bitant here for more than 130 years, as Sir William died in 1700, at the age of 72. An old workman is now (1830) employed in the gardens at Moorpark, who remembers quite well what had always been considered as the original tree, and he points out the place where it stood; but this tree has been dead some years, and its place is now occupied by an Orange Apricot, which appears to have been planted ten or twelve years ago. Mr. Hooker, in his Pomona Londinensis, says it was introduced by Lord Anson, and cultivated in his garden at Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire: the former account, however, would appear to be most correct; as the fruit in question is known in almost every county in England by the name of Moorpark, whilst the name of Anson's appears to be prevalent in the county of Norfolk principally. The pervious passage in its stone has not been noticed by any of our writers till lately, nor is it readily discovered; its aperture is in a small groove on the thin side near its base, a pin inserted into which and pushed forward will open its further orifice, and thus effect its passage through the stone. 7. ORANGE. Miller, No. 2. Early Orange. Hort. Soc. Cat. No. 14. Royal Orange. Ib. 15. Fruit larger than the Masculine, about five inches in circumference each way, and of a roundish figure. Suture with a considerable swelling on one of its sides, and having a deep hollow base. Skin pale orange, on the side next the wall, and when fully ripe, of a deep orange tinged with red, and spotted with dark purple next the sun. Flesh deep orange, succulent, and well flavoured. Stone small, orbicular, thick in the middle, and nearly smooth, not separating clean from the flesh. Kernel sweet, like that of the Breda and Turkey. Ripe the beginning and middle of August. 8. PEACH APRICOT. Forsyth. Ed. 3. No. 9. Abricot Pêche. Abricot Pêche. Abricot de Nancy. Pom. Franc. t. 7. f. 10. Imperial Anson's. Hort. Soc. Cat. No. 5. Fruit very large, frequently from eight to nine inches in circumference, deeply hollowed at its base, and compressed on its sides. Suture well defined, with a thickening on one of its sides. Skin pale yellow in the shade; but of a deep orange, shaded, and mottled with dark brown, on the sunny side. Flesh firm, deep orange, and full of a very high-flavoured juice. Stone with a pervious passage, and a bitter kernel. Ripe, end of August and beginning of September. The Peach Apricot is supposed by some to be the same as the Moorpark; and, indeed, it has all its leading characters; but an extensive cultivation of it for more than twenty years has convinced me to the contrary. Its wood is similar, but more gross, less firm, and the tree more tender. Mr. Forsyth says it was introduced from Paris, by his Grace the Duke of Northumberland, in 1767. It is the largest and the best of all the apricots. A tree of this sort was planted in the gardens at Holkham forty years ago, where I have seen fruit of an extraordinary size under the management of Mr. Sandys, who has frequently had them of six ounces and a half in weight, and in any season three of them would weigh a pound avoirdupois. 9. PURPLE. Pom. Franc. 1. p. 36. t. 5. f. 8. Abricot Angoumois. Duhamel, No. 4. t. 3. Fruit nearly spherical, about five inches in circum- ference. apex. Skin covered with a very fine velvety down, of a pale red on the shaded side, of a deep red or purple on the side next the sun. Flesh pale red, except near the stone, where it is of a deep orange colour, from which it separates. Juice subacid, with a somewhat astringent, but pleasant flavour. Kernel sweet. Ripe the middle and end of August. This singular little Apricot is highly esteemed in France, from whence it was introduced by Sir Joseph Banks, and bore fruit for the first time in this country, in his garden at Spring Grove, in 1799. At a short distance it has more the appearance of an Orleans Plum than an Apricot. 