Within the next few years California growers will, in all probability, be forced to accept lower prices for their almonds than they are now receiving. The American markets are fully supplied at present prices, yet constantly increasing acreage will inevitably result in a greatly increased tonnage. European almonds are being produced at a lower net cost and can be laid down on the Atlantic Coast more cheaply than is possible with the California product. This brings the grower face to face with the necessity of becoming more thoroughly familiar with the most economical methods of production and marketing if they are to continue to make a profit. It is essential, therefore, that a careful study be made of all the factors concerned in the growth, production and final disposition of the almond crop. HABITS The almond is the first of the deciduous fruit trees to start growth and come into bloom in the spring, and normally the last one to shed its leaves in the fall. In other words, it has a very short period of rest. When the trees are forced into premature dormancy by mites or lack of moisture, they soon reach the end of their normal rest period before the winter season is over. Then the first warm weather in spring will bring the trees into blossom. In some cases where moisture and temperature conditions are favorable late in the fall, they may actually blossom before the winter season. In young trees that have become dormant unusually early, the rest period may terminate and then the tips of the branches resume growth and continue to slowly develop new leaves at the terminals throughout the winter. Trees which have been kept growing thriftily until the leaves have been forced to fall by the cold weather and frosts of winter, do not tend to blossom as early in the spring, nor do they open under the influence of a few days of warm weather in late winter or early spring. Young trees blossom somewhat later than the older trees, and buds on sucker growth blossom later than the more mature portions of the same tree. The difference may amount to three or four days or almost a week. Well-grown trees carry large numbers of blossoms over the entire tree, as shown in figure 2. [Illustration: Fig. 1.—IMPORTS OF ALMONDS INTO THE U.S. Crops of 1899 to 1917.] The wood of the almond is very hard and strong, enabling the tree to bear the weight of heavy crops where pruning has been given proper attention during the formative period of the young tree. As with other fruit trees, the almond is subject to heart-rot and care should always be exercised to prevent the checking and cracking of large wounds and consequent infection with decay organisms. The hardness of the wood makes it the finest kind of fuel, and when old orchards are being dug up the returns from the sale of wood often more than pay for the expense of digging and cutting up the trees and burning the brush.