270 HORTICULTURE [FRUITS. removed. The young bearing shoots are moderately pruned at the points, care being, however, taken to leave a terminal shoot or leader to each branch. The most common error in the pruning of apricots is laying in the bearing shoots too thickly ; the branches naturally diverge in fan training, and when they extend so as to be about 15 inches apart, a fresh branch should be laid in, to be again sub divided as required. The blossoms of the apricot open early in spring, but are more hardy than those of the peach ; the same means of protection when necessary may be employed for both. If the fruit sets too numerously, it is thinned out in June and in the beginning of July, the later thinnings being used for tarts. In the south of England, where the soil is suitable, the hardier sorts of apricot, as the Breda and Brussels bear well as standard trees in favourable seasons. In such cases the trees may be planted from 20 to 25 feet apart. Forcing. The ripening of the fruit of the apricot may be acceler ated by culture under glass, the trees being either planted out like peaches, or grown in pots on the orchard-house system. They must be very gently excited, since they naturally bloom when the spring temperature is comparatively low. At first a maximum of 40" only must be permitted ; after two or three weeks it may be raised to 45, and later on to 50 and 55, and thus continued till the trees are in flower, air being freely admitted, and the minimum or night temperature ranging from 40 to 45. After the fruit is set the temperature should be gradually raised, being kept higher in clear weather than in dull. When the fruit has stoned, the temperature may be raised to 60 or 65 by day and 60 by night ; and for ripening off it may be allowed to reach 70 or 80 by sun heat. The Moorpark is undoubtedly the host apricot in cultivation, and should be planted for all general purposes ; the Peach is a very similar variety, not quite identical ; and the If emskerk is also similar, but hardier. The Large Early, which ripens in the end of July and beginning of August, and the Kaisha, a sweet-kernellcd variety, which ripens in the middle of August, are also to be recommended. For standard trees in favourable localities the Breda and Brussels may be added. See APRICOT, vol. ii. p. 214. 118. The Cherry, Cerasus avium and C. vulgaris, is increased by budding on the wild gean, obtained by sowing the stones of the small black or red wild cherries. To secure very dwarf trees, the Cerasus Mahaleb has been used for the May Duke, Kentish, Morello, and analogous sorts, but it is not adapted for strong-growing varieties like the Bigarreaus. The stocks are budded, or, more rarely, grafted, at the usual seasons. The cherry prefers a free, loamy soil, with a well-drained subsoil. Stiff soils and dry gravelly subsoils are both unsuitable, though the trees require a large amount of moisture, particularly the large-leaved sorts, such as the Bigarreaus. For standard trees, the Bigarreau section should be planted 30 feet apart, or more in rich soil, and the May Duke, Morello, and similar varieties 20 or 25 feet apart ; while, as trained trees against walls and espaliers, from 20 to 24 feet should be allowed for the former, and from 15 to 20 feet for the latter. In forming the stems of a standard tree, the temporary side-shoots should not be allowed to attain too great a length, and should not be more than two years old when they are cut close to the stem. The first three shoots retained to form the head should be shortened to about 15 inches, and two shoots from each encouraged, one at the end, and the other 3 or 4 inches lower down. When these have become established, very little pruning will be required, and that chiefly to keep the principal branches as nearly equal in strength as possible for the first few years. Espalier trees should have the branches about a foot apart, starting from the stem with an upward curve, and then being trained hori zontally. In summer pruning the shoots on the upper branches must be shortened at least a week before those on the lower ones. After a year or two clusters of fruit buds will be developed on spurs along the branches, and those spurs will continue productive for an indefinite period. For wall trees any form of training may be adopted ; but as the fruit is always finest on young spurs, fan-training is probably the most advantageous. A succession of young shoots should be laid in every year. The Morello, which is of twiggy growth, and bears on the young wood, must be trained in the fan form, and care should be taken to avoid the very common error of crowding its branches. Forcing. The cherry will not endure a high temperature nor a close atmosphere. A heat of 45 at night will be sufficient at starting, this being gradually increased during the first few weeks to 55, but lowered again when the blossom buds are about to open. After stoning the temperature may be again gradually raised to 60, and may go up to 70 by day, or 75 by sun heat, and 60 at night. The best forcing cherries are the May Duke and the Eoyal Duke, the Duke cherries being of more compact growth than the Bigarreau tribe, and generally setting better ; nevertheless a few of the larger kinds, such as Bigarreau Napoleon, Black Tartarian, and St Mar garet s, should be forced for variety. The trees may be either planted out in tolerably rich soil, or grown in large pots of good turfy friable calcareous loam mixed with rotten dung. If the plants are small, they may be put into 12-inch pots in the first instance, and after a year shifted into 15-inch pots early in autumn, and plunged in some loose or even, very slightly fermenting material. The soil of Archduke, D Royal Duke, D Joc-o-sot, B Buttner s Yellow, B Biittner s Black Heart, B. Bigarreau, B . .m. July, .m. July, .m. July, .m July. . .m July, .m July. Reine Hortensc, D Kentish, M., K . .m e. July, in e. July. Morello, M., K . .July-Oct. Bigarreau Xapole on, B. Duchesse de Pallnau, D. St Margaret s, B Florence B . .e. July. . .e. July. ( e. July,
b. Aug.
