HAZEL NUTS 



i. GENERAL 



The hard - shelled fruits variously known as Hazel Nuts, Filberts, 

 and Cob Nuts are produced by a somewhat hairy or downy shrub or 

 small tree (Corylus Avellana), the wild form of which is a native of 

 Great Britain and Ireland, but is also found throughout Europe, North 

 Africa, and temperate Asia. The leaves are roundish heart - shaped, 

 pointed, deeply and distinctly veined, and doubly toothed on the margins. 

 The male and female flowers are borne on the one-year-old shoots, but 

 are quite distinct from each other. The male flowers are borne in con- 

 spicuous drooping pale-yellow catkins, 1 to 2 in. long, from January to 

 March. The female flowers are comparatively inconspicuous, but are 

 much more important from the nut grower's point of view. They are 

 borne on the same shoots as the male catkins, but in fat stalkless buds 

 above them. About February and March these buds (which are plumper 

 than the ordinary wood buds) begin to break, and several bright crimson 

 thread-like styles protrude, as shown in the drawing (fig. 394). They 

 are then ready to be fertilized, and some of the pollen from the male 

 catkins, being blown about by the wind, is sure to come in contact 

 with the tips or stigmas of the crimson styles. In due course the 

 young nuts begin to swell, and ultimately form the " nut " enclosed in 

 the leathery husks. It is essential for the grower to bear this little 

 piece of natural history in mind, especially at pruning time. If the 

 young shoots containing the catkins and female flowers are cut away, 

 it means no fruit. 



The Cob or Filbert may be looked upon almost as a crop peculiar to 

 Kent. It may, however, be, and is, grown in other parts of the kingdom, 

 and gives a fair return as a market-garden crop in suitable situations. 



A sandy loam, seated on a chalky or limestone subsoil, is considered 

 the most suitable soil for nuts. It should be prepared by subsoil plough- 

 ing and harrowing some time before the planting period, so as to have 

 it in a clean condition. If the soil is too rich, there is a danger of too 



203 



