lly the first of the stone fruits to begin growth and
come into blossom in the spring and is also normally the last tree to
become dormant in the fall. It is evident, therefore, that its normal
winter resting period is comparatively short. The peach has a much
longer resting period than the almond although less than the apple, pear
and other similar fruits, and it is for this reason that peach
production is possible in a commercial way in many sections of the East.

In California, where almonds and peaches are very often planted in close
proximity, many seedlings are known which are very evidently natural
crosses between the peach and the almond. In addition many artificial
crosses have been made with no difficulty and have been planted and
brought to maturity. The products of these crosses have shown the same
general characteristics as those found naturally.

We are familiar with a peach-almond growing on the edge of a large
almond orchard in California which produces good crops of fruit quite
regularly. The fleshy portion or hull is almost edible, being much drier
than the flesh of an ordinary peach and yet much more fleshy than the
hull of the ordinary almond. It has a slight amount of astringency, a
characteristic of the almond hull, but not sufficient to prevent its
being eaten. Upon maturity this fleshy portion or pericarp splits but
does not open as is usually the case with almond hulls. Inside this the
pit, stone, seed or nut, or by whatever name it may be called, exhibits
characteristics of both the peach and the almond. It does not have the
deep corrugations of the peach pit nor does it have the comparatively
smooth shell with small pores of the almond. In this particular variety
the kernel is mildly bitter. In almost every respect this cross exhibits
characteristics of both the peach and the almond. In other cases this is
not true, some approaching more nearly the almond type while others are
almost indistinguishable from peaches. In other words, the variations
are those naturally to be expected in hybrids.

Now to return to the almond again. We find that for best results in
production the almond must be grown in a climate where the winters are
comparatively short and yet where there is sufficient cold weather to
force the trees into complete dormancy. Where the winters are long or
the summers are so dry as to force the trees to come dormant too early
in the fall there is a great tendency to premature blosso