4S0 



THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



ALMOND PRODUCTION IN YOLO COUNTY. 



By Wii. Gould, County Horticultural Commissioner, Woodland, Cal. 



There are 5,554 acres of bearing almonds and 3,285 acres of non-bearing almonds 

 in Yolo County. There are several reasons why this county is important in the 

 production of almonds. First and most important of all factors necessary for success 



is the climate. Being an early bloomer the almond 

 requires a frostless region, and in this respect Yolo 

 County has a decided advantage over many other 

 places. 



The almond requires a deep, sandy, well drained 

 soil, of which Yolo County has thousands of acres. 

 The nearness of markets, good roads, and cooperative 

 almond growers' associations, are all advantageous. 



Yolo County was awarded the Grand Prize at the 



Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915, 



for the largest and most meritorious display of 



almonds, and also a cash prize of $50 and first award 



at California State Fair in 1917. 



^^L^^^^V There are about fifty varieties of almonds grown 



_^^^^ ^ in Hiis county, but the principal commercial varieties 



^f'-Si ^k „^IBh^_ are Nonpareil, Drake Seedling, Texas Prolific, Ne 



^k^^V Hj Plus Ultra, I. X. 1,., Languedoc, Golden State. 



Kfc, 8k'\ Jordan, Peerless and Eureka. 



j^^fc\ Tin' cosl "i" picking almonds is ahout $30 per 



ton. This work is done by means of light poles used 



to jar the nuts from the branches. The estimate of 

 cost is for a light crop up to three-fourths ton per acre ; with over three-fourths ton 

 per acre production the cost would decrease. The cost of hulling by machine will 

 average about $15 per ton. 



The cost of trees (70 to an acre) including planting and cultivation for five 

 years, will average about $75 per acre. Good almond land can be purchased in 

 Yolo County for $75 per acre and up. 



Some young almond orchards eight years old have produced one ton of almonds 



per acre per year. A one-fourth ton crop production will pay $40 to $50 an acre net. 



The writer has talked with several almond growers in regard to the earnings and 



they say that their orchards have netted them $100 an acre for the last ten years ; 



these orchards are not old trees either. 



For domestic purposes the almond is highly esteemed, and is employed in many 

 different ways in the preparation of appetizing dishes and dainties for the table. 

 The oil of almonds is a common standard article in the stock of druggists everywhere, 

 as it enters into the composition of cosmetic pastes and powders of various kinds. 



The almond grower as well as other fruit growers has his troubles. The tree is 

 host to several pests, the worst of all being the red spider and brown mite. The 

 shot-hole fungus is a disease which does great harm if not kept in control. The most 

 serious disease in my judgment is crown-gall. This disease affects the young trees 

 principally and some nurserymen have lost as much as 80 per cent of their nursery 

 stock on account of it. 



Even though there are thousands of acres of almonds yet to come into bearing in 

 California, the future never looked brighter for the grower. The Year Book of the 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture states that the United States imported 16,59«,!>2l 

 pounds of almonds for the season of 1916. 



