The morning call., 1892-10-21
NOTES FROM NILES.
Fruits Which Are Becoming OF Great
Value TO Orchardfsts.

Fruits Which Are Becoming OF Great
Value TO Orchardists.
Correspondence of THE MORNING CALL
It has been said time and again that the
crops of the future, the three great paying
crops of California. will be almonds, prunes
and apricots. Apricots, because California
only. of all the States. has any large acre
age suitable to growing apricots 10 periec-
ton. Prunes, because almost every acre In
California, suitable to fruit, VIII grow
prunes, and because the market Is practic-
ally unlimited, as prunes have become 10
sense necessity upon the tables OF the poor
as we'll as the rich. And almonds, because
no other State in the Union can raise al
monds successfully and probably. In spite
of the fact that the almond is the highest
priced nut, and a duty Of cents Is placed
on all imported almonds, it has succeeded
in pleasing the public palate more than any
other and is the favorite nut
1t has been thirty-fve years or moro
since the first mus were planted In
this State and it is impossible to tell
just what varieties will be successful In
different sections. This is an almond sec
ton, for instance, and yet the loss to would
be growers Of almonds has been cons lder-
able because wrong varieties were planted.
Without doubt the safest variety here is
the true Languedoc, and So as a rule, 1t
proves throughout the State. 1t Is regular
and full bearer. From Ignorance or care
lessness sometimes, but rarely for expert
ment, vast numbers of trees of other soft
shells or the true paper she'll have been
planted, only to result In loss, as they are
such irregular bearers that they fail to be
profitable. Almonds do remarkably well
on the edge of the hills, and here some Of
the varieties that are not free bearers in the
n
ton is easy: the almond is the first fruit to
bloom, in February, an exquisite fragrant,
pale-plnk blossom. varying IN tint accord
ing to the variety, and the orchards lying
close TO the hills escape the frost, while
those further out in the valley are always
Injured more or less II there are, as is usual.
sharp March frosts. This same fact is true
| of the Moorpark aprcots In this vicinity.
| 1t is curious fact that philopena tree
| is an accident, but il is still further true as
q rule that If grated it win invariably re-
| main TO the graft a philopena, every nut
| being double on the tree. There are sew
! eral of these trees here. and their owners.
| If careful enough TO keep them separate
| from the others, can get several cents q
| pound more than for the best priced nuts al
| the confectioners.
| 1t Is the easiest crop to handle. although
! the EXPENSE is heavy. The nuts have to be
knocked off from the trees, picked up and
| then husked a rough machine is used, but
| is so unsatisfactory that the most OF them
| must be done by hand. A good worker can
gather and husk 100 pounds day. good
| yield for tree is twenty pounds. Trees
| should not be planted nearer than twenty
| eight or thirty feet in the orchards, as they
| are Incorporating trees by the time they
| are 10 years old, and are long lived II
| planted upon the proper stock, which should
be invariably itself. An almond orchard
| requires the least care OF any tree, except
| perhaps the olive and fig. No pruning Il
| required except to shape the tree the mrs.
| year or two; no thinning is required, Q
heavy expense in other fruits; the ground
| only needs to be plowed aud narrowed
| The red spider is the only pest which at
| tacks the tree. and then does no particular
! damage.
| AS far as is known the first almonds ever
raised in California and shipped into Sar
| Francisco we're grown on Daniel Sanborn':
| place here in Niles some time in the early
sos. Trading schooners from the embryo
| city found their way TO this side OF the bay
and bought cargOes OF fruit and vegetable
from the Mission and paid as high as 81 \
| and 40 cents a pound for almonds. Th,
same orchard has still borne regularly anc
| POLITICALLY until the past three years, dur
| ing which in company with several othel
fine orchards the yield has been decreasing
because of the loss of the water OF the Ala
| media Creek. MRS. l.. l.. IHANE,
Niles Oct 90 1892