546 
JOt^RNAL  OP  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  d,  1897. 
NUT  UROWlNa  AND  PRUNIN&. 
I  HAVE  often  wondered  why  it  is  that  Nuts  are  grown  in  so  few 
counties  as  a  cultivated  crop.  This  cannot  be  because  the  soil  and 
climate  are  not  adapted  for  Nut  culture,  because  in  many — I  might 
almost  say  in  all — parts  of  England  we  find  the  common  Hazel 
Nuts  produced  in  great  profusion  during  warm  seasons.  The 
true  explanation  of  this  state  of  affairs  may  perhaps  be  found  in  the 
fact  that  many  years  ago  the  culture  of  Nuts  was  begun  on  a  small 
scale  in  a  few  places,  and  by  degrees  extended  to  the  districts  around. 
Such  in  time  became  noted  for  their  Nuts,  and  an  impression  was 
created  that  they  could  not  be  so  well  grown  in  other  parts. 
The  success  of  the  Kentish  men  in  regard  to  Nut  growing  is  not, 
however,  solely  accounted  for  by  their  soil  and  climate,  but  because 
they  have  practised  an  intelligent  method  of  culture.  Around 
Maidstone— a  town  which  has  lately  suffered  so  greatly  from  a 
terrible  epidemic — Nuts  are  largely  grown.  The  soil  there  is  in  many 
instances  very  stony,  but  it  is  generally  of  fair  depth,  and  has  beneath 
it  a  strata  of  rock  known  as  Kentish  rag.  The  surface  of  the  county 
is  also  extremely  hilly,  and  the  long  level  expanses  of  fields,  such  as 
we  meet  with  in  many  counties,  are  not  often  seen  in  this  part  of 
Kent.  From  the  above  description  it  is  easy  to  note  that  such  land 
must  be  perfectly  dramed,  and  from  the  fact  that  Plops  and  fruit  of 
most  kinds  thrive  on  similar  soils  in  the  neighbourhood,  we  may 
calculate  that  those  soils  are  by  no  means  deficient  in  fertility, 
although  the  inorganic  matter  they  contain  is  largely  in  excess  of  the 
amount  to  be  found  in  low  lying  districts,  where  the  alluvial  deposits 
of  ages  have  formed  a  deep  rich  soil  in  which  quickly  growing  garden 
or  farm  crops  delight. 
Those  readers  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  who  scan  this  note 
will  doubtles  recall  to  mind  many  stony  soils  and  sloping  banks  -which 
have  come  under  their  notice  during  the  course  of  their  peregrinations, 
or  they  may  perhaps  have  land  of  a  similar  description  under  their 
charge  which  they  have  hitherto  been  unable  to  turn  to  profitable 
account.  Let  me  advise  them  to  take  a  bold  course  at  once,  and 
plant  such  places  with  trees  of  the  Kentish  Cob  Nut.  Good  nuts  are 
always  in  demand  in  both  large  and  small  establishments,  and  there 
are  few  gardens  in  which  a  sufficient  supply  is  grown. 
In  preparing  the  soil  for  planting  the  work  should  be  done 
thoroughly,  because  Nut  trees,  when  well  managed,  will  last  at  least 
a  hundred  years ;  and  although  the  subsoil  may  be  poor,  it  is  necessary 
to  loosen  it  so  that  the  roots  worir  freely  in  all  directions.  Trenching 
or  double  digging  must  therefore  be  practised ;  burnt  refuse  or 
thoroughly  decayed  manure  may  with  advantage  be  worked  into  the 
subsoil  if  it  is  very  poor,  but  none  will  be  needed  for  the  surface  soil. 
When  this  trenching  is  done  large  stones  will  often  be  encountered; 
in  all  instances  they  should  be  removed,  so  as  to  secure  a  uniform 
depth  of  at  least  18  inches.  Small  stones  and  others  of  less  size  than 
half  a  brick  may  be  left,  as  the  roots  of  Nut  trees  reem  to  delight  in 
working  their  way  between  them  in  search  of  the  yiarticlea  of  soil 
around ;  and  this  without  doubt  favours  the  production  of  short- 
jointed  twigs  such  as  the  female  flowers  are  produced  upon. 
Planting. 
Strong  trees  ready  for  planting  in  their  permanent  positions  maybe 
obtained  from  the  leading  nurserymen  at  from  6s.  to  9s.  per  dozen. 
