and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



383 



THE CULTIVATION OF THE 

 ALMOND TREE. 



( Special. ) 



The common almond tree (Amygdalus com- 

 munis) is a native of Asia Minor and the North of 

 Africa where it has been cultivated from ancient 

 times. One of the earliest references to it is 

 found in the Old Testament. The fruit is either 

 sweet or bitter— a fact which many botanists 

 have endeavoured to explain by a difference in 

 species. The probability is that the original 

 almond was bitter and from it the sweet almond 

 was produced by selection, the latter being after- 

 wards brought to perfection by careful culti- 

 vation and broken up into a number of varieties. 



In the cultivation of the almond in modern 

 times the 



FIRST RANK HAS BEEN CLAIMED BY FRANCE, 



from which country the best and the best- 

 known varieties are, for the most part, obtained. 

 Some of these varieties, which belong to the class 

 of the sweet almonds, are known as Araande des 

 dames, Languedoc, Sultana, Pistache and Douce 

 a cnque dure, and each is characterised by the 

 ■ize, form, flavour, etc., of its fruit. This 

 position, however, occupied by France, has 

 recently been imperilled by the formidable 

 rivalry of California, which has succeeded in 

 producing several new valuable varieties such as 

 Excelsior, Non plus ultra, Nonpareil, II Snprama 

 and Commercial. The latter deserves special 

 mention. The tree exhibits a peculiar com- 

 pressed growth and retains some leaves until 

 the end of winter. It is very prolific and the 

 almonds, provided with a thin husk, are 

 sweet, delicate and very large. In the 

 trade, however, the 



JORDAN ALMONDS ARE PRIZED 



the most. These are not, as is commonly sup- 

 posed, produced on the Jordan, but in the 

 neighbourhood of Malaga (Spain). No doubt 

 their good qualities are due to the influences of 

 soil and climate, for this variety does not meet 

 with the same favour in other countries. Noxt 

 in order of merit come the broad almonds of 

 Valencia, to which the previous remark is also 

 applicable. The almonds of Provence are 

 also renowned, which is indicated by the fact 

 that in the commercial city of Aix the annual 

 turn-over in this commodity reaches the value 

 of £125,000. France^ total exports of almonds 

 to foreign countries are valued yearly at £800,000. 



THE SWEET ALMONDS 



contain considerable quantities of a very delicate 

 fatty oil, also sugar, gum and mucilage. Beside 

 being very nutritious they possess a pleasaut 

 taste. They are used for the most part in fancy 

 bakery, in the kitchen, as dessert and in medi- 

 cine for the purpose of making cooling drinks. 

 The bitter almonds contain the same substances, 

 but in addition Amygdalin, from which a pecu- 

 liar volatile oil is prepared. This oil, when 

 purified, is likewise used in the kitchen and 

 fancy bakery but also in the toilet soap factories 

 for perfuming purposes. In the impure state 

 it is sometimes employed in medicine in place 

 of pure prussic acid. 



The almond tree 



THRIVES BEST IN THE SUB-TROPICAL ZONE, 



where it is indeed a native, for neither a 

 moist nor a cold climate is favourable to its 

 growth. In the warm regions of the temperate 

 zone, however, its cultivation is also successful; 

 only the harvests are always very uncertain on 

 account of the injury that is often inflicted by 

 the frost on the early shooting buds. The 

 sweet almond is even more sensitive to cold 

 than the bitter one, and consequently its sphere 

 of cultivation is much more limited. This fact, 

 combined with the keener demand there is for 

 it renders the sweet almond dearer in price and 

 therefore, its cultivation more remunerative. 

 For this reason the preference should always 

 bo given to the cultivation of the sweet al- 

 mond; that is, in those places where the cli- 

 mate and soil are quite suitable. Like the 

 tig tree, the almond cannot stand the exces- 

 sive moisture of the tropics and it is only 

 grown there at the expense of its fertility. The 



CLIMATE AS WELL AS THE SOIL SHOOLD BE WARM 

 AND DRY ; 



the latter, in addition, must be free and 

 deep and, wherever possible, rich in lime 

 — such a soil, in fact, as is required for 

 the cherry tree in the temperate zone. The 

 most favourable situation for its cultivation is 

 on the ridge or slope of a hill. Level land 

 should only be chosen when there is no 

 danger of it being flooded. While a large 

 amount of moisture is injurious, it is also im- 

 portant that the needs of the almond tree are 

 completely satisfied in this respect. It has 

 been found by experience that artificial irri- 

 gation has a detrimental effect. Although the 

 tree is not specially sensitive to wind, it should 

 not be left exposed on all sides. If there is 

 no protection afforded by elevated ground, a 

 natural barrier in the foi:n of trees may be 

 set up to break the force ef the wind. For the 



CULTIVATION AND PROPAGATION OF THE FINEST 



varieties of the almond tree, grafting is 

 also essential, and this gives rise to the ques- 

 tion : What are the most suitable trees to use 

 for this purpose? The selection of these will 

 depend, to a great extent, on the soil and cli- 

 matic conditions. In districts, for example, 

 where it is desirable that some power of with- 

 standing the influences of the weather should 

 be imparted by the process, the plum tree will 

 be found the most advantageous (Myrobolama 

 excepted), and especially the fast growing and 

 early ripening varieties. The grafting should 

 be done on a twig not thicker than £ inch ; 

 otherwise the growing over, of the part where 

 the grafting has taken place, will lasttoolong. 

 If, on the other hand, the soil in question con- 

 tains more moisture than is good for the 

 almond tree, the peach tree, as being partial 

 to a moist situation, should be chosen as a 

 base. In the case of a very dry soil, however, 

 it is recommended to employ the almond tree 

 itself and preferably the bitter variety, if the 

 soil and climatic conditions are favourable to its 

 growth. Where the latter is not available, the 

 hard-husked sweet variety or even one of the soft- 

 husked varieties may be taken for the purpose. 



In the growing of almond trees for the 

 purposo of grafting, the seeds should be first 



74 



