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Cultivation (First object in successful Nut)

The first object in successful Nut culture is to keep down suckers, unless required for propagation. The more tree-like the plants, the more productive they are; hence the importance of removing all latent buds from the base and stems of seedlings or plants of any description. The height of clear stem may vary from 1ft. to 6ft. The trees are classified, according to the height of their stems, as standards, half-standards, and dwarf standards; the natural or many-stemmed bush being generally termed a Nut or Filbert stool. As the crop may be considered a permanent one, the soil should be carefully prepared, by trenching and manuring. A good deep loam, in a rather dry, sunny position, suits Hazels best, as it encourages the production of short fruit-bearing wood. During severe winters, the male blossoms are sometimes injured by frost. In other seasons, and in certain localities, the cultivated Filbert produces few catkins. In either case, these should be collected from wild Hazel-nuts, when obtainable, and suspended among the better varieties. When planting, choose well-established suckers, or layers, four or more years old. Firmly stake them as soon as inserted, and place a spadeful or two of manure on the soil, over the roots. The intermediate spaces may be cropped with potatoes, or other dwarf vegetables, for a year or two. PROPAGATION may be effected by seed, by suckers, or by layers. Grafting and budding are each practicable, and are adopted when growing tall standards or scarce varieties.

Seed. For forming tall standards, seedlings of the Constantinople Nut (C. Colurna), one of the strongest-growing of all the Hazels, should be used. These should be allowed to run up to a height of 8ft. or 10ft., and then be grafted with any desired variety. The seed of all Nuts may be sown as soon as gathered, or stored in sand till the following February or March. They should be placed thinly in rows, and covered with at least 2in. of soil. Most of the Nuts will have started before midsummer. In October or November of the second year, plant them in lines, 2ft. to 3ft. apart, and from 6in. to 15in. from each other in the rows, according to their strength. The seed of good varieties seldom produce others equal to their parents in quality; consequently, this plan of propagation should not be practised with them. Suckers. For market and garden purposes, all superior varieties should be propagated by suckers or layers. The Filbert, if left to its own habit, produces suckers in abundance. Good cultivators remove all these; but the propagator encourages their growth, as each one forms a plant. If the soil is poor, the stools should be manured. Sometimes it may be well to take them up bodily, in the autumn, to obtain good roots to each sucker; but, generally, the latter may be removed without disturbing the stools. Another crop may be obtained the following autumn. The small plants should be put out like the two-year-old seedlings, when they will soon grow into useful sizes. The large ones, some of which may be 2ft. to 3ft. high, are best planted out at wider distances, or in their fruiting quarters, at once.

Layers. Stools kept for layering must be allowed to make more growth than those used for suckers only, as a certain length and flexibility of shoot are essential to successful propagation by this method. Free growth must be encouraged for a year or two, and, any suitable time in winter, the shoots should be bent to the ground; pegged firmly, and covered to a depth of 3in. with earth. They will be well rooted by the following autumn, and may then be removed and planted out permanently.

PRUNING, as distinct from mere heading back, is an important feature in Filbert culture. Even the time to prune becomes a matter of vital moment; for, by performing this operation too early, a great many of the male catkins may be cut away. March, or even April, when the female blossoms are fully open, is the best time. The plants bear on the lateral growth of the previous summer, and most plentifully on moderate-sized wood. Hence, the young shoots should be stopped to insure such growth, and as much as possible of the old wood that has already borne fruit, removed annually. The shape to which Filberts are often formally trained for cultivation in gardens is that of a cup or vase. The stem is kept quite clear for 1ft. or more at the bottom, and the head is formed by not less than six branches trained in the shape alluded to. These, when old enough, produce the lateral growths for fruit production, and the young free growths at the top are generally loaded with the male catkins in spring.

PLANTING is best performed in October. the proper distance apart is from 10ft. to 20ft. each way. Some of the fertile dwarf varieties may be inserted closer. On rich soils, Filberts grow much wider and higher, many of the stronger ones reaching a height of 20ft., with a spread of branches as much or more in diameter. Such vigorous growth is not to be encouraged, as it does not conduce to free fruitfulness.

GATHERING AND STORING. Neither Filberts nor Nuts should be gathered till quite ripe, which is easily known by the brown colour of the Nut, the tint of the husk, and the ease with which the Nuts leave the latter. Filberts will not keep well in the husks if gathered before they are ripe. Nor must they be left until so ripe as to allow the Nuts to leave the husks when the trees are slightly agitated. In order to prevent the husks becoming mouldy when stored, they should first be well dried. Some cultivators expose them to sulphur fumes as a preventative; others store Nuts in casks or jars, and sprinkle them over with salt, for the same purpose, before covering up. They must always be kept in a cool, dry place after being packed.

DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER OF NUTS AND FILBERTS. This is so often a bewildering question to amateurs, that it may be well to explain fully. The difference lies solely in the length of the husks. Nuts with husks as long as, or longer than, the Nuts themselves, are called Filberts. All that have husks shorter than the fruit are designated Nuts. Some varieties, if this rule were strictly applied, could hardly be referred to either. Again, Filberts served without their husks are called Nuts.

