0058 



NOMENCLATURE. Amygdalus, derived from a Greek word meaning a crack, 

 because the fruit is striated or creviced. German, der mandelbaum. English, the almond 

 tree. Italian, il mandorlo. Russian, mindalnoe derevo. Tatar, nogot. Hebrew, lus. Chinese, 

 him ho gin. 



USES. Everyone knows about sweet almonds; they're eaten fresh in summer and 

 served dried on the table in winter. 



Sweet almonds are used very often in medicine. They serve as a base for all of the 

 palliative and refreshing emulsions that are made up to soothe general or local irritations. 

 Bitter almonds have been recommended by some German practitioners as a duccedanees 

 leses s that is more reliable than cinchona; they even can be used successfully for 

 expelling tapeworms. They are known to poison birds, carnivorous animals, and even 

 humans when taken in very large quantities. An oil with a pleasant flavor, extracted from 

 both sweet and bitter almonds, is used in medicine as a laxative, an emollient, and as a 

 vermifuge. When the oil is combined with soda lye, one gets a soap used for visceral 

 obstructions in the abdomen. The almond tree's wood is hard and suitable for inlay work 

 and carpentry. 



CULTIVATION. The almond tree is propagated from seeds, either in nurseries or 

 on site. The best varieties are propagated from grafts; a slip with a dormant or an opened 

 bud is preferable. The dwarf almond is grafted onto a plum tree or onto the common 

 almond. 



KEY TO PLATES. 



650. Dwarf almond. 1. Calyx and stamens. 



65 1 . Common almond. 1 . Calyx, stamens, and pistil. 2. Nut with surrounding 

 husk removed. 



