THE KANSAS CHERRY. 45 



THE CHERRY. 



By Albert Dickens, Manhattan, Kan. 



Cherries are as nearly sure as any crop we grow in Kansas, yet, 

 while we find the raising of corn, wheat and potatoes profitable, cher- 

 ries are neglected. The cherry is a rival of the late strawberry and 

 early raspberry, but it has enough merits of its own to entitle it to a 

 place in every fruit garden. There is little danger of raising too many 

 ■cherries until they are so plentiful that prices on them are quoted by 

 the peck or bushel instead of by the quart ; in fact, the vast majority 

 of home-owners raise fruit for the table rather than for market. 



We have picked cherries, perfect in every particular, that were 

 borne by trees grown in all sorts of soils, from the high uplands in 

 Scott county, through all the grades of the sandy soils of the Arkan- 

 sas valley, to the limestone soils of eastern Kansas. 



One good crop of cherries will pay for the tree, the trouble, and 

 the rent of the land, so, if the trees are short-lived, we should plant 

 oftener. A few good trees are enough for the family use, and if one 

 plants for the market he must calculate as to the distance to market, 

 the supply of pickers, and his ability to handle the crop. For market, 

 the stem must be picked with the fruit ; for home use they are often 

 shaken from the tree and caught upon a sheet. If not picked as soon 

 as ripe they are liable to rot badly. Good cherries are well worth all 

 they cost, they have a place in the fruit list which no other fruit can 

 fill. 



Set the best trees obtainable. Our own nurseries quote fine trees 

 at a quarter of a dollar ; less money for larger lots. Set as carefully as 

 you would an evergreen, a strawberry plant, or a [heljiful] hen. Make 

 the hole large enough to allow the roots a natural position ; cut back 

 the bruised roots with a smooth cut on the lower side, cut the top 

 back in proportion to the roots ; put good soil around the roots ; fill 

 in firmly to prevent drying. If the weather department shortens the 

 water-supply, draw a couple of inches of earth up to form a pool, give 

 the tree a bucket of water, and do not forget to loosen the soil and 

 draw the dry earth over for a mulch. If you are master of your time, 

 it is better to put the water on in the evening and draw the dry earth 

 over in the early morning, before the sun can bake the wet soil and so 

 deprive the tree of its supjsly of air. Keep the trees well cultivated, 

 a&d look at them with your best eye occasionally and criticize their 

 forms. Think of the tree as it should appear in a few years, and pinch 

 off a sprout when it is liable to make a branch that will in a short 

 time rub its neighbor. 



The sour cherries are most widely planted and most successful. 



