98 BULLETIN 1282, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Oakley district. It is probable that proper irrigation, cultivation, and soil 
fertilization have a considerable effect upon the bearing of this variety. 
The Ne Plus Ultra nut has been a good seller and still is, but it is losing 
popularity with growers on account of its defects from a production stand- 
point. It is widely grown in every almond-growing section in California. 
OTHER NE PLUS ULTRA TYPES 
There are several types of nuts closely resembling this ae probably 
seedlings, which come into the market as Ne Plus Ultra. 
51. NEVERFAIL 
Origin.—Because the Hatch varieties did not do well on his ranch, George 
W. Smith, of Brentwood, Calif., kept individual records of seedling trees for 
three years and budded those that bore well on other trees. One of the 
heaviest bearers he named the Neverfail. The Neverfail almond at present 
is grown to a limited extent in the Brentwood, Knightsen, and Oakley districts. 
Description 
TREE 
Medium large, medium vigorous, rather upright (ratio of height of head to 
width, 1:1); lower branches droop somewhat. 
Main branches.—Straight, medium in length and _ stockiness. Branches 
quite profusely. Branching angle acute. Wood somewhat brittle. Bark 
smooth, grayish brown, striations common on young bark. 
Twigs.—Quite vigorous in growth, stocky, straight. Branching angle acute. 
Nodes rather large. Internodes rather long (4% to 12 inches). Bark thick, 
smooth, green, turning to brownish tinge near nodes in autumn. 
Lenticels—Numerous, size medium (on 6-year-old wood, 2 by 3} inch), raised 
slightly ; cracked longitudinally ; brown; oval; apexes bluntly acute. Lenticels 
numerous on twigs, small, greenish gray. 
Foliage.—Dense. Leaves medium in size, moderately numerous, fairly thick, 
tendency to curl up slightly toward midrib and to recurve at apex, edges wavy. 
Blade: Medium in size (average, 1 by 34 inches; ratio of width to length, 
1:3). Shape variable, mostly ovate-elliptical. Base obtuse; origin of margins 
slightly unsymmetrical; sometimes symmetrical. Margins deeply crenate; fre- 
quently serrate at apex. Color of upper surface smooth, glossy, bright, dark 
green; lower surface dull green. Midrib slender, very light in color. Veins 
distinct. 
Petiole: Long (1 inch; average ratio of length of petiole to length of blade, 
about 1:3). Slender to stocky. Dark green on upper surface, pale green on 
lower, tinged with red in late fall. Groove deep and narrow. Glands one to 
three, generally two, globular, prominent, brownish yellow; on petiole near 
base of blade; sometimes on basal crenations of blade. Petiole has tendency 
to widen slightly next to blade. 
Beene: habit.—Produces fair crop and is quite regular. Mostly on spurs 
on wood 2 to 4 years old; a few on laterals; nuts frequently in pairs. Some 
spurs compound, long (1 to 2 inches)., Single spurs long (4 to % inch) ; slender 
(sz to + inch); expand gradually to wide-oval disk + by 4+inch. Buds free, 
long, conical. 
NUT 
Immature nut.—Size small to medium (average, 14 by 14 by 1 inches). 
Rather plump, short, wide oval or ovate oval; part on ventral side of axis 
oval or ovate; on dorsal side long oval or obovate. Ventral edge much curved; 
sloping at apex; smooth or with only a slight suggestion of ridge; suture 
depression moderately shallow (s% inch) and quite wide (#: inch). Dorsal 
edge gently curved, with tendency to have bulge or ridge at apex. Base 
bluntly round, usually corrugated, dorsally sloping; dorsal shoulder square, 
projecting + inch from center of disk; ventral shoulder round; cavity s» inch 
deep. Apex plump, bluntly rounding; slightly depressed; style long and re- 
mains late; rudiment short and wide. 
Hull: Outer surface green, turns gradually to reddish brown as it dehisces; 
pubescence short, coarse, gray, felty. Inner surface pale green, gradually 
