THE CHERRY. 363 



spot of ground, covering them with flat stones and a few 

 inches of earth. 



The seed may be planted in autumn or spring. If in au- 

 tumn, the ground should be dry, and entirely free from all 

 danger of becoming flooded or water-soaked. Unless the soil 

 is quite light, the surface should be covered with leaf mould 

 or pulverized manure, to avoid the formation of a hard 

 crust upon the surface, which would prevent the young 

 plants from breaking through. But usually spring is the best 

 season, if the planting is done the moment the frost is out of 

 the ground; for the seeds sprout and grow on the first ap- 

 proach of warm weather. The distance should be the same 

 as for the peach and apple ; and nearly the same directions 

 are applicable to their management in the nursery rows. 



Good seedlings, averaging a foot and a half high, may be 

 transplanted from the seed-beds when a year old, and if well 

 cultivated in good soil, may be budded the same season. 

 Where the buds fail, the trees may be grafted in the follow- 

 ing spring. 



Budding can only succeed with thrifty, freely growing 

 stocks and with well-matured buds. About the time, or a lit- 

 tle after the most vigorous stage of growth, or just as the 

 terminal buds on the shoots commence forming, is the best pe- 

 riod. If earlier, the buds will usually be too soft ; if later, the 

 bark will not peel freely, nor the buds adhere well. This 

 period usually commences about midsummer, and continues, 

 under the various influences of season and soil, for two or 

 three weeks, and sometimes more than a month. Success 

 will be found to depend also upon cutting out with the bud a 

 larger portion of the wood than is common with other bud- 

 ding, or equal to one-third the diameter of the shoot. This 

 will be found particularly useful where the buds are slightly 

 immature, retaining in them a larger portion of moisture, 

 and preventing their curling off from the stock. 



Difficulty is often experienced in successfully grafting the 

 cherry. It succeeds well, if performed very early in the 

 spring, before the slightest swelling of the buds, and before 

 the frost has disappeared from the ground. After this period 

 it is very liable to failure. 



In propagating the slower-growing, sour-fruited varieties. 



