CHERRIES. 171 



siderable portion of the variety is below the ground 

 surface, it will strike roots from this wood and 

 from these roots suckers will grow up around the 

 tree and will in time spread to great distances and 

 make a forest of brush that is good for nothing, 

 and the parent tree is robbed of its support and is 

 of little value either. These sprouts of course are 

 the same as the variety from which the roots have 

 spread, and if transplanted and the sprouts from 

 these kept down, the trees will be of considerable 

 value, but not as good bearers as when on Mahaleb 

 roots, and on the whole they are very much of a 

 nuisance, on account of their sprouting proclivities. 



The cherry should be headed back very severely 

 at planting. If the whole top, or a great portion 

 of it is left, the tree will seldom succeed. It will 

 start to grow almost as soon as it is given the light 

 and warmth, and the owner is apt to think that it 

 is a success when in about a week he will observe 

 that his tree is dying, and will be at a loss to know 

 the reason. Practically the reason is that he did 

 not head it back as directed, but the explanation of 

 the effect is that the buds burst into leaf before the 

 roots had commenced to grow, and the evaporation 

 above could not be supplied from below fast enough 

 to maintain its water supply. 



In * 'heading back" do not cut off two year old 

 wood, but only that of the last year's growth, and 

 cut from two-thirds to three-fourths of each of 

 these shoots off. 



It is necessary, in order to get the best results to 



