182 
THE CULTIVATION OF THE FILBERT. 
enough to bear our winters with certainty, 
and most of them are liable to be destroyed or 
seriously damaged if the weather prove to be 
severe. Of the smaller trailing sorts, strong 
young plants, managed as already pointed out, 
answer every purpose : of the others, a mode- 
rate-sized reserve plant will mostly make good 
progress in the summer season ; but if large 
specimens are required, or if it be an object to 
preserve good plants of any choice or scarce 
kinds, then they must either be taken up very 
carefully in the autumn — a practice which 
may sometimes succeed — or what is far better, 
they must be protected by means of mats 
placed about them a short distance from the 
branches, and a good thickness of litter laid 
about their stems and over their roots. With a 
little care and attention in thus protecting 
them (providing the soil is well drained.) there 
will be no serious difficulty in preserving any 
of the sorts, except in extreme winters. 
The annual species are mostly very srmll 
plants, but exceedingly pretty. H. guttatuni 
in particular, which can always be purchased 
in the seed-shops, is especially worth growing 
among choice curious plants. Both it and the 
other annual kinds are raised from seeds, 
which -should be sown in pots or pans in 
March, and kept in frames for a time, the 
plants being afterwards transplanted out-doors 
into light, dry soil in May, or when of 
sufficient strength. The seeds may also be 
sown, both in March and April, in the open 
border, in order to secure a succession of 
bloom. They grow well in heath soil. 
The Helianthemums are very prolific of 
varieties, and, no doubt, by careful hybridizing, 
the size and beauty of the flowers might be 
much increased. For this purpose, the cis- 
tuses might be crossed with them, by which 
means size and variety of colour would be 
acquired; and the different habits might be 
modified or united with improved blossoms, as 
has been effected among other plants. For 
an amateur who might take up this tribe of 
plants, this would be a delightful occupation ; 
and if prosecuted with energy, and guided by 
sound judgment, the result could not fail to be 
satisfactory. 
The fugacious nature of the flowers has been 
incidentally noticed ; this might seem to open 
an objection to their cultivation on any exten- 
sive scale ; but, in truth, the supply of flowers 
is in most cases so profuse, that the objection 
is of little practical weight. When they once 
begin flowering they are rarely deficient of 
bloom, during the proper period of their 
inflorescence — which in some cases extends 
over several months, if the weather is favour- 
able to their development. 
Probably some of the varieties which have 
been introduced, and are recorded in cata- 
logues, are not now in cultivation, the winter 
of 1837-8, and that again of 1846-7 being a 
severe trial for many of them, if not specially 
preserved. They are, however, mostly within 
the possibility of being reintroduced. 
The following are some of the hardier 
species, and they are all handsome kinds : — 
H. alpestre (alpine Sun rose), yellow. 
H. Andersoni (Anderson's Sun rose), di- 
verse, some flowers yellow, others straw 
colour. 
H. apenninum (Apennine Sun rose), white. 
H. barbatum (bearded Sun rose), yellow. 
H. croceum (copper-coloured Sun rose), deep 
yellow. 
H. grandiflorum (large-flowered Sun rose), 
pale yellow. 
H. hyssopifolium (hyssop-leaved Sun rose), 
three varieties, saffi on coloured, reddish copper 
coloured, and double copper coloured. 
H. leptophyllum (slender-leaved Sun rose), 
yellow. 
H. macranthum (large-flowered Sun rose), 
creamy white, double and single flowered. 
H. mutabile (changeable Sun rose), three 
varieties, white, rose-red, and double-flowered 
rose-red. 
H. Milleri (Miller's Sun rose), saffron 
coloured. 
H. rhodanthum (red-flowered Sun rose), 
bright red. 
H. serpyllifolium (wild-thyme-leaved Sun 
rose), yellow. 
H. variegatum (variegated Sun rose), di- 
verse, some flowers red, others red and white, 
others white. 
H. venustum (beautiful Sun rose), crimson. 
THE CULTIVATION OF THE FILBERT. 
It is not generally known, except to pro- 
fessional gardeners — or, if known, the know- 
ledge is seldom acted on — that a filbert tree 
maybe rendered productive in almost as small 
a space as is occupied by an ordinary goose- 
beny or currant bush. In fact, under favour- 
able circumstances, the produce of these neat 
bushes is astonishing. We propose, therefore, 
to explain this mode of cultivating the filbert ; 
and in doing so shall avail ourselves of some 
excellent directions bytheEev. W.Williamson, 
published in one of the early volumes of the 
Transactions of the Horticultural Society. 
The first consideration in making a planta- 
tion, is to select a proper soil ; for if that be 
not congenial to the constitution of the plants, 
we cannot expect any great success. The 
soil in which the Filbert is found to flourish 
best, is a hazel loam of some depth, with a 
dry subsoil. If the subsoil be. too retentive 
of moisture, the trees are apt to run too much 
to wood, without throwing out those short 
twigs upon which the fruit is generally pro- 
