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  plants. 
  The 
  common 
  American 
  hazel, 
  while 
  valuable 
  for 
  hybridiz- 
  

   ing 
  purposes, 
  will 
  probably 
  never 
  be 
  cultivated 
  to 
  any 
  great 
  extent, 
  

   because 
  of 
  its 
  habit 
  of 
  growth. 
  

  

  The 
  characteristic 
  life 
  history 
  in 
  the 
  Eastern 
  States 
  is 
  as 
  follows: 
  

   A 
  hazel 
  plant 
  bears 
  a 
  few 
  nuts 
  in 
  its 
  third 
  year, 
  a 
  fairly 
  large 
  crop 
  

   in 
  its 
  fourth 
  year, 
  a 
  heavy 
  crop 
  in 
  its 
  fifth 
  year, 
  a 
  very 
  few 
  nuts 
  in 
  

   its 
  sixth 
  year 
  and 
  it 
  dies 
  at 
  the 
  seventh 
  or 
  eighth 
  year 
  of 
  age. 
  

   Meanwhile, 
  the 
  plant 
  has 
  been 
  sending 
  out 
  long 
  stoloniferous 
  roots 
  

   which 
  have 
  surrounded 
  the 
  original 
  plant 
  with 
  a 
  chaplet 
  of 
  progeny, 
  

   each 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  follows 
  the 
  Hfe 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  parent. 
  

  

  One 
  hazel 
  plant 
  when 
  left 
  free 
  to 
  its 
  own 
  devices 
  may 
  increase 
  

   in 
  this 
  way 
  rapidly 
  enough 
  to 
  drive 
  cows 
  out 
  of 
  a 
  pasture 
  lot. 
  I 
  

   have 
  trimmed 
  off 
  stoloniferous 
  roots 
  experimentally 
  from 
  a 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  hazel 
  plants, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  throwing 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  strength 
  

   into 
  the 
  original 
  stocks, 
  hoping, 
  thereby, 
  to 
  prolong 
  their 
  lives. 
  

   This, 
  however, 
  appears 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  effective, 
  as 
  the 
  stocks 
  died 
  at 
  

   their 
  appointed 
  time. 
  

  

  Like 
  many 
  other 
  wild 
  plants, 
  not 
  yet 
  subjected 
  to 
  processes 
  of 
  

   cultivation, 
  the 
  common 
  American 
  hazel 
  does 
  not 
  respond 
  very 
  

   readily 
  to 
  cultivation, 
  and 
  too 
  much 
  attention 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   horticulturist 
  leads 
  it 
  into 
  confusion. 
  

  

  Some 
  years 
  ago 
  I 
  expended 
  about 
  six 
  weeks 
  in 
  making 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  

   fruiting 
  hazels 
  and 
  examined 
  many 
  thousands 
  of 
  bushes 
  in 
  Rhode 
  

   Island, 
  Connecticut 
  and 
  eastern 
  New 
  York 
  state, 
  including 
  Long 
  

   Island. 
  , 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  regions 
  visited, 
  the 
  native 
  hazels 
  are 
  so 
  abundant 
  as 
  to 
  

   be 
  considered 
  a 
  pest. 
  Out 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  bushes 
  examined, 
  I 
  saved 
  but 
  

   three 
  for 
  purposes 
  of 
  propagation. 
  The 
  best 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  for 
  size, 
  

   quality 
  and 
  thinness 
  of 
  shell, 
  I 
  have 
  named 
  the 
  Merribrooke, 
  and 
  

   young 
  plants 
  of 
  this 
  variety 
  will 
  be 
  sent 
  to 
  any 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Asso- 
  

   ciation 
  who 
  wishes 
  to 
  cultivate 
  them. 
  Bushes 
  of 
  this 
  particular 
  

   wild 
  variety 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  reputation 
  among 
  the 
  boys 
  of 
  the 
  locality 
  

   for 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  hundred 
  years, 
  according 
  to 
  legends 
  of 
  the 
  neigh- 
  

   borhood. 
  I 
  have 
  recently 
  budded 
  specimens 
  of 
  this 
  variety 
  upon 
  

   stocks 
  of 
  the 
  Byzantine 
  hazel, 
  in 
  the 
  hope 
  of 
  prolonging 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  

   an 
  individual 
  plant 
  beyond 
  its 
  normal 
  seven 
  or 
  eight 
  years. 
  

  

  The 
  other 
  American 
  hazel, 
  variously 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  beaked 
  hazel, 
  

   tailed 
  hazel 
  or 
  horned 
  hazel, 
  was 
  named 
  Corylus 
  cornuta 
  by 
  Mar- 
  

   shall 
  (Arbustrum 
  Americanum 
  37, 
  1785). 
  Consequently, 
  that 
  is 
  

   the 
  name 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  known 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  name 
  Corylus 
  

   rostrata 
  which 
  was 
  bestowed 
  subsequently. 
  This 
  hazel 
  has 
  a 
  much 
  

   more 
  northern 
  range 
  than 
  the 
  common 
  American 
  hazel 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  

  

  