THE CHERRY. 251 



To Form a Round Open Head. We will take for ex- 

 ample a young tree two years old, having three or four 

 top branches. These at the time of planting should be 

 cut back to within four or five buds of their base, and 

 when growth has commenced, the requisite number of 

 shoots, say four or five, to form the framework of the head, 

 are selected, evenly distributed on all sides, and all the 

 others pinched or rubbed oif. 



The following season these shoots may again be short- 

 ened to produce secondary branches to fill up spaces, and 

 those arising from the centre should be pinched out, for the 

 head must be kept open and accessible to the sun and 

 light. In about three years of such treatment the head 

 of the tree assumes a permanent form, and thereafter may 

 be left to itself, except to remove occasionally branches 

 that may cross or interfere with one another. 



Pyramidal-headed Standards. Certain varieties, for 

 instance, SparhawJJs Honey, Downer, China Bigar- 

 reau, Black Tartarian, Blade Heart, and some others, 

 make fine pyramidal-shaped heads without pruning, more 

 than to give the leader its due superiority at the begin- 

 ning, and to remove afterwards, crossing and superfluous 

 branches. 



Such varieties as the Yellow Spanish, Black Eagle, 

 Knight's Early Black, Elton, and all the spreading sorts, 

 should have round, open heads, built upon three or four 

 main branches, as described. 



Pruning the Cherry as a Pyramid. The same process 

 recommended for the pyramidal training of the pear and 

 npple may be applied with complete success to the cherry. 

 We have now in our specimen grounds a collection of all 

 the classes trained according to the method described, 

 and their condition is in every respect satisfactory; they 

 have all given fruit the third year. 



In most cases the trees were taken from the nursery 

 rows at the end of their first season's growth from the 



