458 Transactions of the 



APRICOTS AND ALMONDS. 



The apricot is also a profitable fruit to grow wherever the peach suc- 

 ceeds, if only for drying and preserving. 



The almond is but recently receiving the attention it so justly deserves 

 in this country, as one of the most profitable trees for fruit growers to 

 cultivate. There are some varieties grown nearly all over the State, 

 and I believe there is no crop more to be relied on for profit than the 

 almond. California ought to supply the market of the United States. 

 Mr. Taylor, near Marysville, has recently planted ten thousand trees for 

 himself of the Languedoc variety. That is the best variety, all things 

 considered, that I have seen yet. 



THE GRAPE. 



I shall not mention any other kind of fruit except grapes, which are 

 of equal or greater interest to fruitgrowers in California than any other. 

 In considering grapes as a profitable crop to cultivate, I will mention 

 four purposes for which it is worth the especial attention of all fruit- 

 growers in the State, for it succeeds everywhere upon all kinds of lands 

 for some one of the four purposes I shall mention, with perhaps less 

 care and more certainty than any other kind of fruit. We arc cultivat- 

 ing the grape for wine and brandy; we are cultivating it to supply our 

 market with the choicest table varieties; also for raisins, and for ship- 

 ment to Eastern markets. For all these purposes we must have varie- 

 ties especial!}' adapted. For wine and brandy I am not prepared to say 

 which varieties are most desirable, although the common Mission has 

 been cultivated and is used more extensively for those purposes than 

 any other, but I do not believe wine men regard it as the most valuable 

 variety. For raisins, I consider the White* Muscat of Alexandria the 

 1 • st. It is a well known and most delicious grape, and is the variety 

 that makes the fine Muscatel raisins imported from Spain. California 

 ought to supply the market of the United States with raisins as well as 

 almonds. Some of the finest varieties to cultivate for our home market 

 are Black Hamburg, Black Morocco, Black Prince, Black Muscat of 

 Alexandria, White Muscat of Alexandria, Cannon Hall Muscat. JRoyal 

 Muscadine, and Beine de Nice. For varieties for shipping East there 

 are very few that can be shipped successfully, as they are necessarily 

 confined to firm-fleshed varieties. The Cannon Hall Muscat and Beine 

 de Nice I think are the best that are cultivated to any extent as yet. 

 The White Lisbon I regard as superior to either of these, having bunches 

 large and loose, berries oval, skin greenish white, flesh firm and crack- 

 ling, not very juicy, but with a sweet and refreshing flavor. It is this 

 grape that is imported from Portugal in such large quantities to supply 

 the Eastern markets. I have no doubt but it will succeed as well hero 

 as all other varieties that have been tested. There may be others that 

 can be shipped in perfect order; but whatever fine varieties you can 

 ship East in perfect order will find an almost unlimited market, with 

 prices that will pay handsomely where they can be grown so easily as 

 in California, 



