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FILBERTS FOR THE NORTHERN UNITED STATES 



By Conrad Vollertsen, Rochester, New York 



The improved European hazel or filbert really is a fruit or nut just 

 adopted by the northern hemisphere, and is still, in our eastern and 

 northern states, a very much neglected one. This is something of a 

 surprise to me as ample proof of their doing well has been furnished 

 abundantly year after year. I will admit a little time should be 

 allowed for the selection of the proper varieties for certain lo- 

 cations in territories where climatic conditions may differ from 

 *hat of their original place of growing. But even that can be over- 

 come to some extent by planting several varieties, which always should 

 be done even in small plantings for the sake of pollinization. One 

 plant should never be set out, if there is not room for two or more. My 

 advice would be rather not to plant any as it seldom proves satisfac- 

 tory for want of pollinization. 



My practical experience and close observation among filbert plants 

 for the last fifteen years has without the slightest doubt convinced 

 me that planting' of filbert orchards for commercial purposes on 

 properly prepared land is not at all a risky undertaking. I think quite 

 the contrary. 



On my little filbert plantation located a few miles south of Lake 

 Ontario, Monroe County, New York, a trifle more than two acres are 

 set out with plants for propagating purposes, propagating now all done 

 by layering in my nursery — no more grafting. For that reason all wood 

 on these plants is allowed to grow, even the so-called suckers coming 

 up from the roots, a detriment to all fruit-bearing filberts. They are 

 really not for fruitbearing, only for the growing of young plants, but 

 are all I have of bearing age. They are the very plants that have fur- 

 nished me for the last five j-ears on an average full 500 pounds of well 

 matured nuts per acre. In 1925 and 1926 we gathered of the same 

 plants, though a year or two older, more than 600 pounds per acre, 

 which I consider a very good crop from plants not specially grown for 

 fruit. 



This year the crop is rather light, particularly of some varieties. 

 I do not expect more than about sixty per cent of a normal gather- 



