years when, If the trees give indications of losing 

 their vitality, cut off the entire top within four 

 feet of the 'ground, leaving one branch to care 

 for the exuberance of sap, and cut this off the 

 following season. 



The sweet almonds are divided into the follow- 

 ing grades. The hard shell variety has no com- 

 mercial value except for raising stocks for bud- 

 ding and grafting other varieties. These have 

 6 ounces or less of kernel to the pound of nuts. There 

 is one exception to the list of hardshells, and that is the 

 famous "Jordan" with its fixed type of elongated kernel 

 and a flavor superior to all other almonds, with the 

 exception of the Eureka, which is of California origin. 

 The softshell requires the use of nutcrackers, while the 

 paper shell can be broken between the fingers. 



Cross pollination is one of the interesting phases in con- 

 nection with almond culture, and although no exhaustive ex- 

 periments have been made to determine how far reaching 

 this is, alternating three to six rows of a variety has a very 

 marked effect in improving the yield. 



THE CHESTNUT 



Bearing trees in many sections of California with widely 

 variable soil and climatic conditions, give ample evidence 

 of the possibilities of the culture of this most delicious nut. 

 California should supply not only our home markets, but 

 also nuts for export, and although chestnut trees have 

 been planted in a limited way for a number of years, prac- 

 tically no commercial groves are in existence. California, 

 therefore imports chestnuts from Italy and Japan to meet 

 her requirements. Chestnuts thrive fully as well on a 

 heavy clayey soil as they do on a sandy loam, providing it is 

 retentive of moisture and is deep enough to allow the roots 

 to penetrate without hindrance. In the interior valleys 

 they should be planted in river bottoms, or they may be 

 planted on the plains, providing the soil conditions are sat- 

 isfactory, either sub-irrigated or the moisture being supplied 

 by surface irrigation. As a rule all failures to successfully 

 grow them in the interior can be traced to the sunburn of 

 the exposed high pruned body of the tree. Low heading is 

 therefore one of the important points in connection with 

 their successful culture in the interior. As the trees do not 

 bloom until all likelihood of frost has passed there is no 

 danger of injury from this source, and bounteous crops are 

 harvested from them annually. Preference should always be 

 given to the grafted trees by the orchardist; such trees will 

 commence to bear within the three years after planting. The 

 nuts are of a uniform size and quality and the increased cost 

 of the grafted trees over the 'seedling will be more than 

 repaid with the first year's crop. Beyond its economic value 

 for its fruits, the tree possesses advantages for avenue plant- 

 ing, and makes a very striking ornamental tree with its 

 dark, glossy green leaves, when planted singly. Where soli- 

 tary trees fail to bear, it usually arises from the fact, that 

 the staminate and pistillate blossoms do not mature at the 

 same time. Trees should be planted from 30 to 50 feet 

 apart in a square. 



After the head of the chestnut tree has once been formed, 

 very little pruning, except to remove interfering branches, 

 will be found to be necessary. 



THE FILBERT 



As a family, they may be described as large shrubs or low 

 trees. They thrive best in a warm, moderately moist, loamy 

 soil with a dry subsoil which will retard an excess of wood 

 growth. The wild Hazelnut does well in the coast counties 

 and in the Coast Range Mountains, and is indigenous in the 

 lower mountains and foothills through Oregon and Wash- 

 ington to British Columbia, and also in the Sierra Nevada 

 Mountains at elevations of five to six thousand feet growing 

 along the banks of small streams of water. All are uni- 

 sexual having the staminate blossoms in catkins, which 

 make their appearance on the wood of the previous year, 

 being quite visible as early as August. The pollen does not 

 scatter until May of the following season. The pistillate 

 or female blossoms compose a star-like tuft of crimson stig- 

 mas, pushing their way out in the young spring growth. 

 The pistillate blossoms sometimes bloom later in the spring 

 than the staminate blossoms, and in such cases it is neces- 

 ary to supply pollen from other sources at the proper time, 

 to secure a crop of nuts. The Hazelnuts make very attrac- 

 tive dessert fruits and they -have a peculiar, pleasing flavor 

 found in no other nuts. 



With so many sections possessing climatic conditions favor- 

 able to their successful culture, there is no reason why they 

 should not become of commercial importance on this coast. 



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