116 THE NUESERY. 



raj)id-growing, pyramidal-headecl tree. Its fruit is small, 

 dark brown, or black, with a sjDriglitlj flavor and slight 

 bitterness. It is the original type of all the heart varie- 

 ties. 



Preparing and saving the Seeds. — The fruit is allowed 

 to remain on the tree until thoroughly ripe. It is then 

 shaken or picked off, and put into tubs, where the pulp is 

 washed off until the stones are perfectly clean. They 

 are then spread out on boards, and turned over occasion- 

 ally until dry, when they are put away in boxes, mixed 

 with sand very slightly moist. A layer of sand is spread 

 in the bottom of the box, then a thin layer of the stones, 

 next a layer of sand, and so on till the box is full. The 

 boxes are secured against vermin, and put away in a cool, 

 dry place, until needed for planting. If not planted in the 

 fall, they may be wintered in a cellar, or out of doors, 

 protected from rain by boards or other covering. 



When to Plant. — ^If circumstances were favorable, all 

 seeds would be better planted in the fall, or immediately 

 after their maturity. ^Nature, in her course, indicates this 

 to be a general law ; but in cultivation this must depend 

 on circumstances. The ground may not be in readiness. 

 It may be so wet and heavy, that seeds would be so satu- 

 rated with moisture during the winter as to lose their 

 vitality ; or the ground might become so beaten down 

 and compact with fall, winter, and early spring rains, as 

 to make it almost impossible for the young plants to make 

 their way through it. All these things are to be con- 

 sidered in deciding the proper- time to sow seeds. If the 

 soil be very light and porous, cherry seeds may be sown 

 as soon as gathered; if the contrary, it should be 

 deferred till spring : but they germinate early and at a 

 iOw temperature, so that it is necessary to keep them 

 pretty dry and cool, and get them into the ground at the 

 earliest practicable moment. "We find it quite difficult to 



