THE COUNTRY HOME [CHAPTER 
bors to plant, and in time you will find that the 
birds are so distributed as not to make a very 
serious factor in cherry consumption. 
The old English Morello can be obtained almost 
anywhere on its own roots. It should be planted 
when quite small, as it begins to bear when two or 
three years old, and at five years is a heavy cropper. 
Gradually thin out the top, and slightly raise the 
limbs, until the tree is twelve or more feet in di- 
ameter. I have picked sixty quarts from a well 
grown tree. Sold at ten cents a quart, this is six 
dollars for a very small space of ground — eaten, it 
is lots of comfort for the same space. Cherry pie 
and cherry rolls have been unanimously voted good 
enough for the folk at home. When protected 
from the birds, as I shall describe elsewhere, and 
thoroughly ripened, the so-called sour cherry is 
nearly sweet, and the mild acid is very wholesome. 
The May Duke is one of the finest trees, and one 
of the noblest cherries on the list. It is as good 
for the table as for the kitchen. It is not quite as 
hardy to resist frost as the Morello type, but gener- 
ally comes through all right, as far north as central 
New York and Boston. The Dyehouse is even 
earlier than the Richmond, and is a sure cropper 
[ 128 ] 
