68 FRUIT AND ITS CULTIVATION. 



veyed to them by the agency of wind or smafl insects. 

 To ensure nuts forming, therefore, it is essential not to 

 prune away the catkins until it is seen that the female 

 blooms have been fertilised. Female blooms are borne, 

 as a rule, on lateral shoots of the previous year's growth, 

 or on spurs of older growth. (See Fig. 20.) 



Propagation. Both may be reared from seed, the nuts 

 being gathered when quite ripe, removed from their husks, 



Fig. 20. FLOWERING BRANCH OF FILBERT. 



and then placed between layers of moist sand in any cool 

 place. The following March sow the nuts in drills 2in. 

 deep and ift. apart in good light soil in the open garden. 

 In the autumn of the following year transplant the seed 

 lings i ft. apart in rows 2ft. asunder. Leave them thus 

 for two years, then plant out permanently. 



Seedlings, however, are not to be relied upon to fruit 

 freely. A much better plan is the Kentish one of lifting 



