(herr'ies  ; Cvrrantx. 
4') 
o£  the  fruit  and  also  from  their  finer  quality,  are  far  superior 
to  imported  produce.  The  cherry  delights  in  an  open,  free- 
working  soil  with  a well-drained  subsoil,  as  its  roots  penetrate 
the  ground  to  a greater  extent  than  those  of  any  other  fruit 
tree.  Heavy  clay  land  is  not  congenial  to  its  habit.  As  the 
tree  blows  early  it  should  not  be  planted  in  low-lying  valleys. 
The  trees  are  usually  planted  30  ft.  apart,  but  are  often  found 
at  a distance  of  40  ft.  on  favourable  land.  This  wide  planting 
is  a distinct  advantage,  as  sheep  thrive  better  where  the  land 
is  not  completely  shaded,  and  some  varieties  also  have  a 
spreading  nature  and  bear  the  best  fruit  along  the  lower 
branches ; for  this  reason  it  is  preferable  to  graze  sheep  in 
cherry  orchards  rather  than  horned  stock,  as  the  branches  of 
the  trees  have  to  be  cut  up  to  avoid  any  injury  from  the  latter. 
The  tree  responds  freely  to  lavish  dressings  of  manure. 
The  standard  cherry  is  grafted  on  the  Gean,  a wild  s[)ecies, 
which  grows  in  abundance  in  the  west  of  England,  the  stones 
being  bought  up  in  gi-eat  quantities  by  nurserymen  for  planting. 
The  Gean  stock  is  used  for  all  varieties  of  cherries,  although 
the  Mahaleb  is  sometimes  used  as  a dwarfing  stock.  Some 
growers  hold  that  land  planted  with  cherry  trees  should  not  be 
cultivated  for  such  a long  period  as  plums  and  apples,  but  this 
is  a fallacy,  better  growth  being  obtained  if  the  cultivation  is 
prolonged.  A cherry  orchard  of  twenty  years  will  sell  for 
30/.  and  upwards  per  acre  in  favourable  seasons  and  is  a 
valuable  possession,  when  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  this  price  is 
obtaiiied  for  the  fruit  on  the  trees  and  that  the  buyer  ]>ays  for 
})icking,  marketing,  &c.  The  best  varieties  of  cherries  are 
Rivers’s  Early,  Knight’s  Early  Black,  Old  Black  Heart,  Elton 
Heart  on  stiff  soils.  Frogmore,  Early  Bigarreau,  Kentish 
Bigarreau,  Black  Eagle,  Napoleon,  Turkey  Heart,  Tartarian, 
The  New  Noble — which  is  sure  to  make  its  way — and  AVater- 
loo — which  is  late  and  preserves  its  condition  in  rainy  weather 
— are  valuable  sorts.  The  Morello  is  a good  variety  for  walls 
and  is  occasionally  met  with  as  a standard. 
For  preserving,  the  Flemish  Red  is  a grand  cherry,  and 
the  Kentish  Red,  although  smaller,  has  a wonderful  flavour. 
The  Duke  cherries  are  not  much  used  for  orchard  work,  but 
succeed  well  in  pots  or  on  walls.  Cherries  for  market  are 
better  orown  on  the  free  stock. 
O 
Black  Currants. — The  Black  Currant  thrives  in  a deep,  warm 
soil,  and  requires  a considerable  amount  of  moisture  ; it  perishes 
where  the  soil  is  thin  and  shallow.  It  is  propagated  by  cuttings 
