THE CULTIVATION OF THE FILBERT. 



459 



a few inches of the ground. From the re- 

 maining part, if the trees are well rooted in 

 the soil, five or six strong shoots will be 

 produced. Whichever method is practiced, 

 the subsequent treatment of the trees will 

 be exactly the same. In the second year 

 after cutting down, these shoots are short- 

 ened ; generally one-third is taken off. If 

 very weak, I would advise that the trees be 

 quite cut down a second time, as in the pre- 

 vious spring : but it would be much better 

 not to cut them down until the trees give 

 evident tokens of their being able to pro- 

 duce shoots of sufficient strength. When 

 they are thus shortened, that they may ap- 

 pear regular, let a small hoop be placed 

 within the branches, to which the shoots 

 are to be fastened at equal distances ; by 

 this practice, two considerable advantages 

 will be gained; the trees will grow more 

 regular, and the middle will be kept hol- 

 low, so as to admit the influence of the sun 

 and air ; but this, in a large plantation, 

 would be almost impossible, nor indeed is 

 it necessary, though in private gardens, 

 where regularity and neatness are almost 

 essential, it ought to be practiced. In the 

 third year, a shoot will spring from each 

 bud; these must be suffered to grow till the 

 following autumn, or fourth year, when they 

 are to be cut off close to the original stem, 

 and the leading shoot of the last year short- 

 ened two-thirds. In the fifth year several 

 small shoots will arise from the base of the 

 side branches which were cut off the pre- 

 ceding year; these are produced from small 

 buds, and would not have been emitted, had 

 not the branch on which they were situated 

 been shortened, the whole nourishment be- 

 ing carried to the upper part of the branch. 

 It is from these shoots that fruit is to be ex- 

 pected. These productive shoots will in 

 a few years become very numerous, and 

 many of them must be taken off, particu- 



larly the strongest, in order to encourage 

 the production of the smaller ones; for those 

 of the former year become so exhausted, 

 that they generally decay ; but whether de- 

 caj'ed or not, they are always cut out by the 

 pruner, and a fresh supply must therefore 

 be provided, to produce the fruit in the suc- 

 ceeding year. The leading shoot is every 

 year to be shortened two-thirds, or more, 

 should the tree be weak, and the whole 

 height of the branches must not be suffered 

 to exceed six feet. Every shoot that is left 

 to produce fruit, should also be tipped, 

 which prevents the tree being exhausted in 

 making wood at the end of the branch. 



The filbert is a moncecious plant, and con- 

 sequently produces the male and female 

 blossoms separately on the same tree ; the 

 slender scarlet filaments which are seen is- 

 suing from the end of the buds early in the 

 spring, are the female, or productive blos- 

 soms ; the barren, or male blossoms, are 

 formed on long cylindrical catkins, which 

 fall off as soon as they have performed their 

 office ; in pruning, care must be taken to 

 leave a due supply of these to fructify the 

 female blossoms, or our previous trouble 

 will be entirely useless ; this may be done 

 without difficulty, for they are perfectly vi- 

 sible at the time of the pruning. 



The method of pruning above detailed 

 might in a few words be called a system of 

 spurring, by which bearing shoots are pro- 

 duced which otherwise would have had no 

 existence. It frequently happens that a 

 strong shoot springs from the root ; and 

 should any of the first year's or leading 

 branches be decayed, or become unproduc- 

 tive of bearing wood, it will be advisable 

 to cut that entirely away, and suffer the 

 new shoot to supply its place, which after- 

 wards is to be treated in the same manner 

 as is recommended for the others. Old 

 trees are easily induced to bear in this matt- 



