SOIL AND SITUATION. 185 



the tap root, cut back to six inches. These, if the season is good, 

 will be suitable for budding the same summer. Orchard trees, and 

 also dwarfs for gardens, should have one half of the previous year's 

 growth cut off, and the roots trimmed smoothly at ends with a sharp 

 knife. The distance apart for standard trees in orchard, should be 

 about twenty-five feet, while dwarfs may be planted at distances of 

 eight feet each way. 



Standard Trees. Are best for orcharding, and should, in no situa- 

 tion, have their heads formed more than four feet from ground, and 

 throughout the West and South, not more than two feet. 



Dwarf Trees. Are produced by propagating the Sweet or Duke 

 varieties on the Mahaleb, or Morello roots. They should in all cases 

 be worked just at the crown of the root, as it is there a union is 

 best formed ; and also, by means of pruning, (see page 30,) they 

 should be made to form heads branching immediately from the 

 ground. 



Soil and Situation.. The soil best suited to most Cherries is 

 that of a rich light loam on a gravelly sub-soil, but they will grow 

 and produce fruit freely in all soil not wet. The roots of the maz- 

 ard or sweet Cherries are very impatient of water, and will only 

 endure a few seasons in strong soils void of drainage, or where 

 water stands most of the winter. To this want of drainage in great 

 measure, is attributable the destruction of the Cherry in most of the 

 prairie soils throughout Southern and Western States ; and not until 

 we manage to drain freely our rich alluvial deposits, can we succeed 

 perfectly with the Sweet Cherries. The roots of the Duke's, Morel- 

 lo's, and Mahaleb, are less open and spongy in texture, and, there- 

 fore, less impatient of water. They, however, do not flourish vigor- 

 ously for any length of time, unless drainage is effected. To this 

 point in the culture of the Cherry, we beg especially to call atten- 

 tion of our Western and Southern readers, assuring them that, what- 

 ever of theory may have been advanced referable to climate, they 

 will find drainage, or the want thereof rather, to be the primary 

 cause of destruction. Situated at a point where the Cherry proba- 

 bly does as well as at any place in the United States, we have had 

 occasion to notice the result of trees situated in what appeared suit- 

 able soil, but where, on examining, after having lost several trees, we 

 found water to have stood a long time about the roots. 



Naturally, most of the soil of Western and Southern States, is 

 rich in vegetable matter, giving vigorous, even rampant growth to 

 the Cherry tree ; which, added to the fact, that most trees have their 

 roots standing in stagnant cold water, induces tendency to disease 

 from the first. If, then, when about to plant Cherry trees, perfect 

 drainage is made, so that no water will stand for twenty -four hours 



