FILBERTS. 261 



growing tree, with a handsome spreading heaa, and bearing 

 crops of large and excellent nuts, enclosed like those of our 

 native black walnut in a simple husk. It stands the winter 

 very well here, and to the south of this it would undoubtedly be 

 a profitable fruit to plant for the market. The fruit in a green 

 state is very highly esteemed for pickling, and the great quan- 

 tities of the ripe nuts annually imported and sold here, prove the 

 estimation in which they are held for the table. There are 

 several varieties reputed to be of rather finer quality, which, 

 however, have not displaced the original species, even in the 

 gardens of Europe, and have not yet borne fruit here. 



This tree is usually propagated by the seed, and transplanted 

 from the nurseries when from three to six feet high. But it 

 may also be grafted, with due care, on the common hickory nut. 



The HICKORY NUT (Carya alba,) or shell-bark. The Black 

 Walnut (Juglans nigra,) and the Butternut, (J. cineria,) are 

 native nut-bearing trees, common in our forests, and too well 

 known to need description here. There are occasionally found 

 in the woods, accidental varieties of the shell-bark hickory, of 

 much larger size and finer flavour than the common species, 

 which are highly worthy of cultivation, as we confess, to our 

 own taste, this nut is much superiour to the European walnut. 

 There is indeed no doubt, that with a little care in reproduction 

 by seed, the shell-bark may be trebled in size, and greatly im- 

 proved in flavour. 



The FILBERT, (Noisette, of the French ; Nassbaum, German ; 

 Avellano, Spanish ;) is an improved variety of the common 

 hazel-nut of the woods of Europe, Corylus avellana, L.) The 

 fruit is three or four times as large as that of our common hazel- 

 nut, and from its size and excellent flavour is admired for the 

 dessert. The old Spanish filbert common in many of our gar- 

 dens, is a worthless, nearly barren variety, but we have found 

 the better English sorts productive and excellent in this climate, 

 and at least a few plants of them, should have a place in all our 

 gardens. They are generally raised from layers, made in the 

 spring, but they may also be grafted readily on the common 

 hazel-nut, or the Spanish nut. When planted out they should 

 not be permitted to sucker, and should be kept in the form of 

 bushes with low heads, branching out about two feet from the 

 ground, and they should be annually pruned somewhat like 

 the gooseberry, so as to preserve a rather thin, open head 

 shortening back the extremities of the young shoots one half, 

 every spring. 



The following are the best filberts known. 



1. COSFORD. (Thomp. P. Mag.) Nut large, oblong ; husk 

 hairy ; shell remarkably thin, and kernel of excellent flavour. 

 A good bearer. 



2. FRIZZLED. (Thomp. P. Mag.) Easily known by its hand - 



