THE ALMOND. 



331 



ing example of how much good a right minded 

 and active individual may do to his humhler 

 brethren of the human family. "Why have 

 not every where the names been preserved," says 

 Humboldt, ''of those who, in place of ravaging 

 the earth, have enriched it with plants useful to 

 the human race?' It is satisfactory to observe, 

 however, that when men are highly civilized, 

 there is an elasticity in their mental energies, 

 which makes the destruction of tyranny and war 

 of less permanent injury than when their in- 

 flictions fall upon a rude people. Sickler, a dis- 

 tinguished naturalist of Germany, who has paid 

 particular attention to the cultivation of fruit 

 trees, had, in the Duchy of Saxe Gotha, formed 

 three nurseries for fruit trees, one of which con- 

 tained eight thousand grafted plants. In 1806, 

 this nursery was entirely destroyed by the French, 

 after the battle of Jena: Ney's corps bivou- 

 acked in it. After the battle of Leipsic, in 1814, 

 another nursery, planted by the same eminent 

 man, was destroyed by the Cossacks. Yet in 

 1817 he had planted and reared a third nursery 

 with his own hand, — persevering, in spite of the 

 injuries which he had received in these dreadful 

 contests to distribute his fine plants, and the 

 knowledge of their cultivation, over his native 

 country. The labours of such a man wiU endure 

 when the fame of conquerors is forgotten, or 

 thought worthless, or only remembered to be 

 hated as it deserves. 



It has been already stated that some doubts 

 exist as to the difference between the peach and 

 the almond being more than apparent. With 

 reference to this subject, there is a curious fact 

 recorded by the president of the Horticultural 

 Society. The fruit of a sweet almond tree, which 

 had been obtained from an almond kernel, that 

 had, when in flower, been impregnated with 

 peach pollen, was sown, and produced a tree : 

 this tree bore eight peaches, some of which were 

 perfect, and the others burst at the centre when 

 ripe, as is the case with almonds. The peaches 

 were finely formed and coloured ; the flesh white, 

 soft, melting, and of good flavour. This experi- 

 ment is curious; for though it does not com- 

 pletely establish the fact of the convertibility of 

 an almond into a peach, it does so in great part, 

 by showing that only the poUen is necessary to 

 eifect such a change. 



The Flat Peach of China is perhaps the most 

 singular of the peach tribe. The size of it re- 

 sembles that of the apple; and the stalk and eye 

 approach so near as to give it the appearance of 

 a ring of flesh, with a stone in the middle. The 

 following description accompanied specimens 

 presented to the Horticultural Society by Mr 

 Braddick : — 



" This fruit is of truly singular form, and per- 

 haps will be best described as having the appear- 

 ance of a peach flattened by pressure at the head 



and stalk; its upright diameter, taken through 

 the centre, fi'om eye to stalk, being eleven six- 

 teenths of an inch, consisting wholly of the 

 stone, except the skin; that of its sides is one 

 inch and one-eighth, its transverse diameter being 

 two inches and a half. The head of the fruit is 

 crooked in such a manner, as to look like a 

 broad and rather hollow eye of an irregular and 

 five-angled, (or lobed) shape, surrounded by the 

 appearance of the remains of the leaves of a 

 calyx : the whole surface of this eye is roughly 

 marked with smaU irregular warted lines, like 

 the crown of a medlar. The colour of the skin 

 of the fruit is pale yellow, mottled, or rather 

 speckled with red on the part exposed to the 

 sun, and covered with a fine down. The flesh 

 is pale yellow, having a beautiful radiated circle 

 of fine red surrounding the stone, and extending 

 far into the fruit. The stone is flatly compressed, 

 small, rough, and irregular. The consistence 

 and flavour of the flesh is that of a good melting 

 peach, being sweet and juicy, with a little noyau 

 flavour, or bitter aroma. This peach is culti- 

 vated in China, representations of it being con- 

 tinually seen on the papers and drawings received 

 fi-om that country; and it is well known at Can- 

 ton, where it is esteemed as a good fruit." 



The Almond, ( amygdalus communis, and a, 

 amarus.) The sweet and bitter almond trees 



Tlio Almond. 



are similar in appearance to the peach, and grow 

 to the height of about twenty feet, with spread- 

 ing^ branches, and blossoms of a more varied 

 colour than the peach. 



It is probable that the almond is a native of 

 the western parts of Asia. The almond is men- 

 tioned in the Scriptures as amongst the best 

 fruits of the land of Canaan. It is very plen- 

 tiful in China, in most of the eastern countries, 

 and also in Barbary. In that country it is the 

 most early bearer oi^ all the fi'uit trees. It flowers 



