_Hulling._—After harvesting, the almonds, hulls and all are taken while still moist, to the huller to separate them. If they become dry before hulling they must be dipped in water or the shells will be broken. All hulling was formerly done by hand, and this is still done where only small lots are to be handled. The invention of machinery for this purpose has reduced the cost of hulling from 60 to 80 per cent, for most outfits separate the hulls from the nuts before they leave the machine. Some of the hand hullers consist simply of the hulling portion of the large power machines without the separating screens. These cost about one-sixth or one-seventh as much as the large machines, and where a man has a small acreage and is too far away to haul to a large huller, a hand machine will greatly facilitate the work, even though the final separation must be done by hand. [Illustration: Fig. 21.—Portable almond sheets mounted on wheels as used by N. J. Lund, Oakdale, California, 1916.] There are three different kinds of hulling and separating machines now in operation in California, all invented by California almond growers. The first one made was the Read “Sure-Pop” almond huller. This is now manufactured in three sizes by the Schmeiser Manufacturing Company, Davis, California. The No. 3 huller does not have any separating device and is generally best for orchards of less than ten acres. It may be operated by hand or by a small engine or motor. The No. 2 hullers both hull and separate and are operated only by power. They should pay in orchards of ten acres or more. The No. 1 is the largest made and is for use in large orchards of 100 acres or more. The Beach huller is of more recent origin, having been in use only since 1895. It was invented by J. E. Beach of Fairoaks, California, and is being manufactured by him. The two sizes of this machine are both power outfits; they are doing satisfactory work at the present time. The third huller is that made by C. U. Reams of Suisun. One of the first machines made by him was in 1897, and is now in working order at the F. O. Scarlett ranch, northeast of Suisun, and is doing satisfactory work. Since the first invention, Reams has made a number of improvements both in the method of hulling and of separating. Many growers do not have sufficient tonnage to enable them to afford a commercial huller, and yet hulling by hand is a slow and tedious practice. C. E. Sedgwick, Manager of the Solano District of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, located at Dixon, California, conceived the idea of using a centrifugal blower operated by a small electric motor to do the hulling. His description of this outfit, quoted from “Pacific Service Magazine,” April, 1916, page 393, after making two small corrections given by Mr. Sedgwick, is as follows: