COBNUTS AND FILBERTS. 69 



strong suckers from the base of the tree in autumn, and 

 planting these ift. apart in rows 2ft. asunder. Each 

 sucker must be furnished with roots, and when planted 

 be shortened to about ,ift. In two years' time these 

 suckers may be planted out permanently. 



They may also be increased by layering two-year-old 

 shoots in autumn, severing these from the parent the 

 following autumn, and planting them out as advised for 

 the suckers. Choice sorts may also be whip grafted on 

 seedling plants in March. 



Soil and Situation. Cobnuts and Filberts thrive best 

 on stony, brashy soil, on sloping or hilly land. On such 

 soils the trees make a sturdy, fruitful growth. Heavy, 

 damp, or very rich soils encourage a too rank growth and 

 a paucity of female flowers. So many people fail to 

 get nuts to fruit well because the soil is too rich, too 

 damp, or too heavy. It is useless to plant Cobnuts or 

 Filberts except in well-drained loamy or stony soils. The 

 situation, too, must be an open and sunny one, and shel- 

 tered from north or north-east winds. 



Planting. The best time to plant is in October, and 

 the bushes should be placed 10 to i2ft. apart. If the 

 soil be poor, mix some well-rotted manure with it to give 

 the roots a fair share of nourishment when they start to 

 grow. Mulch the surface of the soil also when the plant- 

 ing is finished, and see that each tree is properly staked. 



Pruning and Training. There are two ways of train- 

 ing nuts one, the rough-and-ready way so often prac- 

 tised, namely, as a bush ; and the other, the more 

 profitable method, growing them cup-shaped i.e., with 

 open centres, a main stem ift. high, and six branches. 

 Nuts are also grown as low standards, but this is a 

 method more ornamental than profitable. 



The first method does not permit sufficient light and 

 air to get among the branches, consequently the crop of 

 nuts is usually a sparse one, and the nuts individually 



