78 THE KANSAS CHERRY. 



land." Dyehouse originated in Kentucky, and is a week earlier than 

 Kichmond. I think it better — its seeds are smaller. The Wragg is 

 an Iowa product, being hardy and bearing young. I had one-year-old 

 trees ripen this variety last year. I think the Dyehouse and Wragg 

 indispensable, as the latter is late and, holding fruit well, it lengthens 

 the season about two weeks. — Weste^m Fruit Grower. 



CHERRY ORCHARD EXPERIENCE. 



Cherries are usually set when two years old from the bud. The 

 sour varieties are i^ropagated both upon Mazzard and Mahaleb stocks, 

 chiefly the latter, but the comparative merits of the two are not de- 

 termined. The tops are started about three or four feet high, and the 

 subsequent pruning is very like that given the plum. If the young 

 trees make a very strong growth and tend to become top-heavy, head- 

 ing in may be practiced ; but this operation is not considered to be 

 necessary after the trees begin to bear. Cherry trees require less at- 

 tention to pruning than apple trees and peach trees do. 



The English Morel! o will bear a fair crop the third year after set- 

 ting, if two-year trees are planted. The Montmorency is a year or 

 two later in coming into bearing. The Montmorency, partly because 

 of its larger growth, produces much more fruit than the other, when 

 it arrives at full bearing. Individual trees of Montmorency at six 

 years and upwards may bear from thirty to seventy-five pounds of 

 fruit ; but eight to ten tons of marketable fruit are an excellent crop 

 on an orchard of 800 Montmorencys eight years planted ; that is an 

 average of twenty to twenty-five pounds to the tree. The Morellos, 

 because of their dark color, usually sell better than the Montmorency 

 in the open market, but the reverse is now generally true if the crop 

 is sold to canning factories, This year the factories have paid five 

 and six cents a pound for Montmorencys. It is easy to figure the 

 proceeds of an acre. At 18 x 18 feet, an acre will comprise about 130 

 trees. If, at eight years, they yield twenty pounds each, the crop 

 would amount to 2600 pounds, which at five cents means $130. This 

 is a conservative estimate. Benjamin Kean, Seneca, has 200 Mont- 

 morency trees six years set. He has had three crops, one of 1400 

 pounds, one of 3000 pounds, and one 3100 pounds. He sold his entire 

 crop this year for five cents, making a gross income of $155. His 

 trees are set 10x12 feet, which allows about 360 to the acre. In 

 other words, a crop which sold for over $150 was taken from less than 

 two-thirds of an acre. The soil in this case seems to be unusually 

 well adapted to this cherry and the crops have, therefore, been excel- 

 lent ; but, on the other hand, part of the crop was destroyed this year 



