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23 



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LETTER SIXTH. 



ON THE CHERRY. 



the 



rather 



I 



The cherry is the earliest of our fruits, com- 

 mencing to ripen early in June, and continuing 

 in season during that month and July ; some va- 

 rieties even ripening as late as August and Sep- 

 tember. Its delicious flavor, usefulness, and 

 healthfulness will always make it a popular 

 fruit. Unfortunately, the climate of a large por- 

 tion of Canada is too rigorous for the finer va- 

 rieties — the I . rt and Bigarreau cherries — to 

 thrive. The varieties of the Morello, and per- 

 haps a few of the Duke cherries, are the only 

 ones that succeed in Lower Canada. 



A large portion of Upper Canada, more especi- 

 ally along the shores of Lakes Ontario, Erie, St. 

 Clair, and a part of Huron, and the rivers flow- 

 ing into them, is well suited for the culture of 

 all of the varieties. There is no reason why 

 the more favored parts should not cultivate suf- 

 ficient to supply the rest of Canada. The prin- 

 cipal drawback to this has been the ravages of 

 ' the birds, from which in many places it is almost 

 I impossible to save the fruit. The only remedy 

 I for this is to plant plenty of trees, so as to have 

 j abundance of fruit for both the birds and your- 

 self; for it is a barbarous mode to try and 

 save cherries by destroying birds, as they 

 are of far greater benefit on account of the 

 immense numoer of insects they devour than 

 the fruit they destroy. The only exception to this 

 is the cedar bird or waxwing, commonly called 

 the cherry bird, which does not come from the 

 south, in general, till the cherry begins to ripen, 

 and leaves again when the difierent kinds of 

 fruit it likes are past. This bird never eats in- 

 sects (at any rate, as long as it can get fruit, 

 notwithstanding some accounts tr. the contrary 

 written by partial observers), k^ut will devour 

 an enormous quantity of fruit in a day, being 

 literally a glutton. 



No tree grows faster or ':% more symmetrical or 

 ornamental than the Heart or Bigarreau cherry. 

 If it were planted in rows along the road-sides in 

 the fence corners, as in Germany, and even as 

 the U. E. Loyalists from Pennsylvania, who 

 early settled in Western Canada, did with the 

 Kentish and Morello cherries in many places, we 

 would have plenty and to spare, besides refreshing 

 the weary traveller. I asked a friend who had al- 

 ways plenty of the finest cherries, both for him- 

 self and market, how he preserved them from the 



birds as I could save none of mine. He said 

 he had planted along the fence near his wood-lot 

 a long row of the common Kentish, and the birds 

 never came to the garden near his house to eat 

 the others till these were done. 



The birds are nearly as fond of the berries of 

 the upright Tartarian honeysuckle, ripening at the 

 same time as the cherry, which is perfectly hardy 

 and makes the handsomest ornamental hedge of 

 any shrub. If used more for hedges, in cemeteries, 

 on lawns, and as screens, the fruit would supply 

 a great number of birds, and consequently, in a 

 measure, stvve the cherries. 



The cherry requires a light loamy, or gravelly 

 soil; but it will also do on any good soil that is 

 dry, or in which there is not stagnant water in 

 the subsoil. Where that is present, the land 

 must be drained before planting. It requires 

 very little pruning, in fact after the head is once 

 properly formed, it only requires some of the 

 small wood in the centre of the tree to be thinned 

 out, or such branches as cross and bruise one 

 another removed. 



Cherries may be devided into three classes, first 

 the Heart and Bigarreau, \yhich are virtually 

 the same in growth and appearance of the fruit ; 

 and, though one is tender-fleshed, and the other 

 more solid, there is not much distinction be- 

 tween them. The other classes are more dis- 

 tinct, viz., the Duke Cherries, which are of 

 slower growth than the Heart, and make smaller 

 trees, besides being more hardy, and the Morello, 

 which are quite distinct in their growth, having 

 slender and pendulous twigs or branches, and 

 are perfectly hardy. 



The following list combines a sufficient num- 

 ber of the best in each of these classes for all 

 practical purposes of cultivation ; — 



CLASS I. — HEART AND BIOARRBAU CIIEURIKS. 



*• 



Early purple Guigne. — This is the earliest 

 cherry, ripening the first week in June, when it 

 is purplish red, and sweet, but, if allowed to 

 hang a week longer, will nearly double in size, 

 becoming black and delicious. Tree hardy. 



Belle d' Orleans. — This comes next in succes- 

 sion ; larger than the former, pale red, tender 

 exceedingly sweet and excellent. 



KnigMs Early Black — Resembles the black 

 Tartarian, but ripens a week earlier ; large, black ; 



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