40 THE FRUIT GARDEN 



bitterly cold sometimes. I only mention this to emphasise the fact that in order 

 to secure a heavy crop of fruit a moderately low temperature, with plenty of air, 

 must be maintained until the fruit is formed. Should the flowers have but little 

 pollen, artificial fertilisation must be resorted to when the air of the house is dry, 

 by drawing a rabbit's tail over the blossoms. While the trees are in bloom the 

 temperature should be kept from 48 to 52 degs. Fahrenheit ; after the fruits are 

 formed it may gradually be raised to 55 degs. until the stoning period is over {i.e. 

 when the stones in the fruits have formed), when it may again be raised to 62 or 

 63 degs. ; at this it must afterwards be kept, allowing it to rise 6 or 7 degs. with 

 sun-heat after closing the house. The cherry requires careful watering, dislikes 

 anything approaching a sodden condition at the roots ; at the same time the soil 

 must never be allowed to approach a dust-dry condition, not even in winter. It 

 is always safe to give a good watering with clear water at a temperature of 60 degs. 

 when the house is first closed, and afterwards just as the trees are coming into 

 bloom, and periodically as often as the grower thinks it necessary, say once a 

 fortnight. Weak manure water from the cowyard or stableyard is the best, 

 with an occasional watering with weak guano water ; when the stoning period 

 is over, a slight application of nitrate of soda is invariably attended with good 

 results. 



Diseases. — The only ailments which seriously affect the cherry tree are 

 gumming and canker. The chief cause of the former, in my opinion, is 

 grossness of growth, especially in the young stages of the tree's life, and more 

 often than not gumming is the precursor of canker, although the latter, no 

 doubt, is occasionally caused by other means, such as bruising, careless knife-cuts, 

 and by very severe frosts. When the trees are affected with one or the other 

 of these ailments there is no cure so far as I know. The most effectual pro- 

 ceeding is to cut back the branch to a point near the stem not affected, when a 

 new shoot will usually appear, and so furnish the tree with a substitute in the 

 shape of a healthier and a better branch. The disease of canker is sometimes 

 distributed over a great part of the tree, and the latter may be a large and 

 valuable one, in which case the remedy previously recommended is not appli- 

 cable. The only thing to do in this case is to cut out the affected parts, and to 

 wash the wounds scrupulously clean, using for this purpose a strong solution of 

 soft soap and soda. With careful and timely attention in this way a tree affected 

 will continue to bear heavy crops of fruit for many years. In the case of a 

 young tree where canker may follow gumming, and where gumming is usually 

 caused by luxuriance of growth, the best preventive is to lift and prune 

 the roots on the first appearance of gross shoots ; in all probability the one 

 root-pruning will prove effectual, as it will not only check the luxuriance of 

 growth, but will make the tree more fertile, which of itself is a safe antidote to 

 coarse growth. 



Insect Enemies. — The black fly is the most serious and stubborn enemy 

 we have to contend against in the cultivation of the cherry on walls. Where 

 this has a strong hold on the trees, the first thing to do will be partially to 

 prune the affected shoots by cutting them back 6 or 7 inches ; the insects 

 shelter themselves snugly beneath the leaves at the extremities of the shoots. 



