262 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



Fig. 2336. Early Purcle. 



cial way, but even in these sections a frost 

 at the end of May or beginning- of June is 

 often fatal to the crop. 



The earliest cherry of this class is the 

 Early Purple, which occasionally gives a 

 full crop at highest prices, though a cherry 

 of only medium size and ordinary quality. 

 Some old trees have made a good record 

 for productiveness, and made the owner a 

 fine return, but as a rule the birds take a 

 good share of the crop, and, if gathered be- 

 fore ripe enough to please the appetite of 



the birds, they are but skin and bones, and 

 not deserving the name of Purple. In Eng- 

 land it is customary to protect valuable 

 cherry trees from the birds by means of 

 large nets, which are spread over the trees, 

 a good suggestion for us if we want to suc- 

 ceed with certain varieties of oxhearts. 



This netting is sold very reasonable, as 

 we note in a recent issue of the Journal of 



Fig. 2337. Windsor. 



Fig. 2338. Late Duke. 



Horticulture several such advertisements 

 as the following : 



Garden Netting. — Small mesh, keep out the 

 smallest birds, oiled and diessed ; will not rot if 

 left out in all weathers. 105 yards by one yard 

 wide, 72 cents; by two yards wide, $1.44; by three 

 yards wide, $2.16, and so on to any width. G. H. 

 Netting Works. Rye. 



Edge, of Maryland, says : — 



"For protecting cherries from the birds I bought 

 a lot of damaged mosquito netting, and sewed it 

 into a piece six yards square. This I put over an 

 Early Richmond tree and drew it together at the 

 bottom. The sun shines through, but the birds are 

 kept out. It stays on only a few days while the 

 cherries are ripening, and is then taken off and 

 laid away for another year." 



In our commercial orchards, however, 



we will find it best to plant those which are 



