

ALMOND VARIETIES IN THE UNITED STATES 73 
Shell: Hard (somewhat variable). Outer and inner shell thick and hard 
Dark brown. Pits medium to numerous, medium to small in size, as a rule not 
deep. Short grooves at base and along ventral edge. Canals large, round, 
quite numerous for their size, running mostly longitudinally. Fibers large. 
Network very coarse. Inner shell, wavy, with longitudinal ridges, dark brown. 
Ventral streak dark brown, narrow, tapering gradually at base to round point. 
Kernel: Large (14 by $= by 4 inches). Flat, wide, ovate or ovate-elliptical, 
sort of half way between I. X. L. and Ne Plus Ultra in shape, but more like 
the latter. Dorsal edge longer than ventral, thin, frequently recurved at apex. 
Ventral edge more curved than dorsal. Base sloping ventrally, with stem scar 
well down on slope. Dorsal shoulder humped and round or square, ventral] 
very sloping. Pellicle dark brown to light brown; pubescence abundant, coarse, 
pellicle fold on lower one-third of apex; veins distinct at base; base scar small, 
oval, dark brown, medium pubescent. Kernel with fair flavor, slightly nutty, 
sweet. (Sometimes kernel with long depression on one side, but seldom double. ) 
COMMENTS 
The Ivica nut belongs to a class of inferior almonds. It is of no value for 
production in the United States. 
Sie Le AS 
Origin—A. T. Hatch, a rancher of Suisun, Calif., who began to cultivate 
almonds as early as 1872, in 1879 planted a quantity of bitter-almond seeds. 
He budded most of the resulting trees, but kept about 200 of the seedlings un- 
budded. As they came into bearing he gradually eliminated as undesirable all 
the seedlings except four, from which he established four varieties, naming 
them the I. X. L., Ne Plus Ultra, Extra (later called Nonpareil), and La Prima. 
The varieties were first grown on the Hatch home place near Suisun. Later 
(in 1884) Mr. Hatch established a large orchard of the varieties in the Sac- 
ramento Valley, on what is now the G. F. Hansen ranch, near Biggs. The 
original trees on this ranch are still bearing. The I. X. L., Ne Plus Ultra, and 
Nonpareil were widely advertised and became the leading commercial varieties 
in California. The I. X. L. gained special popularity, largely because of its 
attractive appearance in the shell. The leading State and local newspapers 
described the nut and recorded new plantings. From 1888 until the present 
time it has been given a prominent place among the nuts in California nursery 
catalogues. In 1900, firms in other States and even in Australia began to 
list and describe the variety. As a result, plantings of the I. X. L. were made in 
Oregon, Washington, Texas, Utah, Nevada, Georgia, and Missouri. These 
plantings, however, resulted in failure, owing to frosts in spring. It became 
evident that a variety blooming as early as the I. X. L. could not succeed ex- 
cept under the most favorable climatic conditions. At the present time only a 
few of the trees can be found outside of California. In that State the I. X. L. 
is grown in every almond-producing section. 
Description 
TREE 
Tall, upright (ratio of width to height of head, 1:14). Rather vigorous 
grower. Trunk moderately stocky, long, very twisted (more so than In any 
other variety; fig. 16) ; bark average in roughness, cracks close together, ex- 
foliates in thin patches. 
Main branches.—Straight in growth. Many long depressions in branches. 
Branching angle acute. Wood quite soft, but somewhat brittle. Bark light 
reddish brown, inclined to be somewhat rough on old branches, smooth on young 
branches, frequently patches of silver-gray epidermis present, exfoliates in 
large flakes. 
Twigs—Rather long, slender, rigid. Branching angle moderately acute. 
Nodes small to medium. Internodes short (4 to 14 inches). Wood somewhat 
brittle. Bark rather thin, medium in toughness, dull green, slightly tinged 
with red patches in the fall. 
Lenticels—Very large and long on old bark, but variable in size (on bark 
8 to 10 years old, #: by 2 to # by & inch), raised, gray, rough. Old lenticels 
very wide, with rather straight parallel sides and long acuminate apexes. On 
young bark lenticels wide-elliptical, apexes acute. 
