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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  19,  1898. 
little  (or  great)  fact  that  there  are  a  hundred  times  more  “men” 
cooks  than  “  women  ”  gardeners. 
In  these  and  future  competitive  days  it  may  be  well  to  face 
boldly  the  ever-growing  probability  that  in  contests  for  positions  in 
various  professions  and  vocations  the  “  best  men  will  win,”  even  if,  to 
speak  paradoxically,  some  of  them  are  women.  It  seems  to  be  difficult 
nowadays  to  define  the  sexes  by  occupations ;  and  as  a  matter  of  fact 
we  have  heard  present  day  gardeners  refer  to  more  than  one  brother 
in  the  craft  as  an  “  old  woman.” 
\\  e  are  sorry  for  their  own  sakes,  more  than  for  the  men,  that  so 
many  young  ladies  are  being  led  into  the  belief  that  by  payment  of 
college  fees  for  two  or  three  years  they  can  live  happy,  arcadian, 
lucrative  lives  in  the  servitude  of  gardening.  A  few  may  do  so  (and 
we  would  much  rather  see  them  happy  than  miserable),  but  many  are 
bound  to  be  woefully  disappointed,  as  are  hundreds  of  unfortunate 
men.  If  a  number  of  educated  women  would,  by  proper  training, 
make  themselves  equally  expert  v/ith  men  as  high-class  cooks  (as  they 
might),  they  wouhl  find  the  “  profession  ”  much  more  remunerative 
than  gardening;  and  then,  perhaps,  issue  a  manifesto  against  the 
muscular  sex  presuming  to  compete  with  them  in  such  feminine 
employment. 
COB-NUTS  AND  FILBERTS. 
Nuts  in  this  country  may  be  said  to  grow  under  three  conditions. 
First,  wild,  and  as  such  they  may  be  found  in  varying  quantities  in 
almost  every  copse  in  the  kingdom,  as  no  plant  is  more  generally 
prolific^  than  the  common  Hazel.  Secondly,  they  may  be  found  in 
the  majority  of  private  gardens  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  though 
it  may  be  safely  added  that  in  few  do  they  receive  the  best  attention 
in  pruning  and  training,  and  consequently  the  results  are  generally 
uncertain.  Thirdly,  they  are  grown  for  profit,  and  this  phase  of  Nut 
culture  belongs  almost  entirely  to  the  county  of  Kent,  to  the  end  that 
in  their  season  Kentish  Cobs  are  a  household  word,  and  find  ready 
sale.  Yet  it  is  a  reasonable  question  to  ask  why  they  are  not  generally 
cultivated  in  other  counties.  The  plant  requires  no  extraordinary 
conditions  of  soil  or  culture,  and  succeeds  on  sites  that  would  be  quite 
unsuitable  for  other  kinds  of  fruit. 
With  reference  to  Nut  culture  in  private  gardens  the  method  of 
treatment,  generally  speaking,  differs  widely  from  that  adopted  by  the 
Kentish  truit  grower.  The  fact  that  Cobs  and  Filberts,  which  are 
subjected  to  no  regular  system  ot  pruning  and  training,  will  and  do 
produce  fairly  good  crops  of  fruit,  is  very  olten  put  forward  as  an 
argument  that  pruning  periodically  is  not  necessary,  and  it  is  when 
we  come  to  reckon  up  the  weight  per  acre,  taking  one  season  with  the 
other,  that  we  see  the  advantages  of  a  properly  trained  bush  to  begin 
with,  followed  by  systematic  pruning.  The  private  garden  custom, 
which  I  treat  as  general,  though  there  are  doubtless  many  exceptions, 
allows  the  bushes  to  make  free  unchecked  growth,  which  for  a  few 
seasons  may  be  quite  right,  but  in  time  they  become  overcrowded, 
and  represent  a  thicket,  the  inevitable  consequence  being  that  the  only 
Nuts  produced  are  at  the  extremities  of  the  branches,  and  the  whole 
interior  space  is  wasted.  This  state  of  affairs  continues  till  the  bushes 
have  grown  out  of  bounds,  and  have  to  be  headed  back,  and  the 
intervening  seasons,  till  fresh  bearing  wood  is  made,  are  lost. 
