MISCELLANEOUS HARDY FRUITS. 



253 



ding in the case of named varieties; and by 

 seeds for the common sort. The latter may be 

 sown in October or November, or it may be 

 better to stratify the seeds in sand, and sow in 

 February or March, so as to avoid injury from 

 severe frost. They should be sown in drills 2 

 feet apart, the seeds about 4 inches apart, and 

 buried to a depth of 3 inches. Beyond keeping 

 the ground clean, nothing further is required 



till the plants have attained the age of two 

 years, when they should be taken up any time 

 between October and March, about one-third of 

 the tap-root cut off^ and replanted 1 foot apart, 

 in rows 2 feet asunder. A clear stem ought to 

 be preserved by pruning off lateral branches. 



The young trees should be transplanted every 

 other year, and, according to their growth, 

 allowed more space. When they have stems 



vMM, a 



// 



Fig. 1040.— Chestnut— Darlington (natural size). 



about \\ inch in diameter, they should be 

 planted where they are to remain. A distance 

 of from 30 to 40 feet may be allowed between 

 the trees. 



Budding or grafting may be done in exactly 

 the same way and at the same time as for 

 Apples. Trees thus raised will fruit in from 

 three to seven years from the graft, whereas 

 seedlings may take twenty years. 



Pruning. — Stop the lateral branches where 

 disposed to make an undue growth, with a view 

 to forming a straight main stem. Thin out the 

 shoots where they cross or interfere with each 

 other, and check grossness by root -pruning, 

 thus making the trees early productive. 



The fruit when fully ripe naturally detaches 

 itself from the tree, and may be collected from 



time to time as it falls. The nuts should be 

 beaten out of the husks and spread out in a 

 thin layer in the fruit-room. Those not re- 

 quired for immediate use, after having been 

 exposed for some time to the air, to get rid of 

 a portion of their moisture, may be packed in 

 alternate layers with dry sand, and kept in any 

 dry place secure from frost. 

 The best varieties are : — 



Darlington (fig. 1040). — Of American origin. Tree 

 vigorous and productive; nuts medium, of good quality, 

 ripening early. 



Numbo. — Burs usually single, nuts consequently large, 

 sometimes two or three times larger than the common 

 sort. 



Paragon. — Nuts large, juicy, and sweet. A favourite 

 in America. 