10. RED MASCULINE. Hort. Soc. Cat. No. 9. Masculine. Langley, p. 88. t. 15. fig. 1. Miller, No. 1. Abricot Précoce. Duhamel, No. 1. t. 1. Abricot Hâtif Musqué. Ib. Fruit small, of a roundish figure, about four inches and a half in circumference each way. Suture rather rather deep, and considerably swelled on one of its sides. Skin pale orange next the wall; when fully exposed, of a red colour next the sun, marked with dark red or purplish spots. Flesh pale or orange, full of a sweet musky juice. Stone obtuse, thick, smooth, and separates clean from the flesh. Kernel bitter. Ripe the middle and end of July. The Masculine Apricot ripened at Twickenham in 1727, on a south wall, May 21st.-Langley. This is the earliest Apricot cultivated in England. The tree is tender, and requires to be planted on a south, or south-east aspect, in a warm and sheltered situation, without which the crops are seldom abundant. 11. ROMAN. Langley, Pom. p. 89. t. 15. f. 9. Pom. Mag. t. 13. Abricot Commun. Duhamel, 1. p. 135. t. 2. Fruit middle-sized, in form slightly compressed, inclining to oval. Skin dull straw colour, with a little dotting of orange or red on the sunny side, but in such small quantity, that the skin has always a pallid appearance. Suture shallow. Flesh dull pale straw colour, soft, dry, rather meally, with a little sweetness and acidity. Stone flat, oblong, rather obtuse at each end, with a very even surface, separating from the flesh. Kernel very bitter. Ripe the middle of August. The Roman Apricot is the most common in our gardens; its principal recommendations are its hardiness and plentiful bearing. It is best before fully ripe. 12. ROYAL. Pom. Mag. t. 2. Abricot Royale. Bon. Jard. 1827. p. 288. Fruit next in size to the Moorpark, rather oval, slightly compressed. Skin dull yellow, slightly coloured with red on a small space. Suture shallow. Flesh pale orange, very firm, sweet, juicy, and high-flavoured, with a slight degree of acidity. Stone large, oval, not adhering to the flesh, blunt at each end, with scarcely any passage in the edge. Kernel slightly bitter; much less so than in the Moorpark. Ripe the beginning of August, a week or ten days before the Moorpark. Raised a few years ago in the royal garden of the Luxembourg, and first noticed in the Bon Jardinier of 1826, where it is considered as a better fruit than that of the Moorpark. 13. TURKEY. Miller, No. 5. Pom. Mag. t. 25. Large Turkey. Hort. Soc. Cat. No. 26. Fruit about the middle size, in form nearly spherical, not compressed like the Moorpark. Skin very handsome deep yellow, with a number of rich, brownish, orangered spots and blotches next the sun. Flesh pale yellow, firm, juicy, sweet, with a little acid, very rich and ex cellent. Stone separating freely, in figure like that of the Moorpark, but without the pervious passage. Kernel quite sweet, like that of an almond. Ripe about the middle or latter end of August. The Turkey and Roman Apricots are continually confounded with each other, and yet their characters are obviously and clearly distinct. The Turkey is spherical, more deeply coloured, with a sweet kernel; the Roman is somewhat oval, slightly compressed, dull straw-coloured, and has a very bitter kernel, it also ripens a few days sooner. The Abricot de Nancy of Duhamel (fructu maximo compresso, as he defines it) has been quoted in the Pom. Mag. as a synonym of the Turkey; but the well-known globular, uncompressed character of the latter, leads me to consider it as an accidental mistake. 14. WHITE MASCULINE. Forsyth, Ed. 7. No. 5. Abricot Blanc. Duhamel, No. 2. Fruit similar to that of the Red Masculine in size and figure. Skin nearly white; a pale straw colour on the side next the wall, but of a pale yellow, shaded and mottled with a reddish brown, on the side next the sun. Flesh white, very delicate, and adheres slightly to the stone. Juice sweet, with an agreeable peach-like flavour. Kernel bitter. Ripe the end of July. This succeeds the Red Masculine in its time of ripening, and in France it is considered the better fruit of the two; but like that, it is tender, and requires to be planted against a south, or south-east wall, and to have a warm sheltered situation, to insure productive crops. A Selection of Apricots for a small Garden in the Southern and Midland Counties of England. |