Culture of the Cherry 



1829 



II. Morellos. — Trees small and variable in form, usually spreading; 

 fruit spherical or heart-shaped, dark-colored; flesh dark; juice colored. 

 Morello, Philippe, and Dyehouse. 



More than ninety per cent of the cherries grown in this State are of 

 the sour varieties. The sweet varieties have been neglected for a number 

 of reasons: they are not so hardy nor so productive as sour cherries, 

 and they reach perfection mainly in rolling or mountainous sections; 

 sweet cherries are more liable to injury from sun scald, insects, and fungous 

 diseases, and are harder to protect 

 from the ravages of birds. Under 

 good care and management, how- 

 ever, the sweet varieties may be 

 made as profitable as the sour 

 varieties. 



PROPAGATION 



The cherry is propagated by 

 budding one-year-old seedlings 

 with the desired variety. The 

 two stocks that are used almost 

 exclusively for this purpose are the 

 Mazzard and the Mahaleb, both of 

 which are imported in large quan- 

 tities from Europe. 



The Mazzard is the most thrifty 

 of all types of cherries. It is a 

 vigorous upright grower and fre- 

 quently attains a height of forty 

 or fifty feet. Seedling trees of 

 this type are abundant in New- 

 York and Pennsylvania, having 

 reverted to the wild form from 

 sweet cherries imported from Europe. 

 on which to bud sweet cherries. 



The Mahaleb is a wild cherry native to southern Europe. It is hardy 

 and vigorous, and bears a fruit that is of small size and disagreeable 

 flavor. This type is dwarf by nature and is a rather slow grower; for 

 this reason sweet cherries that are vigorous and rapid growers should 

 not be grafted on it. Sour cherries, on the other hand, are naturally 

 somewhat dwarfed and do well on Mahaleb stock, since the growth of 

 both top and root is well balanced. 



The nurseryman prefers to use Mahaleb stock because it is cheap, 

 because it grows vigorously when young, and because it is easily budded. 

 125 



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Fig. 123. — Two-years-old cherry trees in the 

 nursery 



This is considered the best stock 