Again,  Nuts  are  not  considered  a  high-class  crop  in  gardens,  and 
therefore  do  not  receive  the  same  care  in  the  choice  of  soil  and  situation 
as  falls  to  the  lot  of  Apples,  Pears,  and  so  forth.  It  is  a  mistake  to 
fancy  that  Nuts  will  prosper  anywhere,  simply  because  they  will 
grow  where  other  fruits  will  not.  I  have  seen  plantations  of  Filberts 
m  cold,  water-logged,  clayey  soil,  where  sunlight  rarely  penetrated. 
Growth  was  luxuriant  enough,  but  no  fruit  followed,  and  Nut  culture 
was  abandoned  as  hopeless.  In  another  district,  north  of  the  Trent, 
in  a  light  shallow  soil  resting  on  sandstone.  Filberts  did  splendidly, 
and  though  the  Kentish  system  of  training  was  unknown,  good  crops 
were  gathered  most  seasons.  Similar  instances  could  be  quoted  from 
other  districts,  which  makes  it  appear  strange  whv  Nuts  as  a  market 
crop  should  be  confined  practically  to  one  county. 
Though  Nuts  are  accommodating  as  regards  soil,  and  succeed  well  in 
a  brashy  stony  medium  on  sunny  banks  and  hillsides,  they  demand 
food  an  item  very  often  overlooked  in  private  gardens,  and  there  is 
no  doubt  that  the  success  of  Kentish  Nut  orchards  is  due  largely  to 
the  substantial  dressings  of  farmyard  manure,  rag  waste,  and  chemicals 
they  annually  receive.  Having  drawn  comparisons  between  Nuts  as 
they  are  generally  treated  at  the  hands  of  the  private  gardener  and 
the  market  grower,  it  will  be  well  to  trace  the  plant’s  life  from  infancy, 
beginning  with  propagation. 
There  are  several  methods  of  raising  Cob  Nuts  and  Filberts,  the 
two  most  common  being  from  suckers  or  layers.  Of  these  the  latter 
course  is  recommended,  as  bushes  raised  from  suckers  generallv  show 
a  tendency  to  continue  throwing  up  growths  from  the  base,  and  this 
13  not  so  marked  when  propagated  from  layers.  To  raise  plants  by 
this  method  shoots  two  or  three  years  old  are  notched  and  pegged 
down  in  the  autumn,  covering  with  3  or  4  inches  of  soil.  By  the 
following  autumn  they  are  rooted,  and  may  be  removed  to  a  nursery 
bed,  and  planted  in  rows  about  a  yard  apart  and  2  feet  asunder  in 
them.  It  is  here  that  the  bush  is  subjected  to  its  early  pruning  and 
training,  as  a  good  foundation  must  be  laid,  without  which  it  is  useless 
to  hope  to  get  a  well-shaped  and  profitable  bush  or  tree.  Suckers  are 
the  young  growths  emitted  from  the  base  of  the  old  bushes,  and  if 
these  are  taken  off  in  the  autumn  with  a  few  roots  attached,  and 
planted  in  nursery  rows,  they  continue  growing  till  large  enough  to  be 
removed’  to  their  permanent  quarters.  Probably  this  is  the  quicker 
way  of  raising  Nut  bushes,  but  for  the  reason  stated  I  prefer  them 
from  layers.  In  any  case  the  nursery  bed  should  be  deeply  culti¬ 
vated,  and,  if  needed,  farmyaid  manure  incorporated  with  it.  The 
situation  also  should  be  sunny,  so  that  the  conditions  may  be  as 
favourable  as  possible  for  the  making  of  stout  healthy  bushes,  in  the 
best  form  for  bearing. 
Whatever  differences  of  opinion  may  exist  on  pruning  generally,  I 
think  that  most  persons  agree  that  the  time  when  the  careful  use  of 
the  pruning  knife  is  necessary  is  during  the  first  few  years  in  the  life 
of  a  fruit  tree,  or  while  the  foundation  is  being  laid.  Nuts  are  no 
exception,  and  it  is  in  the  nursery  bed  that  steps  are  first  taken  for 
the  lormation  of  the  thousands  of  model  bushes  that  continue  fruiting 
for  years  in  Kentish  plantations.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  necessary  to 
have  a  clean  stem  about  18  inches  from  the  ground,  consequently  all 
the  lower  buds  are  removed  at  the  time  of  transplanting  the  layers  in 
the  autumn.  In  the  spring  the  tops  of  the  plants  are  also  removed, 
leaving,  say,  half  a  dozen  buds.  It  is  from  these  that  the  first 
branches  are  obtained.  Three  or  four  of  the  stronger,  dispersed  at 
even  distances,  are  sufficient  for  the  first  season,  and  the  remainder 
may  be  removed.  The  shoots  which  are  to  form  the  main  branches 
are  allowed  to  extend  to  their  full  length,  but  all  weak  side  growths 
may  be  pinched  off.  No  strong  shoot  is  required  in  the  centre,  as  Nut 
bushes  are  best  grown  cup-shaped,  with  the  middle  open.  Pruning 
the  next  season  is  composed  of  cutting  these  leading  shoots  back  to 
half  their  length,  which  will  cause  the  emission  of  strong  breaks 
below,  and  these  breaks  are  to  form  main  branches.  It  is  important 
to  avoid  overcrowding,  therefore  if  six  or  eight  leading  branches  can 
be  insured  the  second  season  they  will  be  ample. 
