COB-NUTS AND FILBERTS. 



229 



So far, I have dealt mainly with culture on the larger scale: it 

 remains now to suggest a few methods for the owners of gardens. 



Perhaps one of the most attractive ways of growing nuts partly 

 for ornamental purposes is to make a pergola nut-walk. For this 

 purpose small cordon-like trees are used, and they can easily be 

 trained over the supports, and will form a walk no less shady than 

 the pleached alleys of Lime or Elm, and produce a useful crop. 

 They have also the advantage of taking but little of the garden space, 

 as their roots will run under the path. 



A row of cordons can be planted upright, as are Pears and other 

 fruits ; and small standard-trees are pretty and serve to break the 

 line of the vegetable borders. 



I have spoken previously of their value in shady corners, and there 

 are usually many such positions in gardens which can thus profitably 

 be utilized. 



Diseases. 



Nuts are, happily, not subject to many serious diseases— in fact, 

 among fruit-trees, they suffer less from pests than any other. 



The most common and injurious is probably the Nut Weevil 

 (Balaninus nucus Linn.). Its presence is made known by a small 

 circular hole in the shell, and on opening, the small grub will be found 

 to have devoured the nut and to have escaped by the small hole it 

 has eaten out of the shell. 



The eggs are laid in June by the mature insect, which is a small 

 weevil, and at this time it may be captured by jarring off on to sheets. 

 Spraying with Katakilla is quite effective for other weevils and will 

 probably be so for this species. As the grub pupates in the soil, 

 frequent cultivation and the presence of fowls under the trees will 

 probably also aid in clearing them from the soil. Arsenic spraying 

 is said also to be quite effective. 



Next in order of importance must be placed the Nut-bud Mite 

 (Eriophyes avellanae Nalepa), which causes the buds to swell in the 

 same way as does its near relation in the Black Currant. There is, 

 however, no danger of the Currant-bud Mite infesting the Nut, or 

 vice versa. 



No remedy has been suggested, but a spraying of Soft Soap and 

 Quassia might be tried as the young growth develops, in the hope 

 of catching the mites en route to the young buds from the old 

 ones. 



Several Lepidoptera — such as the Winter Moth, Mottled Umber, 

 &c. — feed on the foliage, and can easily be dealt with by arsenical 

 spraying or with Katakilla. 



These are the principal insect pests. Fungoid attacks are rare, 

 and beyond an occasional visitation of the Hazel-leaf Mildew (Phyl- 

 lactina suffulta), which can be dealt with by any fungicide, there is 

 little trouble in this respect. 



Squirrels and mice are not slow in locating ripe nuts, and the 



