226 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The greatest work, however, was done by Richard Webb, of 

 Calcot, near Reading ; and so important have his seedlings become 

 that everywhere they remain the standard of quality. 



Richard Webb was evidently one of those individuals who are 

 called " characters." His walled-in garden contained a monument 

 to alcohol, where he interred, in a moment of temperance, all the choice 

 wines of his cellars. His house was guarded by several bloodhounds, 

 and his nut-trees from depredation by sixty cats. He was apparently 

 an early advocate of a nut-and-fruit diet. 



Cultural. 



The fact that Nut-growing has long been established in Kent has 

 led to the opinion that in this county only can it be profitably under- 

 taken. This, however, is far from being the case, as the wild nut 

 nourishes on very different soils, including cold clays, light sands, 

 thin soils on chalk, and stiff loams. Where the wild plant will grow, 

 nuts can be cultivated ; and as a plant for rough, stony banks, on which 

 no other profitable crop can be grown, it may be planted with great 

 confidence, thus bringing into use land which is often wasted. On very 

 rich soils it is apt to grow rather too vigorously and requires much 

 pruning, so that such soils are better reserved for fruits such as Apples, 

 Pears, Plums, Black Currants, and Gooseberries. 



Another advantage the nut possesses is that of supporting a 

 considerable amount of shade, and it is largely planted under standard 

 trees in Kentish orchards. 



There are many shady corners in shrubberies which might be made 

 profitable by planting Nuts ; and if manuring is not forgotten they 

 will bear well. For commercial and garden use the bush form is 

 undoubtedly best, except for the special purposes mentioned below. 

 The open-cup form has been adopted in Kent for many years. 



All trees must be propagated by layering, which consists of bedding 

 down young shoots so that they root in the ground, and when rooted 

 severing them from the parent plant. Seedlings will not come true 

 to type, and should be rigorously avoided. 



The young plants make good roots in one year, and are then 

 planted out and cut back so as to make a stem of twelve to eighteen 

 inches. From the top of the shoot several strong growths will 

 emerge, and these will form the main permanent branches of the tree. 

 If there are six good shoots, these will be enough to frame the tree 

 with ; if less, they should be cut back and others made to divaricate 

 and make up the required number. As in pruning other fruit- 

 trees, the weaker the growth the shorter must be the pruning ; good, 

 strong main branches are the first consideration, and these cannot 

 be produced by weakly shoots. When the main shoots are formed, 

 the pruning will consist of such shortening as to make them throw 

 out their side-buds into short u spray," on which the flowers will be 

 produced. 