INSECTS, &c. The Nut crop is sometimes much injured by the Nut Weevil (Balaninus nucum), which pierces and inserts a single egg within the shell of the tender Nut, in spring. This, by the time the Nut is nearly matured, forms into a small grub, and, eating its way out, falls to, and buries itself in, the ground, where it becomes a pupa, and emerges as a perfect insect the following season. The only preventative is to gather any perforated nuts that may be shaken off early in the season, and burn them. The Squirrel and Dormouse are also well-known as being most destructive animals to the Nut crop, as, apart from what are eaten by them at the time, as many as possible are stored for a future supply.

C. americana (American). American Hazel. fl., males greyish; females crimson. April. Nut brown, ripe in October; involucre of the fruit roundish, campanulate, longer than the nut; limb spreading, dentately serrated. l. roundish, cordate, acuminate. h. 4ft. to 8ft. Canada to Florida, in low, shady woods, 1798. Shrub.

C. Avellana (Avellino).* Common Hazel or Filbert; Wood Nut. fl., males greyish; females crimson. April. Nut brown, ripe in October; involucre of the fruit campanulate, rather spreading, torn at the margin l. roundish, cordate, pointed; stipules oblong, obtuse. h. 20ft. and upwards. Europe (Britain), North Africa, and temperate Asia.

C. Colurna (Colurna).* Constantinople Hazel. fl. as in the common Hazel, but longer and larger. Nut small; involucre of the fruit double, the exterior many-partite, the inner three-partite; divisions palmate. l. roundish-ovate, cordate; stipules lanceolate, acuminate. h. 60ft. Asia Minor, 1665. C. heterophylla (variable-leaved). l. cordate at the base, broadly obovate, irregularly toothed, five to seven-lobed, the lateral lobes often as long as the terminal one. Nut globose, scarcely inclosed by the large irregularly-cut bracts with spreading lobes. Eastern Asia, 1880. A very distinct shrub or small tree.

C. rostrata (beaked). Flowers and fruit as in the common Hazel. Involucre of the fruit tubular, campanulate, larger than the nut. bipartite; divisions inciso-dentate. l. ovate, oblong, acuminate; stipules linear-lanceolate. h. 4ft. to 5ft. Canada to Carolina, on mountains, 1745 A bushy shrub. This species closely resembles the common European Hazel; but is distinguished from it by its fruit being covered with the calyx, which is prolonged in the form of a long, hairy beak, whence the specific name.

C. tubulosa (tubular).* Lambert's Filbert. Nut, large, oblong; shell thick and strong, the kernel being covered with a red skin; husk long, rather smooth, serrated at the edges, longer than the nut. A fine, strong-growing, free-fruiting variety. It is also known as Filbert Cob, Great Cob, Kentish Cob, large Bond Nut, &c.

Of C. Avellana and C. tubulosa there are numerous varieties, the most important of which are enumerated below:

Alba.* White Filbert. This is one of the finest varieties in cultivation. From the peculiar structure of the husk, which contracts, rather than opens, at the outer edge, this Filbert can be kept longer in its cover than most others. This is also known as Avelinier Blanche, Wrotham Park, &c. Cosford.* Miss Young's, Thin-shelled. Nut oblong, of excellent quality; husk hirsute, deeply laciniated, about as long as the nut. This is valuable from the thinness of its shell, as no nutcrackers are needed in order to get at its contents.

Crispa.* Cape-nut, Frizzled Filbert. Nuts thin, somewhat flattened, late; husks richly and curiously frizzled throughout, open wide at the mouth, and hanging about as long again as the nut. This is an enormous cropper, producing its fruit in clusters.

Downton Large Square.* Nut very large; shell thick and well-filled; husk smooth, shorter than the nut. A peculiarly-formed semi-square nut, of the highest quality.

Grandis.* Round Cob-nut. Nut large, short, slightly compressed, very thick and hard; husk shorter than the fruit, much frizzled and hairy. This is supposed to be the true Barcelona Nut of commerce, and is one of the finest grown. The quality is good, and is at its highest when the nut is first gathered. It has numerous synonyms, including the following: Barcelona, Downton, Dwarf Prolific, Great Cob, Prolific, and Round Cob.

Purple-leaved Filbert.* l. large and fine, and as deeply coloured as the finer varieties of Purple Beech. Nuts and husks of the same colour, which they retain; husks longer than the nuts, and hairy. This is a very ornamental and distinct plant for shrubbery borders, apart from its value in producing a nut of excellent quality.

Red Filbert. Avelinier Rouge, Red Hazel. Nut medium size, ovate; shell thick; husk long, hispid. A good free-bearing variety, of fine quality. Spanish. Nut very large, oblong; shell thick; husk smooth, longer than the fruit. A very large variety, sometimes confounded with the Round Cob-nut and its synonyms.