OcToBER, 1908 
The short, round nut of Louise, a prolific bearer 
and very popular 
been made to improve the native hazels, 
doubtless because the foreign varieties which 
have been introduced are so decidedly 
superior. Certainly, with but few’ excep- 
tions, all the varieties cultivated in this 
country are of foreign parentage, for in 
England and on the Continent the hazelnut 
is a paying crop, and has had many years 
of careful selection and cultivation. 
Choose a soil that is not too sandy and 
light. They succeed well in rather moist 
soil, though they do not like a stiff clay, and 
a soil that is too strong produces too great a 
growth of wood at the expense of the crop 
of nuts. The nuts can be grown readily 
from seed, but in this way it is uncertain 
that the varieties will be perpetuated. The 
only way to propagate and keep varieties 
true is by root-grafting or layering, though 
it may be done with a moderate degree of 
The best use of the purple leaved hazel is as an 
ornamental shrub 
THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 
success by cuttings. Bushes at one, two, 
or three years of age may readily be trans- 
planted and are as certain to live as a grape- 
vine. This transplanting may be done 
either in the fall or spring, and the plants 
should be set not closer than sixteen feet 
each way, while eighteen feet is a better 
measure. Cultivate the ground well for 
three or four years or until they come into 
bearing. They will grow practically any- 
where in the United States. A little pruning 
—merely to thin out superfluous and crowded 
branches — will keep the bushes in good 
shape. 
Concerning varieties, as I have said, all 
those in general cultivation are foreign. 
Some of these are more dwarf in habit of 
growth and less thrifty and less generally 
hardy, and the planter must consider these 
points when he purchases. At the present 
day there is considerable confusion in the 
nomenclature of the hazel, the same varieties 
obtained from different sources being found 
to be of different names. Of course, if 
their cultivation were generally successful — 
and it is not, for reasons stated farther on — 
this annoying condition would soon be 
corrected by the more general interest which 
would naturally follow. Among the finer, 
larger, more prolific varieties are Garibaldi, 
Imperial, Louise, Imperatrice Eugénie, the 
true English, De Brunswick, and Merveille 
de Bollwiller. 
The nuts are borne in clusters, each nut 
in a separate thin husk which opens at the 
outer end with something of the effect of a 
flower corolla. As the nuts mature and 
turn brown, the husk dries, and in August, 
usually, the nuts begin to drop from the 
husks. Just here an important difference 
in varieties is manifest, for some fall from 
the husks easily and freely, while other 
varieties have to be picked out by hand. 
The custom which obtains in certain parts 
of England of marketing the nuts in the 
husk is not prevalent here, so that those 
which separate most freely from the husk 
are the best for our purposes. 
As to the quality and desirability of the 
nut, there is no question. Its outer shell 
is easily cracked, as every country boy with 
a good set of teeth will testify. Since there 
are no internal shells or divisions it makes 
an ideal dessert nut with its single plump 
kernel. It has a distinctive flavor, and a 
mighty good one, whether eaten just from 
the shell, salted like the almond or made up 
in confections. Though it is not so rich as 
the shellbark or walnut it is very nutritious. 
It is one of the standard “trade” nuts, large 
quantities being constantly used by con- 
fectioners, and in the winter it is a staple 
of all high-grade groceries. It commands, 
therefore, a fair price all the time. 
Now with this list of virtues to its credit, 
easy growth, attractive appearance, small 
size, bush, good nuts borne freely, and always 
in demand, it seems as if we ought to have 
hazel orchards almost everywhere and count 
it as one of our paying crops. Unfortunately 
—and now we come to the sad ending of 
this pleasant story — most unfortunately, 
indeed, the hazel has a seemingly inherent 
| 
1 
ieee ad 
De Brunswick, a very large nut borne in great 
rofusion. Compare with illustration of single nuts 
on the opposite page 
disposition to blight. This blight, which 
closely resembles in appearance the well- 
known pear-blight, has greatly discouraged 
the cultivation of the hazel east of the 
Mississippi River. Of course, the Govern- 
ment has experts working at the disease, 
and in time an effective remedy may be 
found. Likewise, no one can say definitely 
that his particular hazeltrees are going to 
blight. However, conditions are not such 
at present that any large plantings of hazels 
could be considered a sure investment. But 
—if you are very fond of them, and the 
children like them—you might plant a tree 
or so in a favorable location and trust to 
an almost certain luck. 
E 
Grosse Longue is remarkable for the large num- 
ber of nuts in the cluster. The husks have been 
opened to show the nuts in all these pictures 
