THE CHERRY. 163 



afforded by our common wild or Virginia cherry, which is a 

 very good substitute for mahogany, taking a fine polish. 



The larger growing sorts of black cherry are the finest of all 

 fruit trees for shade, and are, therefore, generally chosen by 

 farmers, who are always desirous of combining the useful and 

 the ornamental. Indeed, the cherry, from its symmetrical form, 

 its rapid growth, its fine shade, and beautiful blossoms, is ex- 

 ceedingly well suited for a road side tree in agricultural dis- 

 tricts. We wish we could induce the planting of avenues of 

 this and other fine growing fruit trees in our country neighbour- 

 hoods, as is the beautiful custom in Germany, affording orna- 

 ment and a grateful shade and refreshment to the traveller, 

 at the same moment. Mr. Loudon in his Arboretum, gives the 

 following account of the cherry avenues in Germany, which we 

 gladly lay before our readers. 



" On the continent, and more especially in Germany and 

 Switzerland, the cherry is much used as a road side tree ; par- 

 ticularly in the northern parts of Germany, where the apple 

 and the pear will not thrive. In some countries the road passes 

 for many miles together through an avenue of cherry trees. In 

 Moravia, the road from Brunn to Olmutz, passes through such 

 an avenue, extending upwards of sixty miles in length ; and, 

 in the autumn of 1828, we travelled for several days through 

 almost one continuous avenue of cherry trees, from Strasburg 

 by a circuitous route to Munich. These avenues, in Germany, 

 are planted by the desire of the respective governments, not only 

 for shading the traveller, but in order that the poor pedestrian 

 may obtain refreshment on his journey. All persons are allow- 

 ed to partake of the cherries, on condition of not injuring the 

 trees ; but the main crop of the cherries when ripe, is gathered 

 by the respective proprietors of the land on which it grows ; and 

 when these are anxious to preserve the fruit of any particular 

 tree, it is, as it were, tabooed ; that is, a wisp of straw is tied in 

 a conspicuous part to one of the branches, as vines by the road 

 sides in France, when the grapes are ripe, are protected by 

 sprinkling a plant, here and there, with a mixture of lime and 

 water, which marks the leaves with conspicuous white blotches. 

 Every one who has travelled on the Continent in the fruit sea- 

 son, must have observed the respect that is paid to these appro- 

 priating marks ; and there is something highly gratifying in 

 this, and in the humane feeling displayed by the princes of the 

 different countries, in causing the trees to be planted. It would 

 indeed be lamentable if kind treatment did not produce a cor- 

 responding return." 



SOIL AND SITUATION. A dry soil for the cherry is the uni- 

 versal maxim, arid although it is so hardy a tree that it will 

 thrive in a great variety of soils, yet a good, sandy, or gravelly 

 loam is its favourite place. It will indeed grow in much thin- 



