Almond Trees
As the cobnut is really a type of filbert-which has the husk shorter than the nut-I am dealing with them both under one heading. These nuts grow well on almost any soil, though they probably do best on light land because under such conditions they make less strong growth, with the result that they crop better.
There are, however, two types of almonds: the bitter almond and the sweet almond. The latter is nonpoisonous but it may only have a faint nutty taste. It is the bitter almond that is much liked in almond icing and marzipan.
One must always be careful, however, because certain species produce dangerous proportions of hydrocyanic acid and therefore should not be used for normal edible purposes. Small quantities of these almonds, however, when ground, can be used for flavouring.
Nut trees should not be sprayed in the winter with a tar-oil wash, but because of the ravages of the nut-weevil, which hibernates as a grub and emerges in May to lay its eggs in the soft nutlets, it does seem essential to apply a 5 per cent D.D.T. dust to the trees during the first week in June, before the weevils probe the nutlets to do their feeding.
The varieties Prunus amygdalus macrocarpa and Prunus amygdalus dukis produce practically no hydrocyanic acid and they have a mild nutty flavour, being quite innocuous.
The nuts should be picked when the husks are quite hard. It is then advisable to spread them out on the shelving of a dry shed or greenhouse so as to ensure that all the moisture has been evaporated. They can then be stored quite happily for Christmas. If they are to be kept longer than this, they should be placed in stone jars and have plenty of salt sprinkled over them. The jars can then be stoppered.
