ALMONDS. 



159 



BITTER SOFTSHELL. Auth. 



Amandler d noyau tendre et amande amere. 



This variety, Duhamel remarks, differs only from the La- 

 dies' almond in respect to its taste and its flowers, the latter of 

 which are fourteen to fifteen lines in diameter, and more re- 

 semble those of the Common almond than the Ladie's almond, 

 but expand at the same period as those of the latter variety. 



PEACH ALMOND. Pr. cat. Lond. hort. cat. 

 Amandier Packer. N. Duh. 



There is nothing that more strikingly proves the great 

 affinity of the almond and the peach than this variety. 

 It partakes both of the Common almond and the peach, but 

 generally rather more of the former than the latter. The 

 fruit is sometimes covered with a dry and thin skin similar to 

 that of almonds generally, and other times with a thick and 

 succulent pulp resembling that of the peach, but of a bitterish 

 taste. It often happens that these two kinds of fruit are pro- 

 duced on the same tree, and sometimes upon the same branch ; 

 they are in both cases large, round or somewhat oblong, 

 greenish, slightly downy, and enclose a large stone which is 

 almost smooth, and contains a sweet almond. This variety 

 appears to be one of those hybrids, which, according to Du- 

 hamel, are produced by an almond when its flower has been 

 fertilized by the pollen of a peach-blossom. M. Bernard 

 thinks that ingrafting may have had great influence in pro- 

 ducing this peculiar variety, and founds his opinions upon 

 the statement of Dr. Beal in the Transactions Philosophiques ; 

 but this opinion of M. Bernard will, to say the least of it, admit 

 of much argument, and my present opinion is decidedly adverse 

 to his position. The tree is of strong and vigorous growth ; 

 its leaves are smooth and narrow, and finely indented on their 

 edges ; being intermediate in their form between those of the 

 peach and the almond. The blossoms are white, washed with 

 red, rather large, and partially hollowed at their summit. 



