
nrower  of  Pineapples,  hybridist,  and  cultivator  of  Cape 
Heaths  at  Blenheim.  The  crops  of  Apricots  produced  were 
notorious.  My  next  visit  was  about  nine  years  ago  ;  but  lo  ! 
what  a  change  had  come  o’er  the  scene,  as  only  the 
remnants  of  the  fine  old  fan-shaped  Apricots  were  to  be 
seen,  these  having  by  degrees  died  out.  But  Mr.  Whellan 
Avas  replacing  them  with  young  trees — evidently  old  age 
was  chiefly  responsible  for  the  decay  of  the  veterans. -- 
W.  Gakdiner,  Birmingham. 
