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Show CHERRIES GROWN EAST OF THE ROCKIES 4.-. WA ! V. , r ' f CHERRY TREES PLANTED TOO CLOSE TOGETHER. (From the United States Department of Agriculture.) Cherry trees are planted at various distances apart, depending upon the topography of the laud, the fertility of the soil, the varietal characteristics of the trees, and the preferences aud conceptions of the individual grower. For most sour varieties 20 by 30 feet is generally accepted as satisfactory. Many who have orchards of trees of considerable age that are planted closer than this concede that they are too near together. Occasionally a grower is found who is convinced that 22 or even 25 feet apart each way gives none too much space for the strong-growing varieties like the Montmorency. Mont-morency. Some of the smaller-growing sorts, such as the English Morello, are sometimes planted 16 or IS feet apart each way with good success. The ill effect of too close planting is suggested in the illustration, which shows a Montmorency orchard about twenty-one years old in which the trees are 14 feet apart each way. The branches interlock, so that spraying is difficult ; they are long, slender aud upright in position, and hence it is difficult to gather a considerable p&rt of the crop. A good many sweet-cherry trees have been planted 20 by 20 feet, but this is admittedly too close. Probably 25 feet each way is the minimum distance dis-tance advisable for sweet cherries, while not a few growers prefer from 2S to 32 feet each way, in the conviction convic-tion that in the end the greater amount of space is more satisfactory. East of the Itocky mountains commercial com-mercial plantings of sweet cherries have been made almost invariably iu connection with sour varieties, and with few exceptions comprise but a very small proportion of the orchards in which they occur. It is therefore a matter of convenience to space the trees of the sweet varieties the same as the sour sorts; but because of the much larger size attained by the former for-mer more space should be given them wherever possible. The details of planting the trees, so far as placing them In the ground Is concerned, do not differ from those usually followed with apples, peaches, or other fruit trees commonly planted In the sections where cherries are grown. In preparing a tree for planting, all mutilated or injured portions of the roots should be trimmed off and long, slender roots, If they occur, cut off to correspond with the length of the main roots. In handling the trees every precaution precau-tion should be taken to prevent the roots from becoming dry. Undue exposure expo-sure during the period that elapses between be-tween the trimming and the planting of the trees will injure them. This danger can be eliminated largely by puddling the roots as soon as trimmed. This consists in dipping them iu a puddle of clay. The puddle should be of such consistency that a thin layer of mud will adhere to the roots when dipped into it. Such n coating of mud will afford considerable protection, though eveu with this treatment the exposure of the roots to sun and wind should be reduced to a minimum at all times. In planting the trees after they have been prepared as above suggested, several very important precautions must be observed if the desired success suc-cess Is to be realized. Iu filing the hole after a tree has been put into position and properly aligned only finely pulverized soil should be used. In this part of the operation much care should be taken to work the soil In closely about the roots. This may be done to some extent with the fingers. Moving the tree up and down very slightly as the hole is being filled will also materially help to settle the soil among the roots. As the filling progresses the soil should be firmly tamped about the roots, and when completed the hole should be filled even with the surface. Pruning at the Time of Planting. Wide differences exist In the manner man-ner of pruning and forming the tops of the trees at planting time, though they may be grouped into two general methods: (1) Forming the top with Cree to five or six main framework branches of equal importance. an(T (2) forming the top with a contra! leader and with several secondary" branches which radiate from it. A. practice followed by not a few is to plant the tree without shaping the icf--and with little or no heading back the branches or other pruning. This-practice This-practice calls for no comment otber than a statement of disapproval. The method most widely used s where the top is formed of sovcraS main frame or scaffold branches. Thi method properly followed produces r tree with an "open center." Tillage and Soil Fertility. As a rule, commercial cherry orchards or-chards are given clean tillage ilurius-the ilurius-the growing season, or until about the-middle the-middle of July. The principal exception excep-tion to this practice is whore au, orchard or-chard in a high state of cultivation is. seeded to clover or some other suitable suit-able crop and maintained for a spason-j or two on a sod-mv.'"'; basis. The tillage of orchards cu:.r"t hL-governed hL-governed by arbitrary rules. In gvn-eral gvn-eral it may be said that good til'.ags for a peach orchard would be likewise: good tillage for a cherry orchard. Tht object is to conserve moisture t." maintaining a finely pulverized surfti.ee--mulch of soil until midseason. If tl tillage which an orchard receives e complishes this in full measure, other important results that have to do wflfc: the fertility of the soil will gencrufly follow. Where the fruit is picked by the middle of July, at least one cuiti-.-vation after the harvest may be desire able. j Cover crops are used extensively in most important cherry-producing sec- lions. These are generally put in sS the last cultivation, whether that. x- curs before or after the fruit- iV picked. Vetch and red clover are ticr leguminous crops most commonlj-used commonlj-used in cherry orchards. Soy beurw; have been tried in a few orchards Sw. Michigan and New York with KootV: results. Eye, buckwheat, rape tmvi cow-horn turnips nre t lie most caramon cara-mon nonleguminous cover crops, SIu-flrst SIu-flrst two being used the most extensively. exten-sively. Several of these crops, particularly par-ticularly vetch and buckwheat, an? so handled each year by some growers a-to a-to mature sufliclent seed for tlivit-cover-crop needs (he following yen.-. An inquiry often received at tlit United States department of agricuf-ture agricuf-ture is "What fertilizers are good fot-cherries?" fot-cherries?" To this question no sp?-cific sp?-cific answer can be made. In practice, prac-tice, cherry growers find that It paysr. to feed their trees fairly liberally. The principles of tillage, the maintenance main-tenance of soil fertility, Including the-use the-use of cover crops and rates of wmmV-ing, wmmV-ing, and suggestions about the cs !;' fertilizers are discussed more i- tie-tail tie-tail in Fanners' Bulletin C'iT, it., which the reader is referred iu tUv present connection. Interplanted Crops. A fruit grower naturally desim-w some return from the land necur.'iwL by an orchard during the nonproductive nonproduc-tive period of the trees where it flit , be secured without detriment to tlicm. The most satisfactory crops to intci"-plant intci"-plant are those which need the miw general tillage as the trees, which U- not compete too heavily for inolsturv-. and for which there is a good market. mar-ket. Beans, peas, tomatoes, and tiller till-er vegetables of like cultural requirements require-ments are examples of the least !-jeetionable !-jeetionable unless the greed of tin-grower tin-grower Impels him to plant it too c).o to the trees. Potatoes are doul.trul. In some sections at least, since digging dig-ging them in the autumn might t-equivalent t-equivalent to a late cultivation, resulting result-ing in the stimulation of tree activities activi-ties at an undesirable time. All small grains are seriously vm-Jeetionablo, vm-Jeetionablo, as they permit no tiAasc. . Strawberries In bearing are not usually usual-ly cultivated until after the fruit is picked. Their fruiting period Is during dur-ing the time when tillage is of tin greatest importance to the rfierrj-trees. rfierrj-trees. Though raspberries and MucV-berries MucV-berries admit of and require much th same tillage ns cherries, their diMiiand. upon the soil moisture are s gr-u5 that fruit trees frequently suffer seriously seri-ously in competition with them, aaC-. their use In orchards is not adTisdL |