BLACK CHERRY 293 



to other cases where wood is wanted that will neither warp 

 nor shrink. Young and vigorous trees have lasting qualities 

 when exposed to the ground, and railroads are paying as 

 much for black cherry ties as for white oak. It has long 

 been used for fence posts, and this has led to the destruc- 

 tion of much young growth. 



The tree is a good seeder, and there is frequently a large 

 yield of fruit, the pulp of which has a sweet, aromatic 

 taste. It has been known to bear fruit in the open at 

 seventeen years of age. The seed proper is small with a hard 

 shell, like that of all Cherries, and natural seed-sowing is 

 almost entirely carried on by birds dropping them, although 

 squirrels and mice aid to a limited extent. Notwithstand- 

 ing that the tree has a tap-root, it can be safely transplanted 

 when young ; hence it is entirely suitable for nursery pro- 

 pagation. If the young plants are vigorous, they may be 

 removed to the forest when two years old but would best 

 be transplanted into the nursery when one year old, remain- 

 ing in the transplant nursery for two years, then to be set 

 out in the forest. The fruit ripens about the first of Septem- 

 ber and should be at once gathered and cared for. If there 

 is no danger of squirrels or mice destroying them, the seeds 

 should be planted in the nursery at once. In such cases the 

 pulp may be left on, although its removal will allow the 

 seeds to be planted with a drill. If the planting is to be 

 delayed until spring, then the pulp should be removed and 

 the seeds should be stratified in moist sand and stored away 

 where they will remain moist, but, if possible, be subjected to 

 freezing, and then planted as early in the spring as possible. 

 They should be placed in rows about eight inches apart 

 and covered from three eighths to one half inch deep, and 

 thereafter be treated the same as other broadleaf seedlings. 

 In no case should the seed be allowed to become dry. The 

 seedlings ordinarily make a growth of six inches the first 

 year, and if not removed may grow eighteen or twenty 

 inches the next. 



As the tree is somewhat capricious in choosing its loca- 



