62 



ascertain the best treatment for apple 

 trees planted in grass, as to size of circle 

 to be kept cultivated, and for what length 

 of time. 



In Herefordshire, where cattle and 

 horses are allowed in young orchards, the 

 trees at 15 years old are found to have 

 cost nearly £1 a-piece; this includes the 

 cost of the trees, planting, strong and 

 careful guarding and pruning. 



The pruning of cherry trees should 

 consist of shaping them when young, as 

 severe priming at any age is apt to be 

 followed by " gumming." Trees may be 

 lightly summer pruned after the fruit is 

 gathered, to admit light to the branches, 

 in order to ripen the buds for next year, 

 at this time also any dead wood which is 

 now easily seen, may be sawn out. 



The rent of a fairly good cherry orchard 

 in Kent may be £6 or £7 per acre, whilst 

 adjoining land not planted may let at 30s. 

 to 50s. ; or a good cherry orchard may 

 sell at £150 or £200 per acre, or even £400, 

 whilst unplanted land adjoining, fetches 

 £50 to £80 per acre. A cherry orchard 

 in full bearing may rent at £8 to £10 per 

 acre, or even £12. The annual expenses 

 have been estimated at £11 to £14 per 

 acre, and the yield from a good orchard 

 21 to 3 tons of cherries per acre. 



A relative, who has kept a record for 

 35 years of his cherry orchard, found it 

 work out at an average gross return of 

 £16 2s. per acre for fruit, or an average of 

 about 10s. per tree, plus the grazing of 

 the grass by sheep and poultry. 



Mr. Arthur Amos, M.A., who has had 

 great experience, in an excellent chapter 

 on " Cherries," in " Commercial Garden- 

 ing " (published by the Gresham Press), 

 says in a year when the crop is large an 

 orchard may average 6 or 8 halves per 

 tree, individual trees as high as 10 to 15 

 halves per tree, whilst when the crop is 

 short it may fail to yield 1 half bushel per 

 tree; the following is his estimate of an 



Average Cost of Production Per Acre 

 (Pre-War) 



Rent, £4; rates and taxes, at 5s. in £ 

 — £1 ; manuring by feeding stock, 

 £1 ; replanting 2 trees per acre, 6s. ; 

 grease banding, 7s. 6d. ; spraying, 

 5s. : bird minding, labour and ammu- 

 nition, IDs. Cost of production... £8 8 6 



Gathering 160 halves, per acre, £6; 

 packing and putting on rail, at 2d, 

 £1 6s. 8d. ; railway carriage to mar- 

 ket, £2 13s. 4d. ; return of empties at 

 ^d. per half bushel, 6s. 8d. ; com- 

 mission at 4d., £2 13s. 4d. Cost of 

 gathering £13 



Total cost per acre 



£21 8 6 



Estimating at 160 half-bushels per acre 



selling at 3s. 6d £28 



Leaving a profit per acre of 6 11 6 



Increased expenditure (£34 15s.) per acre 

 might increase the production up to 320 half- 

 bushels per acre; decreased expenditure (£9 

 12s. 6d.) per acre, might decrease the production 

 to 40 half-bushels per acre. 



Mr. George Bunyard, in " The Fruit 

 Garden," recommends planting cherries 

 in an orchard in the order of their ripen- 

 ing, so that picking can begin at one end 

 of the orchard and finish at the other end, 

 to save unnecessary removal of tent, lad- 

 ders, and other accessories. Flemish, 

 May Duke, and Morello trees are useful 

 for short rows, in corners, also as shelter 

 from the wind in exposed positions, where 

 they can be planted twice as thickly as the 

 larger growing sorts. 



The following are perhaps the best 

 cherries to grow for market : — Early 

 Rivers, Waterloo, Kentish Bigarreau, 

 Napoleon and the Kentish or pie cherry. 



At Ledbury, in Herefordshire, Gover- 

 nor Wood is one of the best varieties 

 grown. 



Many varieties of cherries are self- 

 sterile, so one needs to take into consider- 

 ation the planting of early flowering 

 varieties near one another, some varieties 

 are not inter fertile, others make speci- 

 ally good pollenizers, for information on 

 this subject see Mr. Berry's article on 

 " The Pollination of Cherry Orchards," in 

 the journal of the Board of Agriculture. 



Morello cherries are perfectly self- 

 fertile, and are less molested by birds than 

 other varieties, and are quite a profitable 

 cherry. I planted an acre of bush Mor- 

 ello, and the following was the approxi- 

 mate cost : — 



Cost ot Planting Morello Cherries, Cur- 

 rants, AND Strawberries, Per Acre. 



Pre-War. £ s. d. 



Ploughing, sub-soiling, and harrowing 1 13 

 Weeding 7 



