to the peach when cooked, should cause them to be in more 

 general demand. As to their shipping qualities, there is 

 much to be said in their favor over the peach, so pronounced 

 is this that they have been shipped to England and success- 

 fully marketed there, where they are much sought after and 

 regarded as a luxury. The culture of the nectarine is in all 

 respects precisely similar to that of .the peach, its habits 

 being the same. THE NUTS 



The irresistible desire of people in every walk of life to 

 join the brigade and grow something in the fruit line is quite 

 the thing as far as nut culture is concerned in California. 

 Today the walnut and the almond predominate but who will 

 deny that the Chestnut, Filbert, Pecan, Pistachio will not all 

 be factors to be reckoned with before many years go by? We 

 know positively from observation in Europe that all of 

 these nuts have a future before them, and the progressive 

 nurseryman who is far-sighted enough to realize all this, is 

 cataloging all these nuts, introducing the leading varieties 

 from Europe and educating our people to the possibilities of 

 their culture. 



Twenty-five years ago California produced 150 tons of 

 almonds, the average annual output now is 3000 tons, in 

 walnuts 400 tons as compared with 10,000 tons now. Our 

 imports of almonds are close to 9000 tons and 16,000 tons of 

 walnuts. These figures appear to be all out of reason but 

 they are quite true just the same. Figures don't lie and the 

 people of these United States want more of our nuts and 

 will buy them in preference to the imported article as our 

 production meets the requirements of quality. The old story 

 that this or that fruit will not do in California, has been 

 worn threadbare and although we cannot grow everything 

 where climatic and soil conditions are against us, every 

 variety of fruit grown in Europe and Northern Asia will adapt 

 itself to California conditions. We must not be overburdened 

 with the thought to let well enough alone, but must be 

 striving to improve the varieties of nuts already grown and 

 aim to increase our scope of operations until we stand su- 

 preme as the nut center of the world. 



THE AL,MOXI> 



Almond trees are budded on almond and peach roots. Never 

 on apricot root. The almond root should be planted on sandy 

 gravelly soils where there is an absence of moisture during 

 the late summer months. The peach root should always be 

 given the preference on loamy compact soils, which are re- 

 tentive of moisture. There are many sections throughout 

 the great Sacramento Valley which have fully established 

 their adaptability to almond culture and the orchards have 

 been very profitable indeed. There are many other sections 

 in California where the almond can be successfully grown and 

 where opportunities present themselves for widening the 

 scope of this industry which is so promising. It has without 

 question a wonderful future; for the home markets are far 

 from being supplied judging from the imports which are 

 increasing. There is no reason why California should not 

 only grow all the almonds necessary to meet the consump- 

 tion of this country and should also supply the export de- 

 mand. 



All of our almonds are one year buds. Long years of ex- 

 perience have demonstrated that the yearling tree grown 

 under our favorable conditions is fully equal to two and 

 three year old trees grown elsewhere. 



When planting almond trees the instructions relative to 

 planting other trees as given in the introduction should be 

 followed. The trees after being set should be headed to 

 twenty inches from the ground. During the first year allow 

 the numerous shoots to grow without any interference and 

 in the early winter months thin out the laterals so that the 

 lowest ones will not be closer than ten inches from the 

 ground, not leaving more than four to form the head of the 

 tree. Even if they have made a growth of from three to 

 four feet, cut them back to 12 inches from the main body 

 of the tree. Because almonds should not be pruned much 

 in later years, do not hesitate to prune when they require 

 your trained eye and hand to shape them properly, and 

 create a form and a head which can only be secured by 

 severe cutting. If there Is any one object that this booklet 

 has In view. It is to impress the man who aspires to be a 

 fruit grower to remember that his success for at least the 

 first eight years of his undertaking is dependent absolutely 

 on the few essentials, and the pruning of his trees is one 

 of the most important for at least the first four years of 

 their existence. 



The second and third winters cut the trees as 

 directed in the pruning of the peach. The fourth 

 winter, the tree now having become sturdy, and 

 assumed the goblet form which is ideal, confine 

 your pruning to the thinning out of objectionable 

 branches, and remove laterals where there is a 

 tendency to overcrowding, to permit light and 

 air to circulate through the trees. This method 

 of pruning should be followed for at least fifteen 



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