18 BULLETIN 623, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



and sharply pointed. The trees usually can be picked out in estab- 

 lished orchards by the fact that unless freshly pruned they stand 

 several feet above neighboring trees of other strains. Efforts to 

 induce fruitfulness in the trees of this strain by severe pruning or 

 other similar tree treatments have been unsuccessful, the effect of 

 pruning being to induce increased vegetative growth. 



The fruits from trees of the Australian strain fall into three groups: 

 Those resembling Washington fruits except as to size and quality; 

 those having a flattened shape with a peculiar wrinkled or ribbed 

 appearance about the stem end, as shown in Plate IV; and those of 

 large size and globular shape, with a very coarse, rough texture of 

 rind, which is frequently correlated with an unusually thick rind 

 and inferior quality of juice, as shown by its low sugar content. 

 Illustrations of this last group are shown in Plate V. The Australian 

 fruits are usually yellowish orange in color and are inferior in com- 

 mercial value to those of the Washington and Thomson strains. 

 The rag generally is abundant and coarse. The juice usually is small 

 in quantity, of poor flavor and inferior quality. The fruits normally 

 are seedless and have large navels, which, in some cases, form large 

 protuberances. These detract from the appearance and market 

 value of the fruits and are likely to be injured in handling. Under 

 the operation of a sugar and acid ratio standard in commercial 

 picking, the fruits of the Australian strain usually do not come up 

 to the maturity standard during the regular picking season and there- 

 fore must be left on the trees or discarded, making their production 

 almost or wholly a total loss to the growers. 



Several trees of the Australian strain in the performance-record 

 plats have been top-worked by using bud wood from Washington 

 trees. The buds of the Washington strain in the Australian trees 

 have made very satisfactory growth and have produced Washington 

 strain foliage and fruits. As a rule, it has required from three to five 

 years to bring the rebudded Australian trees up to the normal produc- 

 tion of neighboring Washington trees. 



GOLDEN NUGGET STRAIN. 



The Golden Nugget strain, 1 like the Thomson, has been propagated 

 commercially in California and is accepted as a distinct variety by 

 many nurserymen and growers, having been introduced by the 

 San Dimas Nursery Co., of San Dimas, Cal., 2 and by Mr. J. P. 

 Engelhart, of Glendora, Cal. 3 Its commercial cultivation is limited, 

 being confined for the most part to a few small experimental plantings. 

 In most navel-orange groves trees of this strain are of frequent 



1 Sometimes called the Golden Buckeye. 



2 Nursery catalogue of the San Dimas Nursery Co., 1903-4. In this publication the Golden Buckeye and 

 Golden Nugget navel oranges are listed separately. 



J Personal interview with Mr. Engelhart, May 17, 1910. 



