FRUIT CULTURE.— VI. 



THE CHERRY. 



HIS fruit has been receiving deserved 

 ^ ^ _ attention in southern Ontario dur- 

 dj uy ing the last few years, although its 

 i^i full value as an orchard crop has by 

 no means been fully recognized. Broadly 

 speaking, there are three types, — the sweet 

 cherries, including Bigarreau and Heart va- 

 rieties ; the sour, including Morellos and the 

 Kentish varieties ; and the Duke class, the 

 varieties of which comes half-way between the 

 sour and sweet types, having a growth cor- 

 responding more to that of the sweet cherry, 

 but fruit of an acid or sub-acid character. 

 In southern Ontario, and where the tender 

 varieties of the Dominion plums succeed, 

 the sweet cherry and the Dukes will be sat- 

 isfactorily cultivated. Outside the peach 

 limit, however, it would be advisable to have 

 a northern exposure. Most varieties of the 

 Morello type will thrive with proper care 

 over the larger part of Ontario. 



Soil. — While many of the fruits already 

 treated of will succeed in a variety of soils, 

 providing proper drainage is given, the 

 cherry is particular about its location. A 



warm, sandy or gravelly soil, rich and well 

 drained, is the ideal spot. If planted on 

 heavy or wet lands it may do fairly well 

 with extra care for a short time ; but real 

 success cannot be achieved and the tree will 

 not live many years. 



Planting and Pruning. — The sour cher- 

 ries may be planted about eighteen feet 

 apart, the Dukes twenty, and sweet cherries 

 at least twenty-five. Even a sour variety, 

 like the Early Richmond, would probably 

 be better twenty feet apart. Fig 49 is from 

 a photograph of an Early Richmond orchard 

 ten years old, and sixteen feet apart, and it 

 will be seen that the trees even now need 

 room. The cherry, of all fruit trees, is the 

 most difiicult to transplant successfully. 

 The general experience is that more losses 

 occur than with the planting of any other 

 kind of tree, and it will decidedly pay to 

 buy one-year old trees. The method of 

 pruning the first two years is much like that 

 employed for the apple. The Duke cherries 

 are very upright growers, and the young 

 shoots should be pruned to an outside bud, 



