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APRICOT (from the Lat. praecox, or pr...

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Originally appearing in Volume V02, Page 230 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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APRICOT (from the See also:Lat. praecox, or praecoquus, ripened See also:early, coquere, to See also:cook, or ripen; the See also:English See also:form, formerly " apricock " and " abrecox," comes through the Fr. abricot, from the Span. albaricoque, which was an See also:adaptation of the Arabic al-burquk, i  tself a rendering of the See also:late Gr . 7rpeK6KKta or apcoKOKCOV, adapted from the Latin; the derivation from in aprico coctus is a See also:mere guess), the See also:fruit of Prunus armeniaca, also called Armeniaca vulgaris . Under the former name it is regarded as a See also:species of the genus to which the plums belong, the latter establishes it as a distinct genus of the natural See also:order See also:Rosaceae . The See also:apricot is, like the See also:plum, a See also:stone fruit, cultivated generally throughout temperate regions, and used chiefly in the See also:form of preserves and in tarts . The See also:tree has See also:long been cultivated in See also:Armenia (hence the name Armeniaca); it is a native of See also:north See also:China and other parts of temperate See also:Asia . It See also:flowers very See also:early in the See also:season, and is a See also:hardy tree, but the fruit will scarcely ripen in See also:Britain unless the tree is trained against a See also:wall . A See also:great number of varieties of the apricot, as of most cultivated fruits, are distinguished by cultivators . The kernels of several varieties are edible, and in See also:Egypt those of the Musch-Musch variety form a considerable See also:article of See also:commerce . The See also:French liqueur Eau de noyaux is prepared from See also:bitter apricot kernels . Large quantities of fruit are imported from See also:France into the See also:United See also:Kingdom . The apricot is propagated by budding on the See also:mussel or See also:common plum stock . The tree succeeds in See also:good well-drained loamy See also:soil, rather See also:light than heavy .

It is usually grown as a wall tree, the See also:

east and See also:west aspects being preferred to the See also:south, which induces mealiness in the fruit, though in See also:Scotland the best aspects are necessary . The'most usual and best mode of training is the See also:fan method . The fruit is produced on shoots of the preceding See also:year, and on small See also:close spurs formed on the two-year-old See also:wood . The trees should be planted about 20 ft. apart . The summer pruning should begin early in See also:June, at which See also:period all the irregular fore-right and useless shoots are pinched off; and, shortly afterwards, those which remain are fastened to the wall . At the See also:winter pruning all branches not duly furnished with spurs and fruit buds are removed . The See also:young bearing shoots are moderately pruned at the points, care being, however, taken to leave a terminal shoot or See also:leader to each See also:branch . The most common See also: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 in. apart, a fresh branch should be laid in, to be again subdivided as required . The blossoms of the apricot open early in See also:spring, but are more hardy than those of thepeach; the same means of See also: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 See also:July, the later thinnings being used for tarts . In the south of See also:England, where the soil is suitable, the hardier sorts of apricot, as the See also:Breda and See also:Brussels, See also:bear well as See also:standard trees in favourable seasons . In such cases the trees may be planted from 20 to 25 ft. apart .

The ripening of the fruit of the apricot is accelerated by culture under See also:

glass, the trees being either planted out like peaches or grown in pots on the See also:orchard-See also:house See also:system . They must be very gently excited, since they naturally See also:bloom when the spring temperature is comparatively See also:low . At first a maximum of 400 only must be permitted; after two or three See also:weeks it may be raised to 45°, and later on to 5o° and 55°, and thus continued till the trees are in See also:flower, See also:air being freely admitted, and the minimum or See also:night temperature ranging from 40° to 45° . After the fruit is set the temperature should be gradually raised, being kept higher in clear See also:weather than in dull . When the fruit has stoned, the temperature may be raised to 6o° or 65° by See also:day and 6o° by night; and for ripening off it may be allowed to reach 70° or 8o° by See also:sun See also:heat . The Moorpark is one of the best and most useful sorts in cultivation, and should be planted for all See also:general purposes; the See also:Peach is a very similar variety, not quite identical; and the Hemskerk is also similar, but hardier . The Large Early, which ripens in the end of July and beginning of See also:August, and the Kaisha, a sweet-kernelled variety, which ripens in the See also:middle of August, are also to be recommended . For standard trees in favourable localities the Breda and Brussels may be added .

End of Article: APRICOT (from the Lat. praecox, or praecoquus, ripened early, coquere, to cook, or ripen; the English form, formerly " apricock " and " abrecox," comes through the Fr. abricot, from the Span. albaricoque, which was an adaptation of the Arabic al-burquk, i
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THEDOR MATVYEEVICH APRAKSIN (1671-1728)
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