6 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 6,1687. 
is a plant that will bear any amount of severe weather in its dormant 
state, neither are the plants expensive, and they will grow in almost any 
sort of soil so long as it is not a stagnant one, but like most other things 
they have their favourite spots and must be judiciously managed in some 
particular points, to which I will presently allude. Some of the most suc¬ 
cessful Filbert grounds in Kent are situated on a range of hills running 
east and west, commanding miles of uninterrupted view of the Weald of 
Kent and Sussex, where the soil is a good sound loam, rather shallow, 
but resting on a foundation of marl or sandstone. These grounds produce 
the famous Filberts and Cob Nuts, so much in request, and their position 
indicates that the Filbert likes a high and dry situation, not, perhaps, so 
much from the advantage of soil as for the favourable elements such 
positions afford for the natural distribution of p lien at flowering time, 
which happens in their case to be very early in the year ; therefore, if a 
plantation of Filberts is to be attached to a garden for home ute, ehoose 
the highest and driest spot consistent with other surroundings, and if the 
land has been previously cultivated not much other preparation will be 
needed beyond breaking it up and then working down again before 
planting. 
Stations for the plants should be set out; 10 feet from tree to tree and 
row to row is a good distance for a plantation, but if only a single row 
8 feet will answer well. In selecting the trees those inclined to a branch¬ 
ing habit are to be preferred, and with a clear stem of sufficient length to 
allow a clear foot above ground after planting in order to check the pro¬ 
duction of suckers. Mix a little decayed manure in the soil at planting 
as an assistant to a good start—the trees will need treading in firm. 
About a month after planting the first pruning can be done, which may 
be a heading down of all the principal shoots, say one-third of their 
length, and the spray wood likewise shortened. The season following 
little will be needed beyond keeping the ground clean and removing any 
ill-placed shoots, but the next season’s pruning will have to be with a 
view to the shape of the tree. This may be a matter of taste with some, 
but I have found the cup shape to answer all purposes ; consequently the 
centre of the tree should be kept clear of wood, and the best outside shoots 
trained at equal distances, of which from five to eight will be ample to 
form a good tree, and will allow sunlight and air to freely circulate 
among the branches, making sure of this is one of the good points in Fil¬ 
bert culture. 
During winter when the leaves are off some addition should be made 
to the soil, not necessarily strong manure, but decayed vegetable refuse, or 
in fact anything that will improve it. After this the trees will be getting 
well in hand, and pruning from time to time will be the principal work. 
This operation should not take place till blooming time, which is gene¬ 
rally about February, when both male and female flowers will 
be out at one time. First cut out too strong or ill-placed growths, then 
thin the centre of the tree; afterwards examine the whole tree, and 
thin out some and shorten others of the fine or spray growth in a regular 
manner, paying careful attention to the wood bearing female flowers, 
and, if possible, leave sufficient male blooms or catkins on every tree to 
fertilise them. In some seasons, however, there is a difficulty in this 
through the scarcity of catkins, while in some plantations one part will 
have plenty and the other none, therefore means must be taken to 
equally distribute these by tying a few sprigs of them in each tree when 
they are about to burst. I used to know a Filbert orchard in Kent that 
scarcely ever produced sufficient male flowers ; this was thought to arise 
from the plantation being surrounded by high Walnut trees, and there¬ 
fore too much confined ; but we usually had a fair crop nevertheless, 
because for five seasons in succession I was sent round the hedgerows of 
the Hop gardens to collect the branches of catkins from the common Hazel 
nut, and tie some on each tree for the wind to circulate the pollen. 
It was always noticed, however, that the best crop and finest Nuts were 
on the outside trees, the interior of the orchard having weaker trees of 
more straggling growth. This shows the partiality of the Filbert to light 
and air, so that I have come to the conclusion if I ever required to grow 
Filberts I should prefer planting a single row of trees round a fruit 
orchard, or a single row in any open situation; the trees might then be 
put closer together, say 8 feet apart, and if trained as stated above, and 
about 6 feet high, they would prove both ornamental and useful.— 
Thomas Recokd. 
RAISING GLADIOLI FROM SEED. 
