FILBERTS AND COB-NUTS 



Filberts and Cob-Nuts thrive especially in soil which 

 is known as " stone-shattery " land — that is, land which 

 consists of a mixture of loam and stone detritus. But 

 good crops can be raised on most soils. In any case 

 the ground should be trenched and well manured 

 previous to planting. Dwarf trees with stems about 

 two feet high are best for planting. From these central 

 stems branches are trained to form a tree about eight 

 feet in diameter and five feet in height. By pruning, 

 the trees are kept well open and more or less basin- 

 shaped. The trees bear two forms of flower, one, the 

 male, in the form of cylindrical grey catkins bearing the 

 pollen, the other, the female, in the form of a little 

 reddish tuft at the summit of a large bud. The 

 removal of either of these flowers is fatal to the crop. 

 Their appearance should therefore be waited for, and 

 pruning should then consist in cutting back the 

 branchlets to just beyond the last catkin or female 

 flower. 



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