8 SPANISH ALMONDS. 



ably distinct form of these nuts at once attracted the attention of 

 Mr. H. E. Van Deman, then Chief of the Division of Pomology, and 

 Mr. W. P. Corsa, the nut specialist of the Division, and in his mono- 

 graph on nut culture in the United States/' which was published 

 three years later. Mr. Corsa gave a description, with a drawing of 

 the nut. and strongly recommended its introduction into California. 

 Owing to many difficulties this suggestion seems never to have been 

 followed, although almond growing in California has continued to 

 increase in importance, and certain French sorts, including a kind 

 known as the Provence and supposed to be the same as the Jordan, 

 have been introduced and are now on trial in that State. Heretofore 

 no one has succeeded in getting the scions of trees of the best Spanish 

 almonds, although their kernels continue to be imported into the 

 country from Malaga and Alicante, on the southeast coast of the 

 peninsula. 



As agricultural explorer of the Section of Seed and Plant Introduc- 

 tion, the writer last August made a somewhat hurried trip through the 

 almond orchards of Spain, at the time when the almonds were being- 

 gathered, to secure scions. It is a pleasure to say that the scions col- 

 lected are already growing at several places in the United States. * 



°- Xut Culture in the United States, Embracing Native and Introduced Trees. U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture, Division of Pomology. 1896. 



p The following statement regarding an earlier introduction of Spanish almonds 

 than that made by the Department was received from Mr. W. A. Taylor after Mr. 

 Fairchild' s manuscript had been sent to the printer: 



Since the Jordan almond buds secured by Mr. Fairchild reached this country and 

 were successfully propagated, Mr. John Eock, manager of the California Nursery 

 Company, Xiles, Cal., has sent us samples, evidently of the true Jordan variety, 

 grown on trees imported by him in dormant bud in February, 1897. Mr. Eock's 

 statement regarding his introduction is substantially as follows : 



In 1896 he requested a French firm to secure buds of the Jordan almond in Malaga, 

 Spain, and to propagate them for him at their nursery in France. This was done, 

 and a lot of dormant budded trees on Myrobolan plum stocks reached him on Feb- 

 ruary 17, 1897. 



Fearing that the almond would not thrive on the Myrobolan roots, he grafted 100 

 of these dormant buds on old peach trees, using the entire stock of the Myrobolan 

 plum, with the dormant almond bud upon it, as a scion, the balance being planted 

 out in the usual way. Xearly all grew, but instead of being of one variety they were 

 found to consist of many kinds, most of them resembling the common, hard-shelled 

 almond. They made but a stunted growth and produced nuts in the third and 

 fourth years. Three of the trees bore fruit that was apparently of the Jordan type, 

 the nuts being of an oblong, curved sort. 



Mr. Eock, early in 1902, sent samples of these nuts to Consul Eidgely at Malaga, 

 who submitted them to dealers there for identification. They pronounced them the 

 true Jordan almond. 



It would appear from this that the credit for the introduction of the Jordan almond 

 belongs to Mr. Eock. although the Department was not informed of this until after 

 the stock secured by Mr. Fairchild had been established at several points in the 

 United States. 



