Vermont State Horticxtlturai. Society. 29 



we, they have resorted to covering their trees with netting, and 

 it is found to work very satisfactorily indeed. It is a Httle ex- 

 pensive at first, but when the net is only used for a short time 

 each season and will last for a long time. We have used this 

 net for some time, obtaining it from England, second-hand fish 

 net. You can get any size ; and you simply cover the tree and 

 it will prevent the robins from getting into it. 



The culture of cherries is simple, but for the information 

 of those who are thinking of growing it commercially, it may 

 be well to say a little about it. Cherries succeed best, 

 as a rule, on well drained sandy loam soil in which 

 there is always a good supply of moisture. They will 

 do well also on heavier soil if drained. When it is possible 

 to obtain it, a site near a large body of water is very desirable 

 as the flowers of cherries are tender and moist,, cool air from the 

 water prevents, to a certain extent, sudden changes of temper- 

 ature. The soil should be thoroughly prepared as for a crop 

 of roots. Two year old trees are the best to plant, and the most 

 suitable distance is from i6 to 20 feet apart each way, depending 

 on the variety. If they are planted 18 feet apart each way it 

 will be sufficient for most of our kinds of sour cherries. If the 

 tree is low-headed, the trunk is protected from the sun, which is 

 desirable, and the fruit is brought nearer the ground. The 

 tiees should be pruned at first to make them symmetrical and to 

 take out any limbs which interlace, after which the less pruning 

 that is done the better. The sour cherries begin to bear from 

 three to four years after planting, the English Morello being 

 among the first to fruit. For commercial planting, the Early 

 Richmond, Montmorency, Louis Philippe, Ostheim and English 

 Morello are among the best. Sweet cherries cannot be grown 

 successfully for commercial purposes in Vermont. 



Dwarf or Bush Cherries. At the Central Experimental 

 Farm, Ottawa, Canada, the flower buds of the sour cherries are 

 usually either winter killed or injured by spring frosts and it 

 is rarely that there is a good crop of fruit. On account of this, 

 efforts have been and are being made to obtain a cherry which 

 Vv'ill bear fruit regularly. All, or nearly all, of the named varie- 

 ties of Russian cherries introduced intO' America have been 

 tested,, and while a few of them are hardier than Montmorency 

 and Early Richmond none of them are satisfactory. The hardi- 

 est are Orel 25 and Vladimir and these seem distinctly hardier 

 in flower bud than the others. The Vladimir is, however, small 

 and on this account is not valuable; the Orel 25, therefore, is 

 the most useful Russian cherry tested. It is a bright red variety 

 with colourless juice, much resembling Early Richmond and 