Biittner s October,D. K. vol. v. p. 586. . . October. the pots should be protected from snow-showers and cold rains. Occasionally trees have been taken up in autumn with balls, potted, and forced in the following spring ; but those which have been established a year in the pots are to be preferred. Such only as are well furnished with blossom-buds should be selected. The trees should be removed to the forcing house in the beginning of December, if fruit be required very early in the season. During the first and second weeks it may be kept nearly close ; but, as vegetation advances, air becomes absolutely necessary during the day, and even at night when the weather will permit. If forcing is com menced about the middle or third week of December, the fruit ought to be ripe by about the end of March. After the fruit is gathered, the trees should be duly supplied with water at the root, and the foliage kept well syringed till the wood is mature. The following are some of the best varieties now in cultivation. B. signifies that they belong to the Bigarreau, D. to the May Duke, and M. to the Morello section ; K. indicates that they are specially adapted for culinary purposes ; and b., m., and e, show that they are in use at beginning, middle, and end respectively of the month stated : Belle d Orleans, B b. m. June. Early Purple Gean, B m. June. Early Red Bigarreau, B. . .m.e. June. Early Jaboulay, B e. June. Early Lyons, B e. June. Early Rivers, B e. June. Black Tartarian, B -| j 6 Bigarreau Noir de ) T , Schmidt, B., } Jul y- Frogmore Early, B b. July. Elton, B b. July. Black Eagle, B b. July. Governor Wood, B b. July. May Duke, D. (on walls) | , e ; j* See CHERRY, 119. The Cranberry. The American cranberry, Oxycoccus ma- Cran- crocarpus, grows freely in beds of peat soil or bog earth formed for berry, their reception in any damp situation. Beds are often prepared around the edges of a pond by depositing a layer of rubble or stones at the bottom, and over these a good thickness of peat or bog earth mixed with sand, extending about 6 inches below and about 4 inches above the usual level of the water surface. On this bed the cranberry plants should be put in at 2 feet apart, in autumn or spring; spreading in all directions, they will soon cover the whole surface with a dense mat of trailing shoots. The common cranberry, Oxycoccus palustris, a native of Britain, bears fruit which is inferior to that of the American cranberry in size and quality. The plants may be treated in the same manner, and in some places are very successfully cultivated. See CHAN- BERRY, vol. vi. p. 545. 120. The Currants are among the most useful of small fruits. Currai The red and the white currant are included as varieties under Uibes rubrum, the white being a pale-fruited variety of the red. The black currant is the produce of Ribes nigrum. Of both types there are several greatly improved varieties. lied and white currants are readily propagated by cuttings. They succeed in any well-enriched garden soil, but thrive best in warm moist situations, where they enjoy an abundance of air ; occasional!} they are trained perpendicularly against low walls or fences. As bushes they are best planted in compartments by themselves, at about 5 or 6 feet apart each way, and should be on clean single stems some 8 or 10 inches long. They are sometimes trained as standards on single stems, 3 or 4 feet high, in which form the fruit is more accessible. The winter pruning consists in shortening the young bearing wood on the sides of the branches so as to form spurs of an inch or two in length. The leading shoots are left about 6 inches long. Some cultivators reduce the young shoots to about half their length as soon as the fruit begins to colour, which is found to increase the size and improve the flavour of the berries. The black currant thrives best in a moist deep soil and shady situation. Its culture is much the same as that of the other cur rants, but the young shoots are not spurred, all the pruning neces sary being to keep the branches thinned out so as to stand clear of each other, and to promote the formation of young wood. If the fruit is intended for preserving, it should not be gathered while wet, nor, if it can be avoided, immediately after a wet period. Aphides often cluster in vast numbers at the extremities of the summer shoots, especially of red and white currants, and should be destroyed by cutting off and burning the parts infested, or by ap plying some of the many insecticides. The following are the best sorts of currants for general pur poses : Tied. Red Dutch, Knight s Large Red, Jlonghtnn Seedling or Orangefleld (late), Gondouin or Raby Castle (late), Lace-leaved or Large Sweet Red, Chmapagne (flesh-coloured}. Wliitfl. White Dutch, ilmot s Large White. Black. Black Naples, Black Grape or Ogden s, Lee s Prolific,
See CURRANTS, vol. vi. p. 715.
