The Almond in California

by R. H. Taylor

MARKETING

The marketing of the California almond crop is at present on a firmer basis than at any time in the past. Previous to 1910 there was little or no coöperation among growers and the buyers had everything their own way. In May of that year, however, Mr. J. P. Dargitz, an almond grower near Acampo, California, successfully organized the California Almond Growers’ Exchange, consisting of nine local associations with a total membership of 230 growers. The Exchange started business with $1000 borrowed capital, personally guaranteed by the directors. On June 1, 1918, there were 22 sub-associations representing about 2000 growers, controlling about three-fourths of the crop. The Exchange now is not only out of debt but owns investments aggregating $100,000 in value, including warehouses, a central shelling plant and other property. At the same time, the growers have been receiving about 50 per cent more for their almonds than before the Exchange was organized.

The success of the Exchange, with the consequent higher prices to the grower, has resulted in a large increase in the acreage of almonds in California. This increase is making it necessary to develop new markets to absorb the greater tonnage, and this can only be done effectively or satisfactorily by coöperative effort.

Heretofore, California almonds have been marketed chiefly in the shell. A small proportion has been cracked annually to supply western brokers and confectioners, and practically all of these have been sold west of the Rocky Mountains. Only the whole nuts have been shipped to the eastern markets.

The European crops are sent to the United States largely as kernels and have had a practical monopoly of the shelled almond business east of the Rockies. The Tarragonas and Valencias shipped to America come into direct competition with the I.X.L., Drake, Languedoc and other California almonds, all of which are unshelled for the eastern markets. The imports of unshelled almonds average about the same as the California production. The Jordan, Princess and other varieties, however, come in shelled, constituting the bulk of the importations. The Jordan, because of its superior quality, is in a class by itself and does not compete at present with the California product. The Princess and other almonds of that type are much the same as the California shelling varieties and will be serious competitors when sold in the same markets.[4]

Storing.—Almonds awaiting removal or sale will become rancid if stored in warm or damp places. If the almonds have been properly cared for during the handling process to prevent worm infection, and if the nuts have been thoroughly cured, they will keep satisfactorily for a year or more. The ideal condition is to keep them stored in a uniformly cool, dry storage place with ample ventilation.

YIELDS

The yield of almonds in different years and in different orchards is probably more variable than that of any other of the common orchard fruits. The fluctuations from year to year are largely due to climatic conditions, while the variations in different orchards are largely due to variety, care given the trees throughout their life, the character of the soil, and location with relation to local frost conditions.

Almonds first commence bearing at from two to four years of age; the first crop ranging from one or two nuts up to a hatful or possibly more. The trees will first commence to bear a crop which it will pay to harvest, at from three to five years of age. Ordinarily, it will be nearer the latter, depending upon the type of soil in which the trees are growing and the moisture conditions surrounding them. On the hill lands the trees begin to mature much earlier than in the rich bottom lands and consequently come into bearing earlier. It must be borne in mind that a crop which it will pay to harvest does not necessarily pay for the cost of orchard maintenance. A crop is not considered a paying crop until it pays for the cost of maintenance as well as harvesting and handling. Almond orchards, as a rule, reach this point at from five to seven years of age. From this time on the trees should continue to increase in production from year to year, allowing for failures due to frost and other unfavorable conditions, until they are from 12 to 20 years old. Under the common methods of care that most orchards receive, the trees commence to decrease in their production at from 25 to 30 years, although in some cases it will be even sooner than that. On the other hand, well cared-for orchards will continue their maximum production even longer. The age at which an orchard will no longer pay will range from 30 years upward. The top limit is still unknown.

Investigations carried on during 1913-1914[5] brought out the following facts: The average production of almonds in California is between 700 and 800 pounds per acre; if care is exercised in the selection of a proper location for an orchard and if good judgment is used in managing it, 1000 pounds per acre would be a safe estimate for business purposes; in many years competent men might be expected to obtain 1500 pounds per acre, but this could not be expected to hold for a ten-year average. The possibilities are shown by the crop from one acre on the University Farm, at Davis, California, of ten-year-old trees which amounted to nearly 2800 pounds in 1917.