CHAP. X VILLA GARDENING 287 



free-beariug bushes commonly met with, will do the same for 

 the Nut. We start with a j'oung plant, and cut out the branches 

 springing from the centre vertically, at the same time regulat- 

 ing those surrounding the main central stem. In the case 

 of the Filbert or Cob Nut, bushes 10 or more feet in diameter 

 ai'e formed in a comparatively short time, and these low wide- 

 spreading bushes, being full of small spray, from theu- exposure 

 on all sides to aii" and sunshine, produce an immense number of 

 blossoms, and carry heavy crops of Nuts. Any one who can 

 by pruning secure an evenly -balanced open-centred Gooseberry 

 bush can as easily carry out the same system with the Filbert or 

 Nut, for in both cases the principle of action is the same — only the 

 Nuts shoidd not be spm-red in, as is sometimes done with the 

 Grooseberry. In the Nut we must aim at obtaining an abundance 

 of feathery spray. This is best done by occasionally cutting back 

 a branch to obtain a new break, and by keeping the branches thin. 

 The pruning must be done annually. All suckers or sucker-like 

 shoots springing from the base or the main stems must be removed. 

 This is commonly done, not by cutting out with the knife, but by 

 twisting them out with a sudden movement of the hand. Nut 

 and Filbert bushes are often used to form boundaries as separating 

 screens in different parts of the garden. In summer their leaves are 

 so ample that they are well adapted for this purpose. They may 

 be used to screen buildings, or to blind anything of an unsightly 

 nature. When allowed a little more freedom of growth than the 

 Kentish growers permit, there is a good deal of shelter in a screen 

 of Nut bushes, and if planted on the windward side of the garden 

 the shelter will be beneficial to many things. 



Soil and Situation. — The Nut succeeds so well under very 

 different conditions and circumstances that one might say that, 

 except in wet, cold clays, it will succeed everywhere; and it is 

 difficult to understand why the best class of Nuts, such as the 

 Cobs and Filberts, are not more grown. The failures of the Nut 

 crop are much less frequent than are experienced among other 

 fruits, though from the early period of their blossoming they run 

 more than the average amount of risk. In a regular jjlantatiou 

 the bushes may be 10 feet apart, with a Gooseberry or Eed Currant 

 bush alternating. Afterwards, when the Nuts require all the 

 space, the Gooseberries can be removed. In all cases the ground 

 should be well prepared by trenching, etc., before planting, as 

 Nuts are long-lived. 



Propagation. — The usual methods are by layers, suckers, and 

 seeds. The former is the best way of increasing established kinds, 

 and is best performed in November, though the layering can be 



