374 [ THE CHERRY 



in June and with due attention many of them will germi- 

 nate at once in the course of the same summer, but 

 before sowing, the stones should be stratified for one or 

 two weeks in leaf-mould and kept moderately moist, or 

 they may be slightly cracked by striking them lightly 

 with a hammer, to make germination more easy. If they 

 are to be sown in the following spring the mixture of 

 leaf-mould in which the stones are stratified should be 

 moistened with water occasionally, otherwise if they get 

 too dry for a long period their germinating power may 

 be impaired. In one or two years the seedlings will be 

 strong enough to bear transplanting to the nursery, late 

 in winter, and their subsequent treatment is the same as 

 with other stone-fruit seedlings. 



The cultivated cherries are never propagated directly 

 by seed, except when this is done with a view to the 

 production of new or improved varieties. The hautbois 

 cherry may be multiplied by seed for the purpose of 

 raising stock, but suckers are produced so freely around 

 old trees, that the gardener can easily obtain the quantity 

 required for his use. However, the Mahaleb cherry 

 produces few or no suckers and is propagated almost 

 exclusively by seed. The small stones of this cherry 

 preserve their vitality better than the stones of the other 

 cherries above mentioned, and are sown in February or 

 March. They germinate very freely, requiring no special 

 attention, and the seedlings make rapid progress reaching 

 the required size for budding or grafting in about two 

 years. In the first winter they may be planted out in 

 the nursery about 50 c.m apart, and may be grafted or 

 budded in the following winter or next spring. The 

 seedling of the Mahaleb is very vigorous and resisting, 

 and if transplanted with ordinary care there will be few 

 failures. The gardener should keep one or more plants 

 of this cherry in an outlying corner of his orchard, and 

 allow them to fruit so that he may have a supply of seed 

 always available for sowing. 



