278 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT STATION. 



Color. 



Light yellowish brown. 



Uniformity. 



Strong.. The uniform and characteristic shape of the Franquette 

 nuts makes them easier to identify than those of almost any other 

 variety. 



Cracking Quality. 



Nuts strongly sealed, but quite thin shelled so that they are readily 

 cracked. 



Pellicle. 



Pale yellowish tan, giving the meat a very light colored, attractive 

 appearance. 



Meat. 



Moderately plump and filling the body of the shell fairly well. The 

 shell is considerably longer than the meat, leaving a hollow space within 

 the apical point of the nut. 



Flavor. 



Sweet and free from bitterness, with a characteristic nutty flavor ap- 

 proaching that of a hickory nut. The consistency of the meat is also 

 characteristic, being unusually soft or oily. 



TREE. 

 Foliation Period. 



Very late. The latest of any important variety in California. Often 

 two to three months later in coming out in the spring than the earliest 

 varieties. The Franquette is also noticeably early in dropping its 

 foliage in the fall so that its seasonal period of growth is comparatively 

 short. 



Growth. 



Fairly vigorous and rapid, but decidedly less so than that of many 

 other varieties. The best growth of the Franquette is seen in compara- 

 tively cool, moist localities, as for instance in the coastward region of the 

 central and northern parts of the State. In the south and in the inte- 

 rior, especially without irrigation, the Franquette is of slower growth. 



Foliage. 



Abundant and thrifty, but developed late and shed early in the season. 



Harvest Season. 



Late. One of the undesirable features of this variety. 



Precocity. 



Not pronounced. The Franquette is one of the slowest in coming into 

 bearing. 



Production In Older Trees. 



So far as can be judged by the oldest Franquette trees in the State 

 the Franquette is a regular and consistent but not a heavy bearer. Trees 



