114:2 THE FRUIT INDUSTRY ix XEW YORK STATE 



With Montmorency, however, while I have myself never tried 

 growing them in sod, my observation leads me to believe that if 

 good-sized fruit is to be expected, and especially if the season be 

 dry, thorough cultivation is necessary. Such cultivation should 

 begin at least as early as the fruit is formed, and earlier if dry, 

 and continue as late as it will be possible to drive through the 

 orchard without damaging the fruit. More or less work should 

 be "done according to the amount of rainfall, and if the weather 

 is dry the orchard should be cultivated as often as twice a week. 



Although an advocate of thorough cultivation for cherries, it 

 is only proper for me to state that some of the best crops of 

 Morello I have ever seen were grown in sod on the Hammond 

 farm, adjoining my own, several years in succession. On the 

 same farm in 1913, a heavy crop of Montmorency with very 

 large-sized fruit was grown without cultivation, but after a heavy 

 cover crop of vetch had been planted. Notwithstanding these 

 exceptions, I cannot but believe that for sour cherries at least, 

 thorough cultivation will prove its value in average results f( 

 a term of years. 



Pruning 



When planting is done in the fall there should be no prunii 

 until spring. If one-year-old trees were planted, they should n< 

 be touched except to be headed off at the proper height in case 

 they would otherwise make too high a head. If older trees ai 

 planted, all branches not needed for the framework of the ti 

 should be removed, and the remaining branches should not 

 pruned. The newly planted tree should have plenty of folia^ 

 as much and as soon as possible. The last year's growth which 

 is left for the framework will give more foliage if left entire, 

 since the large, perfectly developed buds at the ends of the 

 branches, which would be removed if pruned, are the buds that 

 give the most luxuriant foliage in the shortest time. Further 

 than this it is not good practice to prune cherry trees at all. 

 except to remove dead and broken branches incident to picking. 

 and to remove entire such other limbs as are not desired. 



