28 A TREATISE ON NUT CULTURE. 



"vision of peace and plenty." But, like some other days, my nutting days 

 are over, and as I sit in the study chair I view the nuts from the naturalist's 

 standpoint, and leave to aldermanic and other civic dignitaries the privilege of 

 lingering over the " nuts and the wine." 



Nut- Producing Hazel nuts > with which the nutting of England is 



Trees mostly associated, are not so commonly eaten on this 



side of the Atlantic. In England the cultivation of 



Filberts and Cob-nuts is an important branch of horticulture. Both the Euro- 

 pean and American Hazel nuts are produced by trees of the genus corylus, 

 belonging to the oak family. Filberts are elongated and have the involucere 

 completely covering the nut. The name which attaches itself to a street in so 

 many of the Pennsylvania towns is derived from the proper name Philibert, 

 after a German saint of that name, whose day is August 22. The Cob-nut is 

 rounder and less concealed by the involucere and grows in large clusters. The 

 wild Hazel nut of America is smaller and has a thicker shell than the English 

 nut. Barcelona nuts are only the fruit of the same tree as the English-Corylus 

 Avellana, but, being grown in a warmer climate, have a thinner shell and a 

 fuller kernel. They are very good eating. 



The Spanish or sweet Chestnut tree, which supplies the Chestnuts roasting 

 on the brazier at tlie street corner, is very nearly allied to the hazel tree, the 

 oak tree and the walnut tree. Its botanical name is Castanea Vesea, and Gray 

 looks upon the American tree only as a variety. It is a native of the countries 

 bordering on the Mediterranean, and supplies no inconsiderable part of the 

 food of the poorer inhabitants of Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Germany. The 

 kernels are not only roasted, but ground into meal, which is used for thicken- 

 ing soup and for bread. The "Spanish" tree has been introduced into this 

 country, and flourishes, but while its nuts are larger than those of the American 

 form, they are not so sweet. The wood of the Spanish Chestnut is valued 

 almost, if not quite, as highly as that of the oak. Many ancient wood-carvings 

 have been executed in it, and it is very difficult to tell the difference. 



The largest known specimen of Castanea Vesea in the whole world stands 

 on the slopes of Mt. Etna and is called " The Chestnut of a Hundred Horses." 

 A hundred years ago when measured it had a circumference of one hundred 

 and ninety feet. We must not confound with this Chestnut the Horse Chest- 

 nut, which is grown as an ornamental tree for the sake of its beautiful foliage 

 and spikes of white or scarlet flowers. It is very nearly allied to the maples. 

 Its handsome, glossy nut, contained in a case which is rather warty than 

 prickly, has gained for it the name of "buck-eye." Its kernel is unwhole- 

 some, but contains a large amount of starch. 



