24 THE KANSAS CHERRY. 



Clierries should be planted upon well-drained soil, such as is suit- 

 able for the growing of cereal crox)s, in rows about twenty feet apart, 

 running north and south, with the trees fifteen feet apart in the row. 

 They should be cultivated from the earliest time in the spring until 

 about the 1st of August, and no other crop should be grown in the 

 orchard. I believe that continuous cultivation from early spring to 

 late summer will produce very much better results than can be se- 

 cured by seeding down the orchard to clover, although it is probable 

 that benefits may be secured by sowing clover and turning the same 

 under to restore nitrogen to the soil. When the trees commence to 

 bear the fertility of the soil should be restored by dressing with ma- 

 nure, potash, and phosphoric acid fertilizers. The trees should never 

 be pruned except at the time of planting, when the roots should be 

 cut back and at least two thirds of the last year's grow^th removed from 

 the top. If cultivation is continued late in the fall, growth is contin- 

 ued late in the season without maturing the wood and buds, render- 

 ing winter injury thereto probable. 



The cherry will begin to bear four years after planting, and will 

 bear a reasonably ijrofitable crop at the age of six years. None of the 

 varieties usually lolanted are long-lived. In view of the fact that cul- 

 tivation has been rarely practiced in the past, I am led to hope that 

 the longevity of the tree may be greatly extended by the treatment 

 herein recommended. It is my oinnion that the greatest success in 

 raising the cherry in the Northwest can be secured in the latitude of 

 the south half of Iowa. I have noticed that in the vicinity of St. 

 Louis the intense heat of the late fall frequently causes swelling of 

 the buds, which are thereby exposed to winter injury, and understand 

 that in south central Missouri this is the cause of the frequent fail- 

 ure of crops. 



THE CALIFORNIA CHERRY. 



Probably no fruit grown in California is received by consumers with 

 greater genuine pleasure than the cherry. The cherry is not adapted to 

 all parts of the state. The portions which produce lemons and oranges 

 fail to produce cherries. They require a deep sediment soil and a 

 climate not too hot. Santa Clara Valley is probably the largest and 

 best cherry district in the state, including in this district the section 

 on the east side of the bay on both sides of Haywards. Chico has 

 some good cherry orchards, and the largest cherry tree in the state, so 

 far as known, is on the American river above Sacramento. Vacaville 

 and Winters are in a section noted for shipping very early cherries, 

 the first box generally going out in April. 



