PROPAGATION. 183 



" Pliny mentions eight kinds of Cherries as being cultivated in 

 [taly when he wrote his Natural History, which was about 71, 

 A. b.;" and from this date up to the present time, the varieties have 

 been gradually increasing until we have now described, in various 

 works, upwards of one hundred and fifty. 



The disposition of Americans to combine the useful with the or- 

 namental, has induced the planting (where the Cherry succeeds) of 

 many as ornamental or shade trees ; while examples of reward pe- 

 cuniary, from sale of fruit on trees so planted, has probably been 

 additional inducement. The symmetrical form and rapid growth of 

 the Cherry fit it well for a street tree throughout the country, and 

 we wish we could induce the following of example of our Connect- 

 icut forefathers in 1700, and recently renewed by Prof J. P. Kirt- 

 land, of Cleveland, Ohio, who has planted the Cherry as a ^ street 

 tree upon the entire front of his grounds. Mr. Loudon, in his Ar- 

 boretum, gives an account of long avenues of the Cherry in Ger- 

 many ; and more recent travelers have written repeatedly of and 

 described them in such manner, that it is not a little strange our 

 people, as a body, have not as yet seen and acted upon the plan to 

 the advantage of their pecuniary as well as social interests. Says 

 Mr. Loudon : "These avenues in Germany are planted by the de- 

 sire of the respective Governments, not only for shading the travel- 

 er, but in order that the poor pedestrian may obtain refreshment 

 on his journey. All persons are allowed to partake of the Cherries, 

 on condition of not injuring the trees ; but the main crop, when 

 ripe, is gathered by the respective proprietors of the land on which 

 it grows." 



In our view, this practice, if extensive in this country, would ren- 

 der less of one crime in the summing up of her annals — i. e., the 

 robbing of orchards ; and possibly, a law like that enacted in the 

 terrritory of Erfurth in 1795, would be beneficial. It provided that, 

 in case of the robber not being discovered, the district in which the 

 offence was committed should be obliged to make compensation for 

 the damage sustained. This made every individual interested in 

 preventing depredations on his neighbor's property. 



Propagation.— The Cherry is propagated from seed — by bud- 

 ding — by grafting — and occasionally, by pieces of roots. 



Bj/ Seed. —The seed of the black mazard is that generally used, 

 and considered best for propagat'iig the Heart and Duke varieties 

 upon, while the Mahaleb is used only for the purpose of creating a 

 dwarf habit. Seeds of the Graffion or Yellow Spanish Mill occa- 

 sionally reproduce trees bearing fruit similar to the parent ; while 

 seeds of many of the cultivated kinds will not vegetate, there being 

 no germ or seed bud within the stor*^. The seed should not be per- 