Such  have  a  clear  stem  about  18  inches  in  length,  and  from  five  to 
seven  strong  shoots.  Young  trees  of  this  description  are  far  better 
than  older  ones  which  have  been  cut  back  several  times,  as  they 
establish  themselves  quickly,  and  enable  the  cultivator  to  secure  the 
following  season  the  requisite  number  of  branches  to  form  a  well¬ 
shaped  tree.  Nuts  require  abundance  of  sun  and  air ;  it  is  therefore 
necessary  to  plant  them  a  good  distance  apart.  Some  set  them  about 
12  feet  from  stem  to  stem,  others  allow  them  a  distance  of  15  feet,  I 
prefer  to  plant  at  the  latter  distance,  and  I  consider  that  in  many  of 
the  Kentish  plantations  the  trees  have  been  planted  too  closely. 
If  the  distance  settled  upon  is  15  feet.  Currants  or  Gooseberries 
can  be  planted  between,  these  to  be  cut  away  as  the  Nut  trees 
extend.  Apples  may  then  be  grown  as  a  top  crop,  if  standards  are 
planted  30  feet  apart,  and  these  will  to  some  extent  protect  the 
Nuts  from  spring  frosts  when  in  flower.  In  the  actual  work  of 
planting  of  course  it  is  necessary  to  cut  away  the  jagged  ends  of 
roots,  spread  them  out  evenly  over  the  soil,  and  not  bury  them  too 
deeply,  advice  which  applies  with  equal  force  to  all  kinds  of  fruit 
trees,  and  which  has  been  so  freely  dealt  with  in  the  pages  of  the 
Journal  recently  that  it  need  not  be  enlarged  upon  now.  There  is, 
however,  one  matter  which  requires  noting — viz.,  if  the  soil  is  very 
poor  and  stoney,  the  finer  portions  ought  to  be  carefully  selected  to 
place  over  the  young  roots,  then  when  they  become  thoroughly 
established  they  are  well  able  to  take  care  of  themselves.  After 
planting  but  little  attention  is  needed  during  the  first  year,  save  that 
of  keeping  down  weeds  by  a  free  use  of  the  hoe  during  the  summer 
months. 
Pruning. 
In  many  gardens  where  only  a  few  Nut  trees  are  grown,  no 
particular  system  of  pruning  is  adopted,  except  that  branches^  are 
cut  out  here  and  there  to  admit  light.  Good  crops  are  sometimes 
obtained  when  only  such  limited  attention  is  given,  but  the  trees 
carry  a  good  deal  of  useless  wood,  and  under  a  good  system  of 
pruning  the  crops  are  more  regular,  and  the  Nuts  larger.  A  well- 
pruned  Nut  tree  was  to  me  in  my  school  days  an  object  which  com¬ 
manded  admiration,  and  I  looked  upon  a  Nut  tree  pruner  as  a  wise¬ 
acre  whose  knowledge  was  so  profound  that  ordinary  mortals  could 
never  hope  to  grasp  it.  I  have,  however,  learned  since  that  the 
work  is  simple  enough  when  we  once  learn  to  distinguish  between 
fruit-bearing  and  barren  shoots,  provided  we  also  start  with  a  young 
tree,  instead  of  having  to  take  our  initial  lesson  in  pruning  on  an  old 
and  neglected  one. 
After  planting,  the  young  shoots  are  usually  left  unpruned  for  a 
year,  and  the  only  regulation  needed  during  the  summer  is  to  stop 
any  shoot  that  shows  signs  of  becoming  unduly  strong.  The  following 
winter  these  shoots  are  shortened  back  to  within  6  inches  of  their 
base,  this  will  cause  strong  leaders  to  gi’ow  the  following  season  to 
form  the  foundation  of  the  tree.  Throughout  the  summer  the  side 
growths  must  be  pinched  to  five  or  six  leaves  to  secure  a  strong  leader ; 
and  in  the  following  winter  these  leading  shoots  ought  to  be  cut  back 
to  within  9  inches  of  their  base,  taking  care  to  prune  to  an  outer  bud. 
When  growth  commences  in  spring  two  leaders  may  be  allow'ed  to 
grow  from  each  of  these  shoots,  and  thus  the  requisite  ten  or  twelve 
branches  are  obtained.  In  order  to  encourage  the  saucer-lise  shape 
required,  these  branches  must  be  tied  out  to  pegs  driven  into  the 
ground,  or  be  kept  out  by  means  of  a  wooden  hoop  placed  in  the 
centre  of  the  tree. — Kentish  Man. 
