THE COUNTRY HOME [chapter 



bors to plant, and in time you will find that the 

 birds are so distributed as not to make a very 

 serious factor in cherry consumption. 



The old English Morello can be obtained almost 

 anywhere on its own roots. It should be planted 

 when quite small, as it begins to bear when two or 

 three years old, and at five years is a heavy cropper. 

 Gradually thin out the top, and slightly raise the 

 limbs, until the tree is twelve or more feet in di- 

 ameter. I have picked sixty quarts from a well 

 grown tree. Sold at ten cents a quart, this is six 

 dollars for a very small space of ground — eaten, it 

 is lots of comfort for the same space. Cherry pie 

 and cherry rolls have been unanimously voted good 

 enough for the folk at home. When protected 

 from the birds, as I shall describe elsewhere, and 

 thoroughly ripened, the so-called sour cherry is 

 nearly sweet, and the mild acid is very wholesome. 



The May Duke is one of the finest trees, and one 

 of the noblest cherries on the list. It is as good 

 for the table as for the kitchen. It is not quite as 

 hardy to resist frost as the Morello type, but gener- 

 ally comes through all right, as far north as central 

 New York and Boston. The Dyehouse is even 

 earlier than the Richmond, and is a sure cropper 



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