70 Ibays to Sprout Pits. 
which will be described. The cherry is grown from pits of two 
wild varieties; one is commonly called the "Black Mazzard.” 
It is the common wild cherry of the East, and is the original 
type of what are known as the Heart and Bigarreau types of 
cherries. The other is the ‘Mahaleb,” which is used at the 
East for dwarfing, and also in situations where it thrives better 
than the Mazzard, as it is hardier stock. In this State the 
Mahaleb does not seem to have such a dwarfing effect as there; 
trees on that stock in this State over twenty-five years old are 
twenty-five inches in diameter of trunk. The Mahaleb, how- 
ever, ripens its wood earlier, and for this reason may be valuabie 
in the colder parts of the State. The Mazzard is, however, 
almost universally used in California. Cherry stones are some- 
times taken from the fully-ripened fruit, dried for two or three 
days, the stones cracked carefully and planted at once in good 
soil and kept properly moist. They will germinate soon and 
make a growth of a foot or so the first season. Such stocks 
are taken up for grafting in the winter and set out in nursery 
row the next spring. A better way of treating cherry is that 
given by W. W. Smith, of Vacaville:— 
The fruit of the Mazzard should be allowed to get perfectly ripe on the 
tree, then gathered and let lie in a heap for three or four days, so that they 
may be partially or wholly freed from the pulp by washing them in water. 
They should then be spread out in the shade and stirred frequently for 
about twenty-four hours. This will give the outside of the pit time to dry 
sufficiently to prevent molding, while the kernel itself will remain fresh and 
green. They should then he placed in moist (not wet) sand and kept so 
until the rains set in in the fall, when they can be planted in drills, in good, 
rich, mellow soil prepared the previous spring and kept clean of weeds 
through the summer, ready for the purpose. They should never be allowed 
to get perfectly dry; and the reason for it is that we have but little or no 
freezing and thawing weather in this country to cause the pits to open; but 
if they are kept constantly moist it answers the same purpose as freezing. 
The seeds of the Mahaleb cherry will sprout with less difficulty, but the 
same rules for keeping the Mazzards will apply to them. 
The Larger Stone Fruits—In handling pits of the larger 
stone fruits, apricot, peach, plum, etc., the chief requisite is 
to prevent drying and great hardening of the pit. Some plant 
in the fall and trust to natural conditions to start the seedling in 
the spring, but this interferes with the cultivation of the ground, 
and leaves the seedling to grow in soil which has perhaps been 
puddled by heavy winter rains. There must also be much 
hand work done to clear the rows from weeds. It is much better 
‘to keep the pits from drying by covering with sand moderately 
moist, hasten the sprouting by appropriate treatment towards 
spring, and then plant out in thoroughly prepared soil, and they 
will make a satisfactory growth. The following method, by D. 
J. Parmele, of Vacaville, has given good results:— - 
