COBNUTS AND FILBERTS. 73 



Gathering and Storing the Crop. Gather the nuts only 

 when the husks are quite brown, and spread them out in 

 some dry, airy space till they have lost their moisture. It 

 is most important to have the husks thoroughly dry before 

 they are stored away. The nuts may be stored in jars 

 or casks, sprinkling a little salt over each layer, and then 

 storing in a cool cellar, etc., till required for use. Others 

 store them in hermetically-sealed tins. Should the husks 

 become discoloured, place the nuts in a sieve over a char- 

 coal fire on which sulphur has been placed. This will 

 restore the husks to their natural brown colour. 



Pests. The foliage is liable to injury by the larvae of 

 the Winter, Mottled Umber, Buff-tip, and Nut-leaf Blister 

 Moths, Leaf Weevils, Nut Aphis, Nut Sawfly, and Leaf 

 Hopper Fly; the buds by the Nut Bud Mite; and the 

 fruit by the Nut W T eevil. See chapter on " Pests." 



Varieties of the Cobnut. 



There are many varieties, but the following are the most 

 prolific and best flavoured ones : 



Cosford. An abundant bearer. Shell very thin, with 

 a husk nearly the length of the nut. Nuts roundish, and 

 borne in clusters of six. Flavour, sweet and good. 



Kentish Cob. The best sort to grow on a large scale. 

 Nuts, very large ; husk flattish. Flavour, excellent. Very 

 productive. A good grower; does well on stony land. 

 Nuts keep well. Known also as Lambert's Filbert. 



Pearson's Prolific. A hardy, compact grower. Abun- 

 dant cropper. Nuts, of medium size, with short husk and 

 sweet kernels. Shell somewhat thick. Begins to bear 

 early. 



