Diseases of the Cherry. 223 
at wide angles seldom gum: those which are crowded together 
or emerge at acute angles gum badly. In shaping young trees 
a gumming joint sometimes may be clearly cut out and those 
branches selected to remain which start out more nearly at a 
right angle; in older trees there is nothing to do but keep the 
fork clean, as already described. 
There are cases reported in which gumming of old trees 
has been stopped by allowing the ground to lie uncultivated, 
weeds being cut down with the hoe. Some trees which per- 
sisted in making rank wood growth, and bearing no fruit, have 
been made fruitful by the same treatment. As a rule, however, 
the cherry thrives with good cultivation. 
Die-back of the Cherry.—The dying back of cherry branches 
is more or less common in all regions, and the immediate cause 
thereof is not known. It is apparently sometimes a root trouble, 
as is the dying back of other fruit trees. This might have re- 
sulted from standing water in the winter in the soil, although 
the same condition may result from lack of sufficient moisture. 
Anything which causes destruction of the root hairs 1s apt to 
cause die-back and other forms of unthrift in the top. Early 
vegetative activity in the branch, followed by frost, seems also 
to occasion die-back in some cases. Fortunately, this can occur 
without injury to the rest of the tree, though it is sometimes 
and in some places destructive to the tree in the end. The only 
treatment is removal of the affected wood, and if this can be 
done during the growing season, as soon as signs of injury ap- 
pear, it is all the better. 
The Gopher.—One of the most dangerous foes of the cherry 
is the gopher, for he seldom takes less than the whole tree, 
young or old. Traces of his presence should be constantly 
watched for, and killing methods described in a later chapter 
adopted. If a tree is seen to wilt suddenly, the probability is 
that a gopher has girdled it. Covering the wound sometimes 
saves the tree, but not usually. 
Insects injuring the cherry will be mentioned in a subsequent 
chapter. 
VARIETIES OF THE CHERRY. 
Many varieties of the cherry have been tested in this State, 
and many have been abandoned from one cause or another. 
Those most frequently starred in our table are the survivors in 
public esteem. As our reports have come from those who grow 
for market, possibly some sorts too tender for shipment, but 
excellent for family use, are omitted, but will be included in the 
descriptions which follow the table. The claims to value upon 
which a variety is judged are several: Extra earliness, an im- 
‘portant consideration in early districts for shipment, and else- 
