A TREATISE ON NUT CULTURE. 15 



They are easily propagated by suckers, layers and cuttings, and also by 

 grafting. Wet, heavy, rich soil will stimulate too strong a growth of wood 

 and prevent fruitfulness. A poor sandy soil will make the nuts small and 

 scarce. But a loose friable soil of moderate richness, and a well underdrained^ 

 subsoil, seem to be well suited to Cobnut and Filbert culture. We believe that 

 all the conditions suitable to their culture will yet be found in parts of New 

 York. 



Cobnut Corylus Avellana, is a species which is very common 



in Europe. In England its varieties are commonly 



called Cobnuts. Its habit is bushy, sometimes inclined to be tree-like and 

 suckers freely at the base. The husk is two-parted, short and reflexed at matu- 

 rity. The nuts are medium size, round or compressed and nearly always thin- 

 shelled. There are several named varieties, of which the following are consid- 

 ered the best: Bond, Cosford, Downton Square and Pearson. 



Filbert ^ lie nuts ^ the var i et i es f C- Tubulosa are com- 



monly called Filberts. The habit of growth is 



stronger than that of the Cobnuts, being upright and with heavy branches, 

 but suckers freely when not pruned into the shape of a small tree with a single 

 stem. The husk is single-lobed, longer than the nut, and often contracted just 

 above the nut. The nuts are elongated in shape, have thick shells, and the 

 kernels are very richly flavored. There are a number of named varieties of 

 excellent quality, from which the following are selected: Frizzled, Lambert, 

 Purple, Red, White. 



The Walnuts ^ our nat ^ ve American Walnuts, there are none which 

 at present seem to afford much opportunity for their 



profitable culture as nut bearing trees. Possibly the butternut, Juglans Cin- 

 erea, may yet develop varieties with shells thin enough, and meats large 

 enough and of the right shape, to be easily extracted; but, as a rule, the shell 

 holds the kernel too firmly in its crevices. The flavor is very rich and deli- 

 cious. Crossing with other species may make new creations of peculiar value 

 in all respects. That the tree is hardy in New York, we all know. It loves 

 well drained upland slopes, and good deep soil. 



Persian The s P ec i e9 f the g enus Juglans, which, up. to this 



Walnut date, has been almost solely cultivated, is the Persian 



Walnut, Juglans regia, which in America has been 



improperly called English Walnut, because it was perhaps first brought to this 

 country from England. It is a native of Asia, and was brought from Persia to 

 Europe by the Greeks, who called it " Persian nut," and " Royal nut." The 

 Romans having obtained it from the Greeks, called it " Juglans," which' liter- 

 ally means " Jupiter's Acorn " or " nut of the gods." Wherever the Romans 

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