THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



277 



thought best for Cherries ; with the Mahaleb and 

 other dwarfing stocks, lighter soils have been intro- 

 duced. Still, a sweet, fibrous, unctuous, hazel loam, 

 with considerable staying or holding quality, is the 

 best for Cherries. The Cherry being a deep and 

 rather gross rooter, the border should be thirty 

 inches or three feet deep. 



The chief places for growing Cherries are orchards, 

 parks, plantations, gardens, walls of gardens, and 

 outhouses. In Cherry orchards the Cherries have, 

 as a rule, all the ground to themselves. Nothing 

 can exceed these in beauty, nor in profit in good 

 seasons. In good orchards the distance apart may 

 have a range as wide as from fifteen to fifty feet be- 

 tween the rows, and about half these distances from 

 tree to tree in the rows. For the distance apart of 

 pyramid bushes, espaliers, cordons, &c, see Apples 

 and Pears. 



As to the furnishing of walls, it is a good plan to 

 plant Cherries on every available aspect. This sim- 

 ple plan extends the Cherry season at both ends. Of 

 course, the more acid Kentish and Morello Cherries 

 will be placed on east and north walls. These not 

 not only ripen later and keep better on such, but 

 are also of superior quality when grown in the 

 shade. 



Training of the Cherry.— Orchard Cherries, 

 whether as standards or dwarfs, need but little 

 training, and that of the same sort as described for 

 Apples and Pears, of similar character. For walls 

 and espaliers, there are but two forms and modifica- 

 tions of them practicable — that is, the fan and the 

 horizontal, the former being far the best as a rule. 



The training of most varieties of Cherry need not 

 differ greatly from that of the Apple and Pear. 

 Kentish and Morello Cherries on walls and espa- 

 liers, or in any form, should, however, be trained 

 and pruned more like the Peach. 



These varieties bear less on spurs than on the 

 young wood of the past year, and the mode of 

 training adopted must be such as to make ample 

 provision of such wood, not only to replace that 

 older and more exhausted, but to yield a full supply 

 of fruit every year. But the best Geans, Dukes, 

 and Bigarreaus may be moulded into pyramids, 

 suppressed into dwarf bushes or cordons at will. 

 Though the Morello does not take kindly to the 

 cordon style, it forms model dwarfs of a semi- 

 weeping character, about four feet high, and as much 

 through. For such trees own-root Morellos raised 

 from layers are to be preferred. 



Pruning. — See that of Apples, Pears, and 

 Peaches. The pinching and pruning should, how- 

 ever, be less severe for Cherries than for either of the 



others. The Cherry may be said to hate the knife, 

 and after it is fairly started in the orchard, and the 

 leading shoots are properly laid, prune not at all 

 if you would gather Cherries year after year by 

 sackfuls. 



General Cultivation. — The precociousness of 

 the flowering renders some protection to the bloom 

 quite essential to success in many localities. Much 

 may, however, be done to retard the blooming of 

 the finer varieties, by planting them on east or 

 north walls, and also by planting choice late cor- 

 don Cherries in the open, instead of, or in addition 

 to, the same varieties on south or west walls or 

 fences. However, a few boughs or some netting are 

 well employed in protecting Cherry bloom from 

 spring frosts. 



Cherries, in dry localities, often suffer severely 

 from dryness at the roots. Where the borders are 

 well drained, no fruit-tree derives more benefit from 

 floodings of sewage, or other liquids, than Cherries. 

 Overhead watering, in the evening^ also preserves 

 the health of the trees, and greatly adds to the size 

 of the fruit, and prevents fruit- splitting, which mostly 

 results from heavy rains on the heels of drought. 

 In good Cherry years, when the trees are heavily 

 laden, heavy mulchings of manure or rich compost 

 are of much service to the perfecting of the crop, 

 and the preservation of the vigour of the trees. 



Top-pruning has already been adverted to. As to 

 root-pruning Cherries, unless absolutely necessary, 

 the advice, Don't do it, is the best that can be given. 

 Cherry-roots as well as tops are prone to gum and 

 canker, if subject to anything like the amount of 

 interference that may prove useful for Pears or 

 Apples. Also all ties and shreds in nailing must 

 be left sufficiently loose, so as not to cut into the 

 wood on any account, else will gum and mildew be 

 quickly developed. 



The Thinning of the Crop.— This is, of 

 course, impracticable on orchard trees, but is easily 

 managed on smaller trees or on walls. It needs 

 judgment and care, and only the experienced grower 

 can tell what fruit to thin off, at the early period 

 when alone thinning is useful to prevent the trees 

 throwing off the bulk of the crop, as they not 

 seldom do. 



Protecting and Gathering the Fruit. — 



Where birds abound, the Cherries must be safely 

 netted before they begin to turn, as if deferred till 

 the fruit are ripe, there will be few or none to 

 protect. With the exception of Morello Cherries, 

 which improve by hanging on the trees for a month 

 or two after they are ripe, all other Cherries should 

 be gathered and eaten the moment they are ripe. 



