MOISTURE REQUIREMENTS OF THE CHERRY 223 



it is still very exacting in its requirement of an adequate supply. 

 If this can not be retained in the soil by cultivation, irrigation must 

 be resorted to. Thus the cherry growers in the famous Willows 

 district of San Jose, usually find it an advantage to give their trees 

 an irrigation between the spring rains and the ripening of the fruit, 

 and another irrigation after the fruit is gathered. 



Irregularity in the moisture supply also causes the cherry to 

 bloom and fruit unseasonably. There has been bloom in October 

 and ripe fruit in January, due to the fact that trees become dormant 

 in late summer from soil-drouth. January cherries may be evi- 

 dences of salubrity but they betoken poor horticulture. 



These facts show that the cherry must have water enough or 

 it will not succeed. Sometimes young trees which have made a 

 good summer growth die outright on leachy soils which dry out 

 before the fall rains begin. On the other hand, there must not be, 

 excessive moisture in the soil either from irrigation or by mois- 

 ture. Cherry trees in southern California, planted with orange trees 

 and given similar irrigation, have failed utterly. Planting on natur- 

 ally moist land in low places has also failed, and observed facts some 

 time ago led to the conclusion that at the south the cherry should 

 be planted on well-drained land, which could be irrigated (as the 

 behavior of the tree indicated its need of water), rather than on 

 naturally moist land, because of the likelihood of excessive moisture 

 in such situations. More recent experience has declared mellow, 

 well-drained soils, of the higher lands well adapted to the cherry and 

 on such soils, when well cultivated, cherries have done well 

 without irrigation at Pasadena, Pomona and elsewhere. The com- 

 mercial cherry product of southern California comes, however, from 

 mountain valleys and high plateaux the chief regions being the 

 Yucaipe Valley above Redlands and the Mesa Grande region in the 

 interior of San Diego County. 



In California, as elsewhere, the Dukes and Morellos may succeed 

 where the Hearts and Bigarreaux fail. The May Duke seems 

 especially hardy, and bears well in Nevada, where other sorts fail 

 utterly. 



Delayed Fruiting of Cherry Trees. Though the cherry in fav- 

 orable situations bears early, the grower, especially on strong, rich 

 lands, will often have many years of disappointment from falling 

 blossoms and fruit. During this time the trees will be making 

 marvelous wood growth, and this apparently suppresses the fruit- 

 ing function. Usually these trees will ultimately bear when their 

 exuberant growth declines. They can be thrown into fruit sooner 

 by allowing the trees to go uncultivated, or by root pruning, through 

 digging" a trench around about eight feet from the tree, and sever- 

 ing the roots thus encountered, or by summer pruning. Because of 

 this over-growth, growers give such strong soil to the apple 

 or the pear rather than the cherry. Sometimes the non-bearing of 

 the cherry is inexplicable. Though everything seems to be right, 

 and the blossoms are profuse, the fruit will not stick. 



