344 BOARD OF AGRICULTURK. 



set. A great many fail in setting clierry in not setting deep enough and not 

 compacting the soil about the roots. Cherry trees require setting a little 

 deeper than other trees, and we often make the mistake of not compacting 

 the soil thoroughly. It is my habit, in setting a tree, after the roots are 

 thoroughly covered with fine soil, to get in and thoroughly tramp it with 

 my feet to make it firm, and seldom lose a tree. The after culture would 

 be, clean, thoroughly cultivate up to about first of August. In our section 

 I find nearly all the cherry trees have no fertilizer ever applied to them. 

 We have cherries in favorable seasons, but the majority of them are 

 wormy, knotty and of very inferior size. The culture and high fertilization 

 is the main requisite for successful cherry growing. I might cite the 

 experience with a small orchard I have had. When I had the management 

 of it I gave a thorough cultivation, a few good sprayings, and I have 

 sold bushels, and think customers never have found a wormy cherry. 

 These were mostly Montmorency. Now since the orchard is sodded over 

 and they get no sprajangs, we find it diflicult to get perfect cherries. 

 They are not as large in size and are very wormy. Another trouble we 

 have to contend with is the rot, especially in a wet season, when nearly 

 half the crop will rot inside of two or three days. We have a home 

 market that Avill take all the cherries and more than we have been able 

 to supply, but of course they have to be marketed very quickly after 

 picking, and we have to have our customers ready for them before we 

 pick them. 



In regard to varieties, I find that the Early Richmond, Montmorency 

 and Late Morellos are the best in our section. May Duke is grown 

 some but it comes very early and the birds get most of them, and we have 

 had trouble in selling them on account of people not being ready to use 

 them at that season. Of course we have not the city market— it would be 

 different. The Late Morello is the Knglish Morello. I find you get more 

 benefit from the discussions, and merely want to open upon the subject. 



Mr. Burris: Does Mr. Grossman luive trouble with trees sprouting 

 very much after they get considerable size, and what time and how much 

 cultivation is given a good sized tree? 



Mr. Grossman: My experience has been limited. These trees were 

 young when I had charge of them, and are twelve years old now. A 

 few of them are sprouting around the liottom now. 



Mr. Hobbs: If the cherry is on Mahaleb stock, they will not sprout. 

 They will sprout around the collar, but not away from the tree. When 

 planted deep so that roots from the bud from the variety you are gi'owing 

 form, then you will be troubled with surface sprouts. 



Mr, Henby: My experience is somewhat limited, although I have paid 

 considerable attention to the growth and habit of the cherry. My experi- 

 ence with the cherry is in planting in first place, that while ninety-nine 



