Culture of the Cherry 



1835 



Fertilization 



The cherry needs an abundance of plant food and frequently requires 

 fertilization. Many growers apply a light covering of manure to cherry 

 orchards every year, or make a moderately heavy application about 

 once in two years. Commercial fertilizers are used either alone or in 

 combination with manure. Three or four hundred pounds of acid phos- 

 phate or bone meal and two hundred pounds of sulfate or muriate of 

 potash applied annually should give 

 good returns in a cherry orchard. 

 Under most conditions all the nitrogen 

 required should be readily obtained 

 from cover-crops. In the case of 

 sickly trees — a condition which may 

 be indicated by the pale color of the 

 foliage — an application of one to 

 three pounds of nitrate of soda per 

 tree, depending on the size, may be 

 beneficial. Sweet cherries require less 

 additional plant food than do sour 

 cherries. 



PICKING 



Most of the picking should be done 

 from stepladders. The three-legged 

 type of stepladder is most desirable, 

 and several sizes should be kept if 

 there are many trees. If the trees are 

 very tall a few two-rail ladders will 

 also be needed. A very satisfactory 

 receptacle for picking is the common 

 eight-pound grape basket, which is of 

 convenient size and may be readily 

 fastened to the belt of the picker. A 

 larger basket than this is undesirable because the bottom fruits are pressed 

 too heavily. Cherries are often shipped in the eight-pound baskets, and 

 in this case less handling is necessary if they are picked directly into this 

 package. In picking cherries, much care should be exercised to prevent 

 the removal of fruit spurs, for these are to bear the crops of future years ; 

 the pickers will need careful supervision. The cherry should be removed 

 by grasping the stem, not the fruit, and by giving it an upward pull. 

 Fruit should not be pulled off the stem; the juice of one stemless cherry 

 placed in a basket of fruit will catch dust and dirt and stimulate rotting, 

 which may destroy the market value of the entire basket. Cherry-picking 



Fig. 



127. — Picking Montmorency cher- 

 ries. Tree six years old 



