xt7zcr5nbh4n https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7zcr5nbh4n/data/mets.xml   Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station. 1936 journals kaes_circulars_267_02 English Lexington : The Service, 1913-1958. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station Circular (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n. 267 text Circular (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n. 267 1936 2014 true xt7zcr5nbh4n section xt7zcr5nbh4n a
University of Kentucky——COIIege of Agriculture
EXTENSION DIVISION
THOMAS P. COOPER, Dean and Director
Circular No. 267 (Revised) March, 1936
Published in connection with the agricultural extension work carried
on by cooperation of the College of Agriculture, University of Kentucky,
with the U. S. Department of Agriculture, and distributed in further-
ance of the work provided for in the Act of Congress of May S, 1914.
 
CHERRIES FOR KENTUCKