The layering of hazel-plants in my nursery is done from imported stock or parent-plants planted on ordinary farm land thoroughly worked and well manured 12 feet apart each way. Two year old plants are selected for such planting, they are allowed to grow about two seasons before we layer them, which would be about in the autumn of the second year, at that time there should be besides the ordinary growth of the original plant, some fine young shoots growing from the root, which could be, if go desired, layered together with other branches of the plant, but is not always advisable, neither is it necessary, as the plants selected for parent stock should be well branched and well able to furnish wood enough for the first layering without those one year old shoots.
I will now try to show to you, as an illustration and at the same time try to explain the reason why they should not be layered, simply because they are there. It is all well and good to layer them, if the scarcity of wood of a choice variety demands every branch obtainable and they will grow all right, but will never produce as nice a root as layers from a two year growth. These are the young so-called one-year-old shoots I have referred to, really just this season's growth, perfectly straight without any laterals. Now in layering them a little opening long enough for the branch and about 3 to 4 inches deep, the same as for layering other branches should be made in the ground and the young shoot or branch carefully bent and placed in the opening and well anchored or fastened before the ground is filled in again, otherwise our changeable winters may heave and loosen them, we will then at the best of it eventually grow but one plant from each of such shoots and generally poorly rooted at that, that is a root rather long and crooked not very easy to plant and still harder to dig, very much like this specimen a layered one year old shoot, just taken from a parent plant.
We cannot improve much on this awkward root as it is impossible to shorten the bend in layering them, but we can improve on them, if we allow the one year shoot or growth another season to grow, we will then at the end of the second season have an altogether different branch before us, a branch in appearance about like the one I have here. You will notice the terminal bud of the last year's growth has made a growth of about 12 to 15 inches during this second season, besides that, you will see from 4 to 7 fine laterals all of them including the growth from the terminal bud fit for layering and all of them will bend easily and can be placed almost perfectly straight in the ground, which will invariably insure finer and better rooted plants and more of them, than a one year growth can produce, as is shown in this specimen from a-two-year-old branch I have brought with me, this demonstration plainly shows that there is nothing lost in waiting two years with the layering of young branches, as our reward will be more and better plants possibly a little smaller, but better growing plants than the longer layers from a one-year growth, besides that, a branch with 4 to 7 laterals can be layered about as quick, as a one-year growth, as the same opening in the ground made for one layer is fully sufficient for 6 or 7 on a two-year old branch. All layered branches or little shoots should be cut back to about 3-4 eyes above the ground and remain in the ground about one year, the earth around the parent plants and between the layers must be well worked throughout the whole season and if necessary mulched with half rotten manure. After the layers are well rooted, they should be taken up, cut apart and properly trimmed and planted in the nursery row, where they remain until large enough for market or orchard planting. There is but very little pruning of the young hazel-plants necessary until they are planted in the orchard. I will therefore not dwell on the subject of pruning just now, but will leave the propagating and growing of the hazel or filbert-plants in the nursery and try to make a few remarks about the hazel or filbert orchard. I should perhaps have mentioned the growing of seedlings for stock to graft or bud upon before I begin my talk on the hazel-orchard, but as there is but very little to be said about it, I may as well refer to it right now.