572 THE SWEET CHESTNUT AND FILBERT. 



loam, and it is generally planted in the north margin of the orchard, 

 or on a lawn, or in a paddock. Seedlings will bear in seven years 

 from the seed. The Prolific bears in a small state. The fruit is pro- 

 duced, as in most amentaceous trees, from short shoots of the current 

 year protruded from the extremities of the preceding year's shoots. 

 It is gathered by hand for pickling, and too frequently beaten down 

 with rods when ripe ; but as it drops of itself just before the leaves, no 

 beating down, or gathering from the branches, is requisite. The fruit 

 is best kept in dry sand, or slightly covered with straw. Little or no 

 pruning is ever given to this tree, though there can be no doubt that 

 thinning out the branches would throw more strength into the fruit 

 of those which remain. 



The Peccan-nut Hickory (Gary a olivaeformis), some varieties of which, 

 Michaux says, produce fruit which is far superior to that of the Euro- 

 pean walnut (and of which Washington is said to have been so fond 

 that during the War of Independence he had always his pockets full of 

 them) ; and the Shell-bark Hickory (C. alba), may be grafted on the 

 walnut, and treated in all respects like that tree. 



The Sweet Chestnut. 



The sweet chestnut (Castanea vesca, W.), is a large deciduous tree, 

 a native of Spain and Italy, and cultivated in the south of England, 

 more especially in Devonshire, for its fruit, as well as its timber. The 

 nut is brought to table roasted, and eaten with salt, or with salt fish, or 

 stewed in cream. In Spain and Italy it is used as an article of food, 

 boiled, roasted, in puddings, cakes, and bread. In France and Italy 

 there are a great many varieties in cultivation, and upwards of twenty 

 have been grown in the Garden of the Horticultural Society, of which 

 the Downton and Prolific are among the best. For a small garden, 

 the Chataigne exalade of the south of France deserves the preference, 

 not only as producing the best fruit of all the varieties for the table, 

 but on account of the tree being an abundant bearer and of small size. 

 The varieties are propagated by grafting on the species. The fruit is 

 produced in the same manner as that of the walnut. 



The Filbert. 



The filbert (Corylus Avellana, L.), in a wild state is the hazel-nut, 

 common in woods in many parts of Europe, on loamy soils. Its use 

 in the dessert is familiar to every one. By cultivation several varieties 

 have been obtained, of which the best are the Ked,White, Purple-leaved, 

 Prolific, and Frizzled filbert ; the Cosford, which ought to be in every 

 collection ; the Cob-nut, the Great and Red and White Prize Exhibition 

 Cob-nut, the Downton large square nut, and the Spanish nut, on ac- 

 count of their large fruit. All these varieties are usually propagated 

 by grafting on the common hazel-nut, or on the Spanish nut, which 

 grows very fast, and differs from all the others in not sending up 

 suckers. " The plants should be trained to a single stem, from a foot 

 to two feet in height, and then be permitted to branch into a sym- 



