Diseases

The leaves are liable to be honey-dewed, especially in ill-drained soils; but gumming is the most weakening disease. (See Honey-dew and Ex-travasated sap).

The Aphis cerasi, a black species, and the red spider, sometimes attack the cherry on walls; and a still rarer enemy is described as follows, by Mr. Nai-smith: -

"Our cherry trees, both in the open air and on the natural walls, particularly the tops of the young shoots, are much attacked with a small black insect, provin-cially called the black beetle. The remedy I have found most effectual for their destruction is a mixture of pitch with one-sixteenth part of powdered orpiment; one-sixteenth part of sulphur, dissolved over a slow fire in an earthen pipkin, until they be well incorporated; when cold, divide into small pieces, about the size of a hen's egg, and burn it under the trees with damp straw, directing the smoke as much as possible where the insects are most numerous. In an hour afterwards, (if the state of the fruit will admit,) give the trees a good washing with the garden engine, which generally clears off the half dead beetles, and prevents the spreading of the red spider." - Enc. Gard.

Forcing

Mr. G. Shills, of Erskine House Gardens, says: - "For accelerating the ripening of cherries, I prefer the open flued wall. The cherries setting well without artificial assistance, and ripening in succession from the latter end of April till the latter end of June or beginning of July, and with sufficient rapidity to supply a family with a dish daily during that period. About the middle of February, or when the buds naturally begin to swell, a little fire-heat is supplied in the evening and in dull cloudy weather, kept up during the day; but in bright sunshine the fire is stopped about nine or ten A. M., and set on again about two P. M. This practice is followed until the middle or latter end of May, when the fire-heat is discontinued.

"A little before the expansion of the blossom, which is about the beginning of March, the net is put over the tree, by fixing the upper side of it on nails fastened in the joints of the coping near the edge, and the under side is tied to temporary stakes about three feet in height, placed three feet from the wall. About the middle of April the woollen net or double herring-net, together with the stakes, are taken away, and a single herring-net put close over the tree, to protect the ripening fruit from birds." - Gard. Chron.

The trees are trained in the fan form, with lateral bearing branches of from one to three feet in length, according to their strength, trained in between the principal branches. In all parts of the tree, these are allowed to continue several years. When they become bare of spurs, or inclined to get too luxuriant, they are cut out - young shoots to supply their place being previously pre-pared.