Although Gladioli have been known and cultivated in this 
country for over 200 years, very few appear to have entered into 
their cultivation with much spirit until within the last thirty years ; 
and even at this present time I believe there are very few who 
take the trouble to save seed and increase tbeir own stock, but con¬ 
tent themselves by purchasing corms by the dozen or hundred from 
the nurserymen, and so keep plodding on from year to year with 
their limited numbers. _Itis just ns simple and easy to raise a good 
stock of Gladioli as it is to obtain a good stock of Peas or Pota¬ 
toes. As with everything else, it is necessary to have a little stock 
to start with. A hundred corms of select varieties are quite suffi¬ 
cient to get seed from to stock the largest of gardens. Have a 
piece of ground well trenched, and dressed with either cow or pig 
manure early in the autumn, and plant the corms either in lines 
about 18 inches apart, or in a bed, as may be most convenient or 
agreeable to the cultivator’s taste. If the ground is very stiff it 
would be well to have some good light soil, say about a spadeful, 
for each corm to start in. The second week in March is a very 
good time to plant them. When they have commenced growth 
keep the ground well stirred and free from weeds, and in dry 
weather give them frequent waterings of liquid manure to help 
them form strong spikes, which, as they advance, will require 
staking and tying to prevent the wind breaking them down. As 
the flowers expand, if there is a hive of bees in the neighbourhood, 
they will do the work of hybridising ; or if time is not much of an 
object with the cultivator he may feel disposed to do it artificially 
with a camel-hair brush. The enthusiast may consider it necessary 
to protect his spikes so operated on from the effects of rain, but I 
think this is quite unnecessary. Some varieties seed very freely, 
whilst others are most obstinate. However, a crop of seed from 
the majority is certain, provided they are well fed with liquid to 
help them swell their seed pods. No fixed date can be given for 
harvesting the seed. There is only one common-sense way of doing 
it— i e., gather it as it ripens. The pods will burst when ripe, and 
these should be examined three times a week and cut as they burst, 
laid on a sheet of brown paper, and put in a dry vinery or some 
similar place for a few days, and then cleaned and stored away till 
the following March. The old corms should be lifted when their 
growths die or before severe weather sets in, dried, and stored 
away in a shed or room safe from frost. 
Gladioli like a change of ground—or, in other words, they do 
not succeed well on the same ground year after year ; so select 
another piece, and have it well trenched and manured early in the 
autumn for the following year, and plant as before advised. Let us 
now return to the seed,, as that is the principal object of this letter. 
Most soils will grow matured corms with a certain amount of 
satisfaction, even under very ordinary management ; but to succeed 
well with seed a good friable soil is indispensable, and this should 
be well drained, either naturally or artificially, to carry away all 
stagnant or superfluous moisture which may be caused by the con¬ 
stant waterings necessary during the growing season Trench and 
manure the ground in the usual way, except in securing some of the 
best decayed dung available, and keep it near the surface to feed 
the seedlings immediately they begin to root. I sow our seed in a 
well-prepared border in the kitchen garden, and as we are close on a 
gravel subsoil we can water our plants freely without fear of stag¬ 
nation. I sow the seed in drills about 8 inches apart (just wide 
enough to work a Dutch hoe with freedom) about the middle of 
March, if the weather is favourable ; if not, I leave it to 
the end of March. Immediately the seedlings appear keep the 
ground well stirred with the Dutch hoe to keep down weeds. 
Immediately the ground seems dry and sweet, give them a good 
watering with liquid manure. Even at this early stage of growth 
they will take liquid twice or thrice a week if the weather is dry, 
and as they advance in growth they will take it more abundantly— 
in fact, the only attention they will require will be a perpetual 
stirring of the soil to break the crust formed by watering, which 
will also keep down weeds and give abundance of liquid manure, 
and if this is persevered in I am quite satisfied the cultivator will 
be rewarded with a few spikes of flower in the same year the seeds 
are sown ; at any rate, the writer has flowered them the first season 
from seed, and I see no reason why other cultivators cannot do like¬ 
wise. 
I remember, several years ago, paying a visit to my friend Mr. 
Ivelway’s celebrated Gladiolus establishment at Langport. When I 
arrived he expressed his pleasure in seeing me, and added, “ I have 
a treat in store for you—a field over a quarter of a mile long of 
Gladioli in full bloom.” And it was a sight well worth going to 
see, and this was only one of the many fields he had at that time in 
full bloom. While enjoying this great feast of Gladioli bloom, 
Mr. Kelway remarked, “ I am the only successful Gladioli grower 
in this country— i.e., a cultivator who grows the plant from seed to 
maturity in quantity in this country,” and I thought he well de¬ 
served the palm. I noticed his seeds were all sown in drills, and he 
told me how long it took to mature the corms to flowering size, and 
feeling as I did so deeply impressed with the sight of acres and 
acres of their flowers, I determined to try my hand in working up 
a stock. Accordingly I secured some good named varieties to start 
with, saved seed, sowed it, and grew the seedlings in the manner I 
have described, and, as I have already stated, succeeded in flowering 
some of the seedlings in the same year they were sown.—J. Oi.ler- 
Head, The Gardens, Wimbledon House, S. W. 
(To be continued.) 
NON-VENTILATING SYSTEM FOR CUCUMBERS. 
At page 514 of the preceding volume of this Journal “ A Thinker ” 
asks if I can inform the readers of the Journal whether Cucumbers are 
grown on the non-ventilating system by the growers at Worthing, and 
from which distiict more early Cucumbers are sent to Covent Garden 
