MY CHERRY ORCHARD AND ITS LESSONS. 473 



1900 the Kentish Red and Early Richmond were full of fruit 

 buds but were all killed by the cold weather. In 1901 we had 

 our first good crop of fruit, picking thirty-one and a half bush- 

 els, which sold in St. Paul and Minneapolis for $3.50 and $4.00 

 per bushel. They were Kentish Red and Early Richmond. The 

 Homer Morello trees were from root sprouts and have borne 

 only a few cherries up to this time. 



The past two years there has been but a small crop. We 

 managed to get five or six bushels of the early ones, the birds 

 getting all the late ones, taking them before they were ripe 

 enough to market. 



(Lesson three: shoot the birds.) 



My trees were planted 12x12 feet, on the advice of the nurs- 

 eryman, which is much too close. They grow too tall, it is hard 

 to pick the fruit and causes so many of small lower limbs to die, 

 getting your bearing wood higher up each year. 



(Lesson four: plant 18x18 or 20x20 feet.) 



The first four years the trees were cultivated clean, raising 

 garden truck, muskmelons, etc., between them ; since that time 

 they have been left in grass, this being cut twice a year and left 

 on the ground. This seems to be good for them, as they make an 

 annual growth of ten to fourteen inches. 



I have tried several varieties of sweet cherries, and all have . 

 proved a failure except the May Duke. We had a few cherries 

 of this kind this season (1903). This is not a real sweet cherry, 

 but a very good sub-acid, much sweeter than Early Richmond, 

 etc., and the fact of its fruiting in Minnesota the past season is 

 cause for encouragement to the growers of this fruit. 



From my experience, I cannot advise extensive planting of 

 the cherry in Minnesota except in the most favorable locations. 



KEEPING UP HUMUS IN THE SOIL. 



JOHN OSBORN, DASSELL. 



The necessity of keeping soils well supplied with humus, es- 

 pecially in droughty seasons, is apparent to all good farmers and 

 gardeners. I may be asked what it is and what its specific office, 

 but more important is the question "How can it best be sup- 

 plied." It is generally conceded to be a peculiar brown or black 

 matter resulting from decayed vegetation in the soil, and that 

 it is found only in the surface is apparent — imparting to it a rich 

 brown appearance. It contains carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, 

 and during its decomposition carbonic acid is formed which con- 



