Hints on Vegetable and Fruit Farming. 33 



fringe of coloured paper, in the same way as they are sent from 

 the Continent. 



Cherry-trees yield a handsome return in localities suitable 

 to their growth, as in parts of Mid Kent, near Maidstone, upon 

 the Lower Greensand, and in East Kent upon the loams and 

 brick-earth of the Tertiary soil over the Chalk, where they thrive 

 particularly well, though the situation is high and exposed. As 

 they blossom early in May, they are liable to receive injury 

 from spring frosts. These trees require a dry subsoil, there- 

 fore are not suited to heavy clay soils. The ordinary method of 

 obtaining standard trees is to graft upon stocks of the wild cherry, 

 Cerasus avium. Standard trees may be purchased at from 

 Is. 4ri. to 25. each, and should be planted about 30 feet apart, 

 or forty-eight trees to the acre, upon cultivated ground with 

 gooseberry- and currant-bushes under them, and plum-trees may 

 be set between them. After ten or eleven years the bushes 

 should be taken out and grass seeds sown, as cultivation does 

 not suit cherry-trees when they have attained a certain size; or 

 the trees may be planted at once upon grass-land. The plum- 

 trees may remain from twenty-five to twenty -eight years, at which 

 time the cherry-trees will be in full vigour. There is no reason 

 why cherry -orchards should not be made in many English 

 counties. Encouragement should be given in every way by 

 landlords to their tenants to plant them as well as apple- and 

 pear-trees. Pyramidal trees or bushes are formed by grafting 

 upon the Mahaleb stock, Cerasus mahaleb, a native' of the South 

 of Europe. These are very prolific, and may be planted in the 

 same way, and with as much advantage as apple, pear and 

 plum pyramids and bushes. 



Pyramids and dwarf trees of the English red cherry, or 

 Kentish Red and Flemish, should be planted in every available 

 spot, in gardens and in plantations. They do not take much 

 room, and invariably make high prices, because their fruit has 

 a fine subacid flavour, and is peculiarly suited for bottling, 

 drying, and preserving. The Morello cherry also is recom- 

 mended to farmers for growing against north or west walls, or 

 north heads and sides of barns, or lodges, or stables, while the 

 south and east sides of buildings would be occupied by plums, 

 figs or peach, or nectarine-trees. Morello cherries always sell 

 well for making cherry-brandy, and for preserving, and should 

 be sent for sale in cardboard boxes, with two layers in each, the 

 stems being cut to about half an inch in length.* 



* Cherries are usually packed in half-sieves, holding 24: lbs. Very fine 

 Bigarreaus and other kinds are sometimes put into quarter-sieves, holding 

 12 lbs. ; but it would well pay to put the very choicest fruit into 2 Ib.-boxes 

 or baskets, as is done by the French growers. 



