and clay, or other material that will keep the air from the wound. Wherever gum appears cut away the diseased part till sound wood is found, covering the wound as just described. A longtitudinal cut along the main branches and trunk of the tree will often be of value, as it seems to relieve the tree of surplus sap and allow it to make a healthy growth. As gumming is seldom present to any extent in the soils and districts that are best suited to the growth of the apricot, the best of all remedies is to only grow the apricot under such conditions.

Varieties of the Apricot.

Dr. Hogg in his Fruit Manual mentions and describes some thirty-five kinds of apricots, but this list does not include many varieties of French, American, or Australian origin, though it includes nearly all of the best standard sorts. The descriptions which follow are mostly compiled from Dr. Hogg, and the illustrations are reproduced from the Californian Report that I have previously alluded to. I will only describe a few varieties, and those that I consider to be the best, as a multiplicity of kinds is very undesirable.

Moorpark. When grown to perfection this variety is, in my opinion, the best of all the apricots. It is of large size, roundish and flattened on the sides, marked with a shallow sature, which is swollen on one side, giving the

Moorpark

fruit an uneven appearance. In colour it is yellow in the shade, and orange, speckled with brownish red, in the sun. The flesh is a dark orange colour, firm, sweet, rich, and juicy. The pit, of which a drawing is given, has a hellow channel along the back (pervious), and the kernel is bitter. The tree is a strong grower, and where the soil and climate is suitable to it, it is a heavy and constant bearer. It is a very shy bearer on the coast, doing best in the warm dry districts. At Mildura it does especially well, and has shown itself to be a constant bearer. It is a first-class dessert fruit, and, I think, the best canning and drying apricot that we have. It keeps its shape well when canned and dries heavy, 5 lb. of green fruit producing 1 of dry under favourable conditions. If over-irrigated it dries much lighter.

Peach.-A large first quality apricot of the Moorpark type. The fruit is more oval, and the pit, which is pervious, is larger and flatter than in that variety, though the colour of the fruit and flesh is very similar. It is a valuable dessert, canning, and drying fruit, though it dries somewhat lighter than the Moorpark. This variety must not be confounded with Oullins

Peach.

Early Peach, which is an early form of the peach apricot, but is inferior to it for drying, as it dries much lighter, taking from 6 to 7 lb. of green to 1 of dry.

Hemskerk. Also a large first quality apricot of the Moorpark type, but often a good bearer where that variety does not thrive. In colour it is yellow,

Hemskirke.

with a red cheek, and the flesh is orange. The pit is small and kernel bitter. Its habit of growth is very similar to that of the Moorpark, but the tree is

usually more healthy. It is a first-class dessert, drying, and canning fruit, and has the advantage over the Moorpark of ripening evenly, whereas the Moorpark usually ripens one side of the fruit before the other.

Royal. A medium-sized apricot of French origin-the most popular and widely grown variety in California, where it is found to be a constant and heavy bearer, so much so that it is apt to over-bear, and unless the trees are

Royal.

well thinned the fruit is often small. It is at least a week earlier than the Moorpark. In colour it is dull yellow, with a tinge of red in the sun; flesh is pale orange, firm, rich, and juicy; pit, impervious; kernel, bitter. It is a first-class canner and drier.

Shipley's, or Blenheim.-A medium-sized apricot, very similar to the Royal, but of paler colour and more tender skin; the flesh is a deep yellow

Blenheim.

colour, of fine flavour; pit impervious; kernel bitter. The tree is a very strong grower and, usually, a good bearer. It is probable that this variety

will do well on the coast, and if so, it should be largely planted to replace the worthless varieties so commonly grown. It is a good canning and drying fruit, the bright golden colour of a well-dried sample being very attractive. St. Ambroise.-A large showy apricot, ripe before the Royal. In shape it is oval and flattened; colour, deep yellow with reddish tinge on the sunny side; flesh yellow, rich, sweet and juicy; pit large, flat, impervious; kernel bitter. Tree a strong grower, but requires pruning to inner buds as it is apt to be of a weeping growth. Is not likely to do on the coast, but will

St Ambrose.

probably crop well inland. A first-class dessert fruit that carries well, and should, therefore, be valuable for growing in suitable localities and shipping to Sydney, as it would come in at a time that first-class apricots are scarce. It is also a good canner and dryer, though it does not dry as heavy as the varieties previously mentioned.

Large Early.

Large Early.-A large showy apricot, valuable for its earliness as well as being a first-class dessert fruit. Not likely to do well on the coast, but does