CHERRY FORCING IN BRITISH GARDENS. 485 



crop to swell off, as there would not be space enough for the cherries 

 to expand. Watering must be withheld from the tops of the trees 

 during the time they are in blossom, but given as required for their 

 roots, and the floor kept moist by sprmkling it morning and evening. 



Progress. Trees begun to be forced in the middle of December will 

 come into blossom in the middle of January, set their fruit about the 

 end of the month, and stone it about the middle of February. 



Insects. After the leaves expand, it very often happens that a cater- 

 pillar, or some black fly, makes its appearance ; these are sometimes 

 scarcely to be met with in the daytime, but on going into the house at 

 night the caterpillar will be found crawling on the leaves and eating 

 them. Fumigation with tobacco, and hand-picking, are the only 

 remedies for these pests. Ants too sometimes make their appearance 

 when the trees are in blossom ; and though they are not so injurious 

 to the cherry as they are to the peach, they ought to be at once 

 destroyed by pouring tobacco -water or sprinkling guano upon their 

 nests. Till the ants' nests are destroyed, the insects may be prevented 

 from getting at the blossoms by tying pieces of paper round the stems 

 of the trees, and coating them over with a mixture of tar and grease : 

 the paper should be of a coarse spongy kind, so as to absorb the tar, 

 and prevent it from running down the bark of the stem when the 

 temperature of the house is high or yarn may be used instead of 

 paper. In either case, as soon as the tar becomes hard, the ants will 

 walk over it, and in that case it must be renewed. When the trees are 

 in blossom, it will facilitate the setting of the fruit if bees can be 

 introduced, which may easily be done, by bringing in a hive, or, what is 

 preferable, by fixing a hive immediately in front of the lower part of 

 one of the front sashes, and so as to touch it, and having an entrance 

 for the bees at the back of the hive, as well as the usual one in front of 

 it. Corresponding with this back entrance, a small hole may be cut in 

 the bottom rail of the sash, and a stopper or slide fitted to it, through 

 which the bees may be admitted to the cherry-house at pleasure. 



Thinning and Stoning, fyc. When the fruit is fairly set, it should be 

 thinned out with the grape scissors, removing from one-fourth to one- 

 third of the cherries, according the vigour of the tree, and the number 

 of fruit it has set. When once the fruit is set it is not liable to be 

 injured by cold, as in the case of peaches and grapes. On the con- 

 trary, cherry-trees in pots have been turned out into the open garden, 

 by way of experiment, after the fruit was .set ; and the frosts, which 

 damaged the leaves, had no effect at all upon the fruit, except to retard 

 its growth. After the fruit has begun to stone (which is generally 

 about a fortnight after it is set), the trees should be watered freely 

 at the roots, but in eight or ten days, when the kernel begins to 

 harden, the quantity of water may be diminished. The temperature 

 of the house, except in sunshine, should never exceed 60, either by 

 night or by day, from blossoming up to the time of stoning ; but in 

 three weeks after setting, when the stoning will generally be found 

 completed, and the pulp of the fruit beginning to assume a pale red, 

 the temperature may be raised to 65 at night, and even to 70 or 75 



