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AMYGDALUS, 



ALMOND TREE. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



THERE are few fruit trees that grow taller & straighter than the almond tree, even in our 

 northern provinces where it seems to be foreign. When it's young it has an attractive 

 shape, but it loses that long before it gets old. If it's not maintained by pruning, some of 

 the branches droop & lose their consistency. 



The shoots are straight, quite long & vigorous, rounded, smooth, green on the 

 shaded side and red on the side facing the sun. 



The leaves are attached alternately on the branch by very thin stems about an inch 

 long. They are narrow, elongated, pointed at both ends, and divided lengthwise by a very 

 prominent midrib with barely noticeable alternating veins extending from both sides of it. 

 The leaves are uniformly & finely toothed along the edges and are held firmly on their 

 stems. They don't wrinkle, fold, or turn in different directions. They're vivid green, and 

 they persist until the hard frosts arrive. When the winters are mild, some of them survive 

 until the new ones appear. 



From one to three, & sometimes four, buds emerge below the axilla of each leaf. 

 Some are fruiting buds, others are vegetative. The latter are smaller & less rounded than 

 the fruiting ones. They both are encased in several scaly coverings. 



