LUTHER BURBANK 



other stone fruits. I estimated that if almonds 

 were secured at once, and bedded in coarse sand 

 for sprouting, they would furnish seedlings that 

 could be planted in nursery rows in time for June 

 budding. 



There was no difficulty about securing the 

 almonds for planting, so the enterprise was almost 

 instantly under way. In addition to the two acres 

 of land which were then available in my nursery, 

 I rented five additional acres ; and a large number 

 of men were engaged to plant the almonds in 

 nursery rows as soon as they began to sprout. 



The almonds were spread on a well-drained 

 bed of creek-sand and covered with coarse biu-lap 

 cloth, which in turn was covered with a layer of 

 sand about an inch in depth. In this way we could 

 examine the almonds without any trouble, by lift- 

 ing one end of the cloth. 



The seeds commenced to sprout in less than 

 fourteen days. Those which sprouted were care- 

 fully removed and planted in the nursery rows; 

 the others were covered again, and each day more 

 and more would be found sprouting. 



The almonds were planted about four inches 

 apart in the rows, the rows about four feet apart, 

 on a piece of land adjoining the creek — a plot now 

 covered with fine residences, and known as 

 "Ludwig's Addition". 



[90] 



