256 



THE STONE FRUITS 



Soil. — ^The cherry can be grown on a variety of soils. It 

 probably reaches its highest development on a light, dry, 

 sandy loam or a light clay loam. The som- cherries require 

 plenty of moisture in the soil, but the sweet cherries will 

 grow very successfully on soil too dry for other fruits. The 

 soil should be rich in mineral plant food, but it should not 

 have too much nitrogenous matter in it. A rich, stiff, clay 



Fig. 112. — A sour cherry tree, three years old. (Gould, United States 

 Department of Agriculture.) 



soil, with plenty of nitrogen in it, produces a tree that is 

 rarely ever productive and is usually short-li\'ed, while a 

 poorly drained soil produces practically a worthless tree. 

 The cherry is a heavy feeder and it should be encouraged in 

 growth while young, but too much wood g^o^^•th should be 

 discouraged in the old and bearing trees. 



The subsoil for the cherry should be porous and well- 

 drained. It should be neither a hard clay nor a dry gravel, 



