430 CALIFORNIA FRUITS I HOW TO GROW THEM 



had charge of the company's nurseries at that place; fully discussed by J. P. 

 Dargitz, of Acampo, and described by the introducer as resembling Languedoc 

 in tree and nut, but with softer shell, which is filled with very sweet kernel. 

 Blooms two weeks later than Drake. Mr. Dargitz reports fifteen years without 

 failure to bear and usually prolific. 



^ Jordan Almond. This long, hard-shelled almond, notable because of its long, 

 slim kernel for "salted almonds" and imported at high cost for that purpose, has 

 been introduced both through government distribution and private enterprise, 

 notably that of the late John Rock, of the California Nursery Co., of Niles. Too 

 little has yet been seen to determine the value of the variety in local production. 

 It is especially favored to the Coachella Valley. 



THE CHESTNUT 



The chestnut is not yet produced in large amount in California, 

 and certain quantities of the nuts are annually imported, the American, 

 Italian, or Spanish and Japanese all being found in the San Francisco 

 markets. Of chestnuts grown in California, the Italian predominates, 

 and the Japanese is more common than the American, which is slow 

 of growth and late in fruiting, as compared with the other kinds. 

 Judging the success of the Italian, it may be said that a large area of 

 California is well suited for the growth of the chestnut, as there are 

 bearing trees in nearly all parts of the State. The chestnut succeeds 

 on heavy, clayey soil, even if it be rocky. 



Chestnut trees are readily grown from the seed, and thus grown 

 come into bearing from six to eight years, though the Japanese some- 

 times bear sooner. The growth of chestnuts from the seed is described 

 in Chapter VIII. In growing from seed of the improved varieties, 

 there is a tendency toward reversion, and budding and grafting may 

 be resorted to ; and can be done by the methods described in the chap- 

 ter on the fig. The chestnut can also be grafted with the ordinary 

 cleft graft. Buds or scions should be taken from trees which are 

 fruiting satisfactorily, and in this way seedlings which have a tendency 

 to bear empty burs can be turned to good account. Chestnuts can be 

 grown in the nursery until several years old, providing they are lifted 

 at the end of the first year, the tap-root cut off, and the trees reset, 

 giving them rather more room than during their first year's growth. 

 In permanent plantings the trees should have plenty of room, as they 

 ultimately attain great size. Trees at Grass Valley, Nevada county, 

 when about twenty years old, fifteen inches in diameter of trunk, and 

 forty feet high, and reported to bear a barrel of nuts to the tree regu- 

 larly. Felix Gillet of Nevada City, has for many years made a speci- 

 alty of propagating a large collection of the improved French varieties 

 of the chestnut, known as Marrons, which were distributed to some 

 extent. The chestnut chiefly grown is the Italian but it has not 

 attained any considerable product as yet. The chestnut, aside from its 

 desirability as an orchard tree, can be commended as a tree for hill- 

 sides or a shade tree for waysides of pastures, and should be more 

 widely planted in California. The chief product is in the foothill 

 district east of the San Joaquin valley. 



