CULTIVATION OF THE ALMOND TREE. 893 



Propagation. The only and usual mode of propagating the aimoud is 

 troin seed. The soil preferred by almonds is a light sandy soil; excessive 

 or even great richness is to be avoided, as in this the trees will produce 

 large and luxuriant branches and foliage, but no fruit. The hardiest 

 almond is the bitter, and is preferable as stock for budding or grafting on 

 a given variety. The next hardiest for stocks is the sweet, hard-shell 

 almond. The land selected should be plowed or worked with hoes im- 

 mediately after the first rains. In the month of November or December 

 small holes are dug, as if for sowing water-melons, and distance 20 feet 

 each way. Procure the nuts of the last season and those which have 

 not been much exposed to the air. In procuring almonds for seed the 

 best quality of soft-shell almond must be used ; then they will grow as 

 standards, requiring no budding nor grafting, producing fine almonds 

 even if some issue the hard-shell variety. Plant an almond in each hole 

 from 1 to 2 inches deep, but not deeper; sow them with the sharp point 

 upwards, without breaking their shells. They will come up in about 

 thirty- five to forty days. The first year they should be protected against 

 frost and snow with sticks and straw around them, for, hardy as they 

 may be when once established, they would be in some danger while 

 young. They must be kept clear of weeds, and in the spring the sur- 

 face of the soil should be stirred. On the second year trim off the lower 

 shoots and head down those in exposed positions or intended for dwarfs. 

 The buds that are pushing on the main stem should be rubbed off; 

 branches, where they are wanted, should be encouraged, and the buds, 

 where shoots are not wanted, rubbed off. It is far better to prevent the 

 waste of strength in wood that has to be pruned off; then the almond 

 will require no pruning, but an annual removal of dry branches. 



In order to provide and replace with plants those holes where the 

 seed has failed to come up, there should be a number of almonds sown 

 in some selected place near at hand ; sow them as you would walnuts, or 

 rather plant them at regular distances 8 inches or a foot apart every 

 way, and 2 inches deep; in the spring they may be transplanted to their 

 definite places, and well watered. 



Fertilizing. The best fertilizers of the almond trees are grass, weeds, 

 leaves, etc., buried around them. Almonds are grafted or budded on 

 pluin stocks when it is desired to retard their bloom, but it is consid- 

 ered more certain, in order to avoid the only defect of the almond tree, 

 precocity to plant the trees in sites exposed to the north winds, in cold 

 places, in order to retard flowering as much as possible, and escape the 

 spring frosts. 



Maturity. The almond tree comes into full bearing in the eighth or 

 tenth year, according to soil and climate. The fruit is gathered when 

 quite ripe and allowed to dry before it is cleaned and packed. 



Yield. The annual product of the almond varies according to the age 

 or situation of the plant ; a twelve-year-old tree may produce from 8 

 to 16 pounds of unshelled almonds the average yield is 12 pounds 



