ON FRUIT CULTURE. 



991 



Heart and Bigarreau Cherries are in many varieties so delicious 

 that wall space should be given to a few varieties of proved 

 merit, selecting a South or Western aspect if there is any 

 choice of position. Frogmore Early Bigarreau is a very early, 

 yellowish - red, highly - flavoured variety, ready for use at the 

 end of June on a warm wall. Bigarreau Jaboulay is another 

 very early sort, with reddish-black fruit of delicious flavour. 

 Werder's Black Heart is another grand early Cherry of fine dark 

 colour and rich flavour. Later varieties of fine quality are 

 Bigarreau Napoleon, Bigarreau Monstreuse de Mezel, Late Black 

 Bigarreau, Bigarreau Noir de Schmidt,- Guigne de Winckler, and 

 the new variety named Windsor. All the above are of exquisite 

 flavour, nice colour, and free growers and bearers. 



On soils favourable to Cherry culture bush-trees are very 

 productive, and as they are easily protected from birds by nets;, 

 excellent crops may be obtained without the aid of walls. If 

 the trees are on the Mahaleb stock it is essential to feed the roots 

 liberally when the bushes are bearing good crops of fruit ; this 

 not only maintains the strength of the tree, but it keeps the 

 roots close to the surface, whereas if such is not given the roots 

 travel some considerable distance in search of the plant-food 

 they require, and frequently ran into soil that is injurious to 

 the health of the trees, causing gumming or disease in the wood. 

 When bush-trees are on the Cherry stock it frequently occurs 

 that strong rampant wood is made; and the more this is cut 

 back, the stronger becomes the growth, or else " gumming " sets 

 in. In such cases it is wise to root-prune the trees, performing 

 the work about the middle of October. A trench should be dug 

 some 3ft. or so from the main stem, cutting through strong 

 roots, working out the soil underneath the ball of roots and soil, 

 and cutting through any tap-roots that may be growing straight 

 down into the subsoil. When this is done it is advisable to fill 

 up the cavity made with fresh soil, with which some lime-rubble 

 or bone-meal has been mixed, making the new compost thoroughly 

 firm, and applying a mulch of strawy manure immediately after 

 the operation is completed. In this way a check is given to the 

 gross habit of the tree, and a great formation of fruit-buds is the 

 result. Once get the trees to bear a full crop of fruit and it is 

 seldom that any further root-pruning is necessary, as the fruit will 

 absorb, or rather check, the superabundance of sap and vigour. 



As already stated, the Mqrello and the Duke class of Cherries 

 succeed on the Mahaleb stock, which is adapted for both wall- 

 and bush-trees. A few of the Heart section also answer on the 

 Mahaleb stock, but nearly all other classes, such as the Bigarreau 

 and Kentish kinds, do better on the Cherry stock. All the 

 varieties recommended for wall-trees are equally suited for bush- 

 trees; in fact, the majority of varieties in commerce are answer- 

 able, providing the instructions already given are carried out. 



