THE CHERRY. 151 



the fruit, should be dried only enough to prevent 

 their becoming mouldy, and then mixed with an 

 equal quantity of clean moist sand. The sand 

 preserves a proper degree of moisture till early 

 the following spring, and admits of their easy sepa- 

 ration in planting. If they become much dried, 

 vegetation is wholly prevented. 



TJie seeds should be planted in spring, as soon 

 as the ground is open, as they sprout and grow on 

 the first approach of warm weather. The distance 

 apart should be the same as for the peach and 

 apple, and the same directions also apply to their 

 removal to nursery rows ; but they are not to be 

 headed down at the time, as is practiced with the 

 peach. 



In propagating the slower- growing, round-fruited 

 varieties, good trees are soonest obtained by graft- 

 ing or budding them at standard height into large 

 straight stocks. If grafted, they soon form a hand- 

 some head ; if budded, care must be taken by ju- 

 dicious pruning to prevent the young shoots from 

 growing all on one side. 



Great difficulty is often experienced in success- 

 fully grafting the cherry. The operation succeeds 

 best when performed very early in spring, before 

 the buds have swollen. After this period, it is 

 usually attended with failure. 



Budding has also been found difficult. It can only 

 succeed with thrifty, freely growing stocks, at or a 



