158 AGRICULTURE FOR COMMON SCHOOLS 



until it has been frosted a couple of times, although some pick 

 the fruit when yet green and ripen it in a cool, dark room. 



Two of the best varieties are the Orange and Champion. 

 A variety known as the Japanese quince is used entirely for 

 ornamental purposes. It has beautiful, showy red flowers. 

 The fruit is useless and is small both in size and quantity. 



2. Stone Fruits. — The cherry, plum, peach, prune, and 

 apricot are called stone fruits, because the seed is enclosed in 

 a hard, stony shell. 



The Cherry. — This fruit came from Asia. There are two 

 kinds of cherries, sweet and sour. The sweet cherry is often 

 called the heart cherry. With the sweet cherry the blossoms 

 appear with the leaves, while with the sour cherry the blos- 

 soms come first. Sweet cherries do not stand transplanting 

 well, many of the trees dying. It is better to plant seeds where 

 trees are to grow and then bud with buds from trees which 

 have been good producers of fruit. The sour cherries are 

 easily transplanted. Cherries will grow on almost any soil 

 not too wet, but a well-drained, light loam soil is best. The 

 head of the cherry tree should be started near the ground in 

 order to make it easy to pick the fruit and also to protect the 

 stem of the tree from the hot sun, which often scalds or burns 

 the bark, sometimes killing the tree. Trees do not need 

 much pruning after they begin to bear. 



Some of the best sour varieties are the Early Richmond, 

 Dyehouse, English Morello, and Montmorency. Of sweet 

 cherries the Governor Wood, Windsor, and Black Tartarian 

 are among the best varieties. 



The Plum. — The plum is native to America, Europe, and 

 Asia. Many good varieties have come from each of these 

 countries. The central states are as well adapted as any 



