264 
CULTURE OF CHERRIES. 
and those planted in the house to the open air, until about a week 
before the recommencement of forcing. 
It has also been found, that very early fruit may he obtained by 
planting trees in pots tilled with a mixture of two years’ old saw¬ 
dust, and a little powdered unburnt lime, and put into the house as 
the others. Of course, the trees treated in this way, are not perma¬ 
nent. 
Diseases and Insects that infest Cherry Trees .—The most com¬ 
mon insect is the black fly, (Aphis Cerasi). Where this occurs 
in houses, it is readily extirpated, by fumigating with tobacco; but 
on the open walls, it often injures the trees, for want of being effec¬ 
tually eradicated. Many kill them with the hand, and then with an 
engine or syringe, the former is the best, wash off the dead insects. 
This diligence repays the gardener, by keeping them from becoming 
so very numerous; but it is necessary to repeat it every week, or the 
trees would be overrun. Others puff snuff at them for days toge¬ 
ther : both these means, if followed up, are a great trouble, and rob 
a gardener of the time he can badly spare at that season. 
Some of the best methods of destroying them, that has come un¬ 
der our notice, are the following. Immediately after pruning in 
winter, make up a mixture of the following ingredients :—Take two 
pounds of soft soap, two pounds of sulphur, two pounds of tobacco, 
and three ounces of Nux Vomic ; put these ingredients in about 
nine gallons of soft water, set it on the fire and keep it simmering 
until it has evaporated upwards of two gallons, then pour it into 
another vessel, clearing it 1'rom any settling of tobacco, and add a 
quarter of a pint of spirits of turpentine: wash every branch over 
with this new milk warm, by means of a painter’s brush, then nail 
the trees, and again work some of it into the nail-holes by means of 
a syringe or engine, till every part both of the tree and wall shall he 
well moistened with it. The black fly rarely appears on trees thus 
treated : the expense is not much, and the trouble of it happens when 
time can be readily spared for the purpose : if, however, they should 
appear at spring, make a mixture of soap and tobacco-water in the 
proportions of one pound of soft soap, or even common soap, to 
ten gallons of tobacco-water; (if the tobacco-water be very strong, 
add tw'o gallons of soft or river water to it.) This mixture must be 
made quite warm, and be used with a syringe or garden engine, just 
after the fruit is set, or at least betwixt that and the stoning season, 
repeat it two or three times, and they will disappear; if the trees be 
washed with soap-suds any time during summer, except when the 
fruit is ripening, it will be of exceeding service. 