(To  be  continued.) 
OESTRUMS. 
Though  several  genera  of  Solanacese  furnish  species  which  are  inore 
or  less  useful  during  winter  as  greenhouse  decorative  plants,  it  is  question¬ 
able  whether  any  single  genus  is  more  useful  than  Cestrum— or,  as  it  is 
known  in  some  places,  Habrothamnus — at  that  season.  Two  or  three 
species  can  be  grown  in  pots  with  fairly  good  results  ;  most  of  them 
planted  in  beds  and  supported  by  stakes  will  make  bush  plants,  but  to 
be  seen  at  their  best  they  should  be  planted  against  a  pillar  or  wall,  and 
trained  loosely,  so  that  the  ends  of  the  branches  will  hang  gracefully  from 
their  support.  When  grown  in  the  latter  way  it  is  ditlicult  to  conceive  a 
prettier  sight  than  a  well-grown  and  well-flowered  specimen  of  either  of 
the  species  mentioned  below.  The  period  of  flowering  is  also  a  recom¬ 
mendation,  for,  with  four  species  a  supply  of  f  owers  can  be  had  from  July 
to  April,  and  odd  inflorescences  are  not  uncommon  during  the  other  months 
of  the  year. 
Those  best  for  ordinary  purposes  are  C.  elegans,  aurantiacum,  fascicu- 
latum,  roseum,  and  Newelli.  The  one  most  generally  cultivated  is 
elegans.  It  is  a  Mexican  plant,  and  does  best  when  growm  against  a 
wall  or  pillar.  The  individual  flowers  are  red  in  colour,  1  inch  long, 
tubular,  and  produced  in  large  clusters.  As  almost  every  branch  is 
terminated  with  flowers  its  worth  is  apparent.  It  is  at  its  best  from 
December  to  March,  though  a  large  plant  is  rarely  without  flowers. 
C.  fasciculatum  is  very  similar  in  appearance  to  C.  elegans,  but  the 
blooms  are  looser  and  longer,  while  the  individual  flowers  are  shorter.  It 
commences  to  flower  about  September  and  keeps  on  until  February 
C.  roseum,  like  the  foregoing,  is  a  Mexican  plant.  It  differs  from  the 
other  two  mentioned  by  the  leaves  being  a  little  smaller  and  more 
abruptly  terminated  at  the  apex,  and  the  flowers  rose-coloured  instead 
of  red.  .... 
C.  Newelli  is  one  of  the  gems  of  the  genus.  It  is  quite  distinct  in 
growth,  foliage,  and  flowers.  The  shoots  are  stronger,  the  leaves  quite 
as  long,  but  wider,  and  thicker  in  texture  than  in  C.  elegans,  and  the 
inflorescences  are  larger  and  not  quite  so  loose  as  in  that  species.  The 
colour  of  the  flowers  is  scarlet.  The  flowering  period  is  from  Christinas 
to  the  end  of  April.  Anyone  wishing  for  a  good  pillar  plant  should  give 
this  a  trial. 
C.  aurantiacum  is  very  different  in  general  appearance,  but  quite  as 
useful.  It  is  a  native  of  Guatemala.  It  can  be  grown  in  pots  with  fairly 
good  results,  but  looks  at  its  best  when  the  main  stems  are  tied  to  a  pillar 
and  the  young  flowering  growths  allowed  their  freedom.  The  flowers  are 
orange  yellow,  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  long,  and  produced  in 
large,  loose,  terminal  inflorescences.  It  flowers  twice  during  the  year, 
the  first  time  about  July,  after  which  the  growths  break  back  and  another 
brilliant  display  is  made  from  tbe  end  of  October  to  the  middle  of 
December. 
With  regard  to  cultivation  no  sp^ecial  treatment  is  necessary.  Given  a 
winter  temperature  of  from  40°  to  45°,  and  fairly  rich  soil,  they  will  grow 
and  flower  well.  After  flowering  (when  the  plants  have  attained  the 
required  size)  they  should  be  spurred  back  to  two  eyes.  It  is  better, 
where  possible,  to  grow  them  cool,  as  they  are  then  not  troubled  so  much 
by  insects.  After  trying  a  selection  of  the  species  mentioned,  one  and  all 
cannot  fail  to  admit  their  worth  as  showy,  easily  cultivated  plants,  for  the 
pillars  or  walls  of  conservatory  or  greenhouse. — K.  R. 
