THE FILBERT. 



57 



The fruit conies on the young growth, i.e. the pre- 

 vious year's growth bears the fruit the following season. 

 This at once points out the method of pruning to be 

 adopted, and also what is 

 required to get good fruit- 

 bearing wood for each suc- 

 cessive season, viz. a strong 

 growth and a constant 

 annual thinning out of the 

 crowded branches, so as to 

 keep the tree well open in 

 the centre. Never spur in 

 a Black Currant as in the 

 case of the Red Currant. 

 Cutting back some of the 

 old wood is necessary, as is 

 shown in Fig. 48, letter a. 

 When Black Currants are trained on walls, the same 

 rules should be observed for pruning as are adopted for 

 the Grape Vine. All the finest fruit comes upon the 

 previous season's growth. 



Fig. 48. 



The Filbert. 



The cultivation of the Filbert for home use or for 

 commercial purposes is a pleasant and profitable busi- 

 ness, especially where the soil and climate are suitable. 

 A mild climate is requisite as a rule to insure a good 

 crop of Filberts every season. 



It is an early flowerer, and should the weather prove 

 wet and cold during the month of February (when it is 

 in flower), no Filberts can be expected, except in the 

 warm counties. This tree, like the common Hazel Nut, 

 produces two kinds of flowers. The catkins, or what 

 are vulgarly called " lambs' tails," are the male flowers, 

 or those which do not bear the fruit, but only pollen. 

 These, it will be observed, are suspended in a most 

 graceful form from the young wood in great abundance 

 in the early spring ; and at the same time, if you look 

 closely lower down on the same wood, and also on the 



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