HAZELS 207 



tree hazel, Corylus chinensls, occasionally reaches a 

 height of one hundred feet. Judging from the lati- 

 tude of its indigenous origin one would not antici- 

 pate hardiness in the colurna tree hazels in the 

 north, but they appear to be perfectly hardy in 

 Connecticut, and as yet the colurna has shown no 

 tendency to blight. I have not experimented with 

 the Chinese hazel. The hardiness and blight resist- 

 ance of the colurna tree hazel may be due to the fact 

 that its thick corky bark acts as a protector. When 

 grafting other varieties and species upon the colurna 

 tree hazel it is necessary to remove some of the thick 

 corky bark in order to allow the wrappings of the 

 graft to hold. This leaves an area of tender bark 

 exposed, and we must keep it covered with paraffin 

 for a year. At the end of that time a new spongy 

 corky layer has been developed. Judging from my 

 experience to date in using the large tree hazels as 

 grafting stocks for bush hazels the idea is to work 

 out practically in an advantageous way. 



Two Oriental species, the Jacquemont and the 

 Chinese hazel, grow to the height of our larger oaks. 

 They may push European hazels up to nearly that 

 height when top^worked. Hybrids may perhaps be 

 grown which will combine the grandeur of the tree 

 hazel with enormous crops of nuts, large in size and 

 carrying European hazel quality. 



The colurna tree hazel bears its nuts in pendant 

 clusters "as big as a fist." The nuts themselves are 

 not larger or more valuable than the nuts of the 

 common American hazel. I have made some hybrids 



