

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Washington, D. C. | December, 1924 
ALMOND VARIETIES IN THE UNITED STATES’ 
By Mito N. Woop, Pomologist, Office of Horticultural Investigations, Bureau 
of Plant Industry 

CONTENTS 
Page Page 
Early attempts at almond growing Key to almond varieties based upon 
iio) NE Wahl Sires Se ee SE 1 the characteristics of the nut____ 15 
Almond-growing districts in Califor- Commercial almonds grown in the 
LIC), ese SA NR ie inert ae EN a / 2 United States zs 20 
The relation of varieties to the in- Almond varieties not well ‘known or 
CLUES Grsyige een = Se ee a eee 3 not grown commercially in the 
Method of investigations__________ 8 United Sta tes < ak ser tet gee ot 136 
General considerations ____________ OM index: (ofp vial ules ps ee ne eet 141 
MxplanatonnOtr ceLiMe ee ee ee 10 
EARLY ATTEMPTS AT ALMOND GROWING IN THE UNITED STATES 
The first attempts to grow the edible almond in the United States 
were made in the New England and Middle Atlantic States as early 
as 1840, but resulted in failure because of the rigors of the climate. 
In 1843 a planting of almond trees received from one of the Eastern 
States was made in California, and later almonds were planted to 
some extent in nearly all the States along the Atlantic seaboard, on 
the Gulf Coast, and in the West. Most of these plantings came to 
naught, because, even in mild climates, the early blooming of the 
almond rendered the blossoms liable to injury from spring frosts, 
with the result that crops were not secured often enough to be worth 
while. Of all the States, California seemed the best adapted to 
commercial almond production, but even there it was finally learned 
that only those sections specially favored with good air ‘drainage 
and freedom from late spring frosts could be utilized profitably for 
this purpose. Although there have been several periods of serious 
depression, the industry i in California has grown until to-day (1923) 
the area in bearing and in young nonbearing trees comprises about 
90,000 acres, while the annual production during the last few years 
has been from 5,000 to slightly more than 11,000 tons of almonds in 
the shell. California produces 98 per cent of all the almonds erown 
in the United States. 
1 This bulletin is based on critical studies of almond varieties which have been in prog- 
ress since the spring of 1920. 
99729°—24 1: 

