APKIL. 



.07 



CHERRIES UNDER GLASS. 



I am a great lover of birds and also of Cherries ; but, in the last-mentioned, live item, 

 the birds beat rue hollow, for I seldom or never see one ripe on my standard trees in the open 

 air, and if I protect my dwarf bushes with nets, the blackbirds and missel thrushes tear them 

 open with their strong claws, and chatter defiance when I approach them. I began quite to 

 yearn for ripe Cherries and to cast about how I should procure them, when tho orchard- 

 house culture of them occurred to me. I therefore consulted our oracle, and built a small 

 span-roofed house, 25 feet by 14, 9 feet high to the ridge, and 5 feet high at sides. As it is 

 not in an ornamental part of my garden, I had the sides and ends made of three-quarter-inch 

 boards, with a shutter on hinges a foot wide on each side. I made a path 3 feet wide along 

 the centre, and planted on each side of it a row of nice pyramids of tho compact-growing 

 varieties, such as the May Duke, Archduke, Duchesse dePalluau, Empress Eugenie, Heine 

 Hortense, Nouvelle Eoyale, Eoyal Duke, and Coe's Carnation, all budded on the Mahaleb stock 

 and planted about 2 feet 3 inches apart. Behind them, next to the sides, 1 placed some low 

 pyramids and bushes of the Bigarreau and Heart Cherries budded on the common Cherry- 

 stock ; and, as these Cherries are all vigorous growers when planted out, I had them potted 

 in 13-inch pots in some light sandy loam and manure from an old hotbed, two-thirds of the 

 former to one of the latter, w r ell rammed dowm, so thaj the surface of the earth was quite 

 hard. On this hard surface I placed in March some manure 2 inches thick. My success last 

 summer (1861) was quite refreshing, for the very few Cherries on my trees in the open air 

 were quickly despatched by my singing friends, the blackbirds and thrushes ; but my house 

 full of fine ripe fruit was effectually " tabooed " in this way. As soon as my Cherries began 

 to colour — I e., when boys gobble them down, declaring they are ripe— I had the shutters 

 opened and some iron wire netting, with meshes about an inch in diameter, placed over the 

 apertures occupied by the shutters when closed. This was nailed firmly inside to the sides of 

 the house, so as effectually to resist the fingers of boys and the claws of birds. By placing 

 it inside, it does not hinder the shutters being closed when the house requires fumigation, 

 which with Cherries, so liable as they are to be infested with black aphis, is frequently 

 necessary. This is one. of the reasons why I recommend Cherries to be cultivated in small 

 houses appropriated to them only, rather than in large houses with other orchard-house trees. 

 Another reason is, that they require less syringing than Peaches and Nectarines, for a tho- 

 rough syringing once a-week before 8 A.M. during the growing season will keep the leaves 

 and fruit free from dust, and as soon as the latter commences to colour this may be dis- 

 continued, or the large and fine sorts, such as the Elton, Bigarreau, and others, are apt to 

 crack. Cherries while ripening delight in a dry warm atmosphere, such as they rarely have 

 m England in the open air, but which in an orchard-house exists in perfection. 



In the commencement of this article, I have named such compact-growing sorts as may 

 be cultivated as pyramids and planted out on each side of the central path. I will now 

 point out some varieties which succeed best when grafted on the common Cherry-stock and 

 which are of too vigorous habits to be planted out in a small house, but which may be cul- 

 tivated with great success in 13 -inch pots. 



Jjrx ,, Tne m » st select of this class are the Elton, Downton, Bigarreau, Black Tartarian, Belle 

 d Orleans Early Purple Guigne, Florence, Knight's Early Black, Bigarreau Napoleon, 

 Governor Wood, an American sort, and some of the French Guigne Cherries which do not 

 succeed well m the open air in England, such as the Guigne Grosse Noire, Guiane Grosse 

 Rouge, Guigne Eouge Tardive Guigne Marbree Precoce, Guigne Marguerite, and some 

 others. _ The Late Duke and Morello should not be omitted, for if kept from wasps by the 

 trees being enclosed m bags of tiffany, they may be had in perfection till late in October. 



All Cherries under glass, whether planted out or in pots, must be under one system of 

 pruning or rather pinching, for as soon as a young shoot has made five or six leaves its ton 

 should be pinched or cut off to three full-sized leaves, not counting two or three at the base, 

 which are generally small and without buds in their axils. This pinching process must be 

 continued all through the summer till the trees cease to make young shoots. My Cherries 



SKS^ATf^ r (1 i 61) s r ethin S lowing order :-The 7 Empress 



Eugenie was the first to show colour, followed closely by May Duke ; but the first that 

 ripened were the Early Purple Guigne and Belle d'Orleans, and this was the first week in 

 June, or thereabouts. The latter kind is remarkable for its sweetness; but it is not so 

 piquant as the former. _ Empress Eugenie is much like the May Duke-not quite so rich- 

 A™'™^ t i ? ^ m # ei8 £* t^^f* ^ is valuable, and it bears abundantly! 



Among early kinds Knight's Early Black takes a high rank, and that very old and rather 

 acid small Cherry the Early May, is really worthy of a pot, for it ripens very early and in - 

 a sunny season m May, thus lomg justice to its name. The Elton is remarkable for its 



£ ^TS ° f - tS flE T r W ? e - n gr0Wn ^ 8 lass I and tte Florence, wTi s 

 very firm flesh, when fully ripe in August, is excellent. I need not, however, particularise 



