THE BEST AND HIGHEST FLAVORED QUINCE 
49 
of its dense foliage it is classed as the leader for planting in interior valley 
sections. 
The fruit is large and of beautiful lemon color. Flesh is tender with a de¬ 
licious flavor and is an excellent variety for the making of preserves and 
jellies. 
It is also considered valuable for market purposes on account of its attrac¬ 
tive color and its good keeping qualities. Suitable for planting in all parts of 
California. Ripens September to October. 
ALMONDS 
The culture of almonds in California exceeds all other varieties of nut-bear¬ 
ing trees, except the walnut. The crop in California for 1916 was over 6,600,- 
000 pounds of commercial nuts and of which over 75% was controlled by the 
California Almond Growers Association. As it is, we only supply 25% of 
the almond nuts used in this country, the other 75% being imported from 
Spain, Italy and France. 
The tree finds genial conditions throughout California in favored sections, 
free from late spring frosts, for its development of tree and nuts. 
it prefers a loose, light, warm, well-drained soil, as the roots penetrate 
deeply and will stand drouth better than if planted in heavy, moist soils. 
We grow these trees on almond and peach roots; the former should be 
planted in the lighter and hillside soils while the peach root will stand the 
heavier soils. 
The largest almond section is found in the Sacramento Valley, but they are 
also being planted extensively in the San Joaquin Valley and in Paso Robles 
district of San Luis Obispo County. 
When planting, set the trees 25 feet apart and cut them back to twenty 
inches from the ground. 
The following winter thin out the limbs, leaving three or four to form the 
head of the tree and as far as possible have them properly distributed, cutting 
them back about one foot. The second winter’s pruning should be made by 
cutting back the new growth to one foot and leaving a few of the inside 
branches, provided, however, they do not crowd the interior of the tree. The 
following winter all the pruning required will be to thin out overlapping or 
crowded branches, and such pruning can be carried out in future years. 
Cross pollination is one of the most important features in planting almonds. 
The best fertilizing varieties are Drake’s Seedling and Texas Prolific and 
should be planted with such varieties as Nonpareil, IXL, Ne Plus Ultra, 
Languedoc and Peerless alternating at least every fourth to sixth row with 
either Drake’s Seedling or Texas Prolific. These last two varieties not only 
produce abundant crops of commercial nuts but by their fertilizing the other 
varieties their tonnage is also increased to an important degree. 
The crop is harvested by shaking the trees and by whipping the nuts that 
do not fall, with light poles, preferably bamboo, so they will not injure the 
bark on the limbs of the trees. 
The nuts should be.hulled at once and spread on trays and exposed to the 
sun for a few days, turning them over so that they will be thoroughly dry 
before sacking or boxing. Do not expose the nuts to sulphur fumes until they 
are dry, as the fumes will injure the flavor of the kernel. Before sulphuring 
sprinkle the nuts with water so that the shell is slightly moist. They should 
be sulphured from two to three hours. The sulphuring is not absolutely neces¬ 
sary as nuts can be readily sold without this bleaching of the shells. 
Almond trees as a rule make a heavy, sturdy growth in the nursery row, 
and the largest size of these trees do not usually go over four feet. 
Prices of Almond Trees—On Almond and Peach Roots 
Each 10 100 1000 
1 year.4 to 6 ft. $ .40 $3.50 $30.00 $250.00 
1 year.3 to 4 ft. .35 3.00 25.00 200.00 
1 year.2 to 3 ft. .30 2.50 20.00 160.00 
Drake Seedling This variety is of the Languedoc class and was originated 
on the grounds of Mr. Drake, of Suisun, California. The 
tree is a strong grower and a heavy bearer; in fact it has the reputation of 
bearing regularly in sections where the Languedoc is a total failure. One rea¬ 
son for its heavy bearing is the fact that it is very late in blooming, conse¬ 
quently is more free from frost than any other variety. 
