136 THE ORCHARD AND rRIJIT aARDEK. 



CHAPTEE XXIII. 



CHERRIES. 



A DEEP, mellow, rather sandy loam is the best soil for 

 cherry trees. They will do in almost any tolerably 

 fertile garden soil, if it be not too retentive of moisture. 



Common black cherry stocks may be raised from seed. 

 Keep the stones in sand until February, and then sow in 

 some place which is safe from mice. In the autum-n of 

 the same year they may be planted out, two feet apart. 

 .For dw^arfs, they may be budded the following year; but 

 if they are wanted for standards, they must be allowed to 

 remain until they have attained a sufficient height. The 

 Mahaleb stock is best for dwarf culture, and that is 

 usually obtained by layers ; but I believe cuttings will 

 take. Budding is safer than grafting, in avoiding the 

 danger of escape of gum ; but for dwarfs, grafting 

 makes handsomer plants. 



As cherries do well only with free open space, the 

 stocks, when they are planted out, must be assorted, 

 planting the tall ones for standards, and those of a low 

 grow^th apart from each other, as the dwarfs would not 

 grow w-ell under the drip and shade of the taller. 



The budded young trees should be planted wiiere they 

 are to remain not later than October or November, that 

 they may have time to make fresh roots by the spring. 

 About April, as soon as the tree begins to put out. cut it 

 back to wdthin three or four inches of the place where it 

 was budded, leaving embryo shoots enough to form a 

 good head. If more than four should put out, leave the 

 best, and best-placed four, and rub off the remainder. 

 Let these four grow to their full length, only cutting out 

 superfluous shoots when they grow, to keep the head 

 uniform and handsome. If the heads of young cherry 

 trees are properly attended to the first three or four 

 years, they will seldom get into a bad growth afterwards, 

 but they will require frequent careful lookmg over. 



