328 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



dren or three horses would be distinguished when I thought of 

 them. I feel as much attachment for Puffy as I possibly could 

 for an intelligent and faithful dog. His crippled wing has proba- 

 bly made him unusually docile and tractable, but, whatever may 

 be the cause of his goodness, he certainly is a model of patience, 

 placidity, and birdly virtue. This, in combination with pluck, 

 which leads him to charge upon and vanquish dogs, cats, and do- 

 mestic fowls, and a magnanimity which enabled him to roost for 

 weeks alongside of an old hen, will make him worthy of owlish 

 canonization when in good time he is gathered to his fathers. 



ALMOND CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 



By HENRY J. PHILPOTT. 



DURING the fiscal year ending June 30, 1890, the American 

 people imported 5,715,858 pounds of almonds, valued at 

 $813,278. The value of all other nuts imported was $800,376. I 

 confess my surprise at this fact, that we spend more money for 

 almonds than for all other imported nuts put together. It would 

 not be so surprising if this were the cheapest of our imported 

 nuts. But, on the contrary, it is the highest priced, not only 

 in the countries of exportation whence we draw our supplies, 

 but still more so to the consumer in this country, on account 

 of the higher import duty. The duty on almonds is five cents a 

 pound if unshelled, and seven cents and a half if shelled. The 

 highest duty on any other nut is three cents on filberts and 

 walnuts. 



The average import price of the almonds was fourteen cents 

 and a quarter, and of the filberts and walnuts 5"7 cents. The 

 almonds imported were almost exactly half shelled and half un- 

 shelled, which would make the duty average six cents and a quar- 

 ter ; and so, adding the duty to the import prices, the prices in 

 this country, duty paid, were 20'5 cents for almonds and 8*7 cents 

 for filberts and walnuts. Thus our preference for the almonds 

 seems to be conclusively established, in spite of the fact that our 

 imports by weight of filberts and walnuts were nearly double 

 those of almonds. 



The home production of all these nuts is still so small that we 

 have no reliable statistics of it. California produces both almonds 

 and walnuts, but in small patches only. The southern end of the 

 State has a considerable walnut belt, but the almond orchards are 

 widely scattered. The area suitable for almond culture is con- 

 fined to small spots distributed over the whole length of the State. 

 It is doubtful whether there is enough of it all told to supply the 



