232 CHERRIES AND PLUMS 



PROJECTS AND EXERCISES. 



1. Orchard Projects. — Planting and managing an orchard of plums or 

 cherries, or both, may be considered a valuable long-time project. It should 

 include care of soil, pruning and spraying of trees, inter-cropping, fighting 

 borers, harvesting the fruit crop, marketing. Records should be kept of all the 

 steps in the project. 



2. Any point of this project may be pursued for a shorter time, as the care 

 and management of the crops used in inter-cropping, growth of cover crops, 

 fertilizing, cultivation, etc. The entire care and management of the orchard 

 for one entire year would make a good project. 



3. Variety Trials. — With project No. 1 a trial of different varieties may be 

 made to determine which are best for home use or for market in your region. 



4. Orchard Fertilizers. — Make trials with different fertilizers in either 

 young orchards or in older ones. Determine which are best in your soils for 

 producing large growths of young trees, which hasten or delay the ripening of 

 fruit. 



5. Cherry and Plum Surveys. — Repeat the orchard survey suggested at 

 the close of the preceding chapter. Apply it now to plums and cherries. 



6. Blossoming Dates. — Make a list of all the varieties of plums and cherries 

 that are considered successful in your region. Record for each the dates of 

 blossoming and show what varieties could be grown together for pollenizing 

 purposes. 



7. Ripening Dates. — Opposite the names of the different varieties record 

 the first and last ripening dates of fruit for your region. 



QUESTIONS 



1. How are cherries propagated? 



2. Mention varieties of each of the two main types of cherries. 



3. What cherries and plums are grown in your section? 



4. What can you say of the distribution of cherries in America? Of plums? 



(See maps). 



5. Give directions for starting a cherry orchard; plum orchard. 



6. Give instructions regarding the picking of cherries. 



7. What are the three main types of plums? Give examples of each. 



8. Why should mummied fruits be removed from plum trees? 



9. What crops can be used for inter-cropping? 



10. Compare these crops as to suitability for this purpose. 



11. Discuss methods of picking plums. 



12. What are the chief insects affecting the plum? 



13. What are the plum's worst diseases. 



References. — U. S. Farmers' Bulletins: 181, Pruning; 776, Growing 

 Cherries East of the Rocky Mountains; 1053, Control of Cherry Leaf Spot; 

 1096, Prevention of Damage from Frost; 1211, Home Canning. See Waugh's 

 book of Plums and Plum Culture. 



