ALMOND VARIETIES IN THE UNITED STATES 109 
Hull: Outer surface green; pubescence abundant, Short, silky. Inner sur- 
face very light in color, remaining so until hull is thoroughly dried, when it be- 
comes light brown. Dehisces on ventral edge; base and apex of dorsal edge 
often crack; frequently cracks appear on sides of hull at base and apex. 
Portions of outer shell generally adhere to hull. Ripens August 5 to Sep- 
tember 15. 
Hulled nut—(Pl. XII, B.) Size rather small to medium (average, 14 by 
2 by vs inches). Number of nuts to the pound, 250 to 300. Percentage of 
kernel to shell in hand-cracked samples, 60 to 70. 
Shape: Rather flat, ovate; part of nut on wing side of axis cordate (edge- 
wise view, ovate or oval-ovate, with sides frequently unsymmetrical). Ven- 
tral edge much curved, curving most sharply at base; wing thin to medium 
in thickness, prominent throughout entire length of ventral edge. Dorsal 
edge curved and more plump than ventral, curved most near tip; dorsal 
ridge narrow. Base rounding to round pointed; dorsally sloping; ventral 
shoulder rounding and usually elevated above the stem scar; dorsal shoulder 
slopes abruptly from edge of stem scar; stem scar medium to large, long oval 
in shape, depressed, sharply dorsally sloping. Apex broad to medium pointed, 
tapering from one-third of way from base to tip of nut; wing ends in tip at 
apex, prominent near apex. 
Shell: Paper shell, light to dark grayish brown in color; adheres to hull 
badly, thin flaky gray substance frequently present; so thin that in hulling it 
is frequently broken, especially along ventral edge. Network of fibers fine, 
delicate, and close to outer surface. Inner shell very thin. Inner surface 
usually light brown in color; undulating. Ventral streak generally rather 
narrow, but sometimes of medium width, usually long, base blunt; frequently 
streak widens from middle to base, i. e., base usually as wide as any other part 
of streak and sometimes wider. 
Kernel: A few doubles (2 to 4 per cent). Size medium (average, 1 by 8 
by ic inch). A considerable number of imperfect kernels (10 to 20 per cent). 
Shape wide ovate; rather plump at base. Dorsal edge much longer than 
ventral; usually sharply curving. Ventral edge gently curving, more plump 
than dorsal edge. Dorsal shoulder round, or square and sloping, and straight, 
with a sharp turn or hump well down on dorsal side below base scar or on 
level with it. Ventral shoulder slopes rather abruptly from base scar. Apex 
tapering and broadly pointed with dorsal edge more curving than ventral at 
extreme apex. Pellicle light to dark brown; veining distinct; pubescence very 
short, giving kernel smooth appearance. (Some seedling types closely re- 
sembling Princess are thickly covered with pubescence of medium length.) 
Pellicle fold small, but extending one-half to two-thirds the length of the 
ventral side; base scar medium size, usually round. Flavor good, pleasant, 
sweet. 
Distinguishing characteristics—The Princess nut is occasionally confused 
with the Nonpareil and often with the California, King, Klondike, and Silver- 
shell. (See distinguishing characteristics of California, King, and Klondike 
for points of difference between them and this variety.) 
The Princess differs from the Nonpareil as follows: Its base scar slopes 
dorsally, while in the Nonpareil the base scar slopes ventrally or is at right 
angles to the axis. The base of the nut is less tapering in Princess, the base 
of the ventral streak more blunt, the kernel shorter, the apex of the kernel 
more cuneiform, the dorsal shoulder of the kernel more humped, and the 
pellicle less smooth than in Nonpareil. 
The shape of the Princess nut and kernel is much like the Silvershell. In 
the Silvershell the shell is much harder and the apex of the nut more taper: 
ing than in the Princess. The outer surface of the shell has deep and dis- 
tinct pits in the Silvershell, while in the Princess the outer shell is flaky. 
COMMENTS 
It is to be regretted that the Princess almond, with its excellent kernel, has 
defects which render its production unprofitable. It is a shy bearer. In dry 
seasons the nuts are hard to hull. They cling to the trees so tightly that 
it is expensive to harvest them. The nuts are also frequently injured by 
birds and are susceptible to injury from the peach worm. Growers have 
replaced the Princess with the Nonpareil and other more productive varieties. 
Although the variety still enters the market commercially from California, most 
of the Princess almonds retailed in the East are imported. Two types of 
