Page 4 



BETTER FRUIT 



April, ig20 



Courtesy College uf Ayriciillure, Berkeley, California 

 Showing almond trees that have been deheaded and topworked. This illustration 

 shows the trees after the tops have had two seasons' growth and just alter they 



had been pruned. 



wood makes it the finest kind of fuel 

 and when old orchards are being dug 

 up the returns from the sale of wood 

 often more than pay for the expense 

 of digging and cutting up the trees and 

 burning the brush. 



The nuts are of two general classes — 

 sweet and bitter almonds. The former 

 is primarily the almond of commerce, 

 though the latter is used largely in the 

 manufacture of almond oil and almond 

 flavoring, as well as in the manufacture 

 of prussic acid. The bitter almond is 

 also used largely in nurseries as a root- 

 stock upon which to bud the almond 

 and some other fruits. 



For a long time there has been con- 

 siderable evidence to show that some 

 varieties are always self-sterile while 

 a few are sometimes self-fertile. Work 

 done in 1916 and 1917 by Prof. Tufts 

 shows that practically all varieties are 

 self-sterile and that some of the self- 

 sterile varieties are also inter-sterile. 

 In these tests the principal commercial 

 varieties were used. Blossoms of each 

 variety were pollenized with pollen 

 from its own blossoms and from each of 

 the others. Checks were for natural 

 pollination with each variety. The im- 

 portant results of this work arc briefly 

 summarized as follows: 



The Nonpariel and I.X.L. are inter- 

 sterile, although both are inter-fertile 

 with the Ne Plus Ultra. 



The Langucdoc and Texas are inter- 

 sterile. 



The I.X.L. and Peerless are practically 

 inter-sterile. 



The California has proved the best 

 pollenizer thus far tested, for all varie- 

 ties that bloom near it. 



The Drake is inter-fertile with the 

 Nonpareil, I.X.L., Ne Plus Ultra, Peer- 

 less and Jordan, the only ones tested. 



The I.X.L. is inter-fertile with the 

 Drake, Jordan, California, Languedoc, 

 Ne Plus Ultra and Texas. 



The Ne Plus Ultra is inter-fertile with 

 the California, Drake, I.X.L., Languedoc 

 and Nonpareil. 



Requirements 



While the almond is in many ways 

 an easy tree to grow where conditions 

 are favorable, it is more particular in 

 its requirements than most common or- 

 chard fi-iii'c nnr) the grower may find 



it difficult to produce a good, thrifty 

 tree unless he chooses the proper loca- 

 tion. Very often it will grow well and 

 make a fine healthy tree, but owing to 

 unfavorable conditions, will not bear 

 regularly, if at all. 



Climate 



Heat — Where the conditions of soil 

 and moisture are favorable the almond 

 will endure the intense heat of the in- 

 terior valleys and even of the Imperial 

 Valley, provided it is pruned properly 

 to shade the main branches so as to pre- 

 vent sunburn. Where trees, by severe 

 pruning, are opened up suddenly to the 

 intense heat of the summer sun, al- 

 monds will sunburn, but if the neces- 

 sary opening up is done gradually, the 

 bark will become inured to the new 

 conditions without danger. The nuts 

 grow and ripen more satisfactorily in 

 the greater heat of the interior than 

 along the coast. 



Frost — The almond tree is hardy and 

 will endure fully as much cold as the 

 hardiest peach without injury. Trees 

 are found growing well in Illinois, 

 Ohio, New York and other Eastern 

 stales. In very favorable seasons they 

 may even bear fruit, though this hap- 

 pens very seldom, due to the extremely 

 early habit of blooming before the 

 spring frosts are over. The first warm 

 weather seems to start the trees into 



Courtesy College of Agriculture, Berkeley, California 



Tvpieal Ne Plus Ultra almond tree in University Farm orchard at Davis, California, 



nine years old, 