The  foundation  is  now  laid,  and  the  plants  in  their  permanent 
quarters,  where  they  remain  to  become  well  established  before  trans¬ 
planting.  All  young  plants  will  not  form  good  specimens,  and  when 
the  heads  are  weak  it  is  a  good  plan  to  cut  them  back  and  get  fresh 
growth  from  the  main  stem.  Up  to  this  time  the  bush  has  really 
been  going  through  the  process  of  formation,  with  the  leading  branches 
evenly  disposed  in  cup-shape  and  the  centre  open.  Pruning  and  other 
details  will  be  referred  to  in  a  future  issue. — A  Worker. 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
May  10th. 
Scientific  Committee. — Present ;  Dr.  M.  T.  Masters  (in  the  chair)  j 
Mr.  A.  Sutton,  and  Rev.  Professor  Henslow,  Hon.  Sec. 
Morchella,  Species. — Some  specimens  were  sent  of  a  small  species  of 
this  fungus,  which  appeared  in  a  garden  bed  ;  but  the  locality  was  not 
recorded. 
Peas,  Decayed. — Mr.  Cooke,  The  Croft,  Detling,  Maidstone,  forwarded 
some  young  plants  of  the  “American  Wonder,”  which  had  failed  to 
grow.  They  were  sown  last  November,  and  while  many  are  doing  well, 
others  close  by  turned  a  sickly  yellow.  Mr.  Sutton  observed  that  his 
experience  was  that  no  wrinkled  Peas,  as  the  above,  were  suitable  for 
autumn  sowing  ;  the  skins,  being  more  delicate  than  those  of  round  Peas, 
will  not  stand  the  winter  so  well.  This  was,  therefore,  the  probable 
cause  of  failure. 
Freesia  Bulbs  Arrested. — Mr.  F.  Egbert  Hollond,  Satis  House,  Yoxford, 
sent  some  bulbs  which  had  beeu  planted  last  July,  had  never  thrown 
up  any  leaves,  but  had  formed  fresh  bulbs  upon  the  old  ones,  which  had 
withered.  It  appeared  to  be  a  case  common  in  Potatoes,  when  it  is  called 
super-tuberation  ;  fresh  tubers  being  formed  at  the  expense  of  the  old 
one.  It  was  possibly  due  to  the  Freesia  bulbs  having  been  planted  at 
the  wrong  time  of  the  year,  energy  being  expended  in  a  wrong  direction. 
Cineraria  Hybrids. ~'ilLr,  James,  Woodside,  Farnham  Royal,  Slough, 
sent  a  collection  of  hybrids  raised  between  (C.  cruenta  x  Garden  C.) 
<5  X  C.  lanata  9 .  They  were  a  small  selection  of  a  numerous  progeny, 
the  greater  number  of  which  were  said  to  resemble  the  garden  form  ;  hut 
the  present  ones  had  a  tomentose  stem  and  branches,  as  well  as  the  under 
surface  of  the  leaves,  which  also  in  form  resembled  C.  lanata.  The 
blossoms  were  rather  small,  some  being  a  pure  white,  others  mauve,  but 
remarkable  for  ibeir  quantity.  Unfortunately  the  heat  plant  with  white 
flowers  refuses  to  set  much,  if  any  seed  ;  but  it  was  hoped  that  Mr. 
James  would  persevere  and  try  to  establish  a  new  race,  which  would 
certainly  be  attractive  from  the  silvery  appearance. 
Begonia  Leaves  Diseased. — Mrs.  Caddy,  Lion  Gate  Gardens,  Richmond, 
sent  some  leaves  decayed  round  the  margins.  They  were  forwarded  to 
Mr.  W.  G.  Smith  for  further  examination. 
