1100 



PRACTICAL GUIDE TO GABDEN PLANTS mulbebry 



At this time it will be seen where the 

 Nuts are forming from the tiny female 

 flowers which appear in February and 

 March on the same branch, but quite 

 ■distinct from the long drooping male 

 catkins, as shown in the Grlossary, p. 2, 

 fig. 7, and there will thus be little danger 

 of spoiling the crop for the year. If not 

 completely severed during the summer 

 pruning the broken pieces maybe removed 

 with a sharp knife in the winter months, 

 and any unnecessary and intercrossing 

 twigs cut away at the same time. 



Propagation. — Nut trees are increased 

 by suckers, layers, grafting, and also by 

 means of seeds. The latter method is 

 scarcely ever practised, as the vast 

 majority of the seedlings are worthless, 

 when they do produce fruit. Where, 

 however, stocks for grafting are required, 

 they may be obtained in this way. 

 Layers produce the best plants. The 

 more or less flexible shoots from old 

 stems which have been cut back are 

 pegged down (see p. 59) in autumn or 

 early winter, and are covered with about 

 3 in. of good soil at the point of junction 

 with the ground. By the following 

 autumn they will be well rooted and may 

 be detached from the parent stem and 

 planted out to remain for two or three 

 years before finally transplanting. In the 

 meantime attention must be paid to sum- 

 mer and winter pruning with the object 

 of forming a good shaped tree. 



Suckers are freely produced and may 

 be removed and transplanted for increas- 

 ing the stock in autumn, being treated in 

 the same way as rooted layers. "Where 

 they are not required for this purpose 

 they should be removed every year, as 

 they absorb a good deal of nourishment 

 required by the main plant. 



Gathering the Nuts. — Cobs and Fil- 

 berts should always be allowed to hang 

 on the tree until thoroughly ripe, that is, 

 when they become a deep rich brown and 

 easily separate from the husks. If in 

 large quantities, the Nuts should be stored 

 in a cool dry and airy place. 



Varieties to grow. — There are many 

 kinds of Nuts, but the best for general 

 cultivation are the Kent or Lambert's 

 Cob, Cosford, Red-shi/nned Filbert, 

 Webb's Prize Cob Filbert, Duke of Edin- 

 burgh, Davicmum Cob, and the Improved 

 Cosford Cob. 



Enemies. — There are many insects 

 which attack the Nut, but the whitish 



larvae or grubs of the Nut-weevil (Bala- 

 nimus nucum,) are the most destructive. 

 They arise from eggs deposited in the 

 green young fruits by the female, who 

 bores a hole in them with her long slender 

 beak. The grubs when hatched proceed 

 to feed upon the kernel of the Nuts, after 

 which they bore their way out through the 

 shell about September and pass into the 

 chrysalis state in the soil at the base of 

 the tree. 



Spraying the trees with Paris green 

 (p. 1047) about April and May would be 

 likely to prevent the female from deposit- 

 ing her eggs in the young Nuts. In win- 

 ter the soil should be removed from the 

 base of the tree and burned when there 

 has been a bad attack, and new soil well 

 sprinkled with lime and soot may take its 

 place. 



The caterpillars of the Winter Moth 

 sometimes destroy the foliage, but may be 

 checked as recommended at p. 1062. 



THE SWEET or SPANISH 

 CHESTNUT (Castanba sativa).— This 

 tree has already been referred to at p. 800 

 as an ornamental subject for parks and 

 gardens. The culture and propagation 

 there recommended are all that is neces- 

 sary, even when the trees are valued for 

 their fruits. In some parts of the country 

 there are fine avenues of Sweet Chestnuts 

 and they yield enormous nvunbers of nuts 

 almost every year. Devonshire Prolific 

 and Downton are the varieties best 

 known. 



THE WALNUT (Juslans regia).— 

 After the remarks under the genus 

 Juglans at p. 791 it is scarcely necessary 

 to enlarge here on the culture of the 

 Common Walnut. Everyone recognises 

 the ornamental character of the tree, and 

 the value and popularity of the fruits. 

 Besides the Common Walnut, the other 

 varieties of note are Dwa/rf Prolific, 

 which reproduces itself true from seeds ; 

 Highflyer ripens earher than the others ; 

 Large-fruited ; Late, a late-flowering 

 and free-fruiting variety ; and the Thin- 

 shelled, one of the best varieties with a 

 tender shell. 



THE MULBERRY (Morus nigra). 

 In many parts of the kingdom there 

 are some grand old Mulberry trees, 

 which, however, are regarded rather as 

 ornamental adjuncts to the garden, more 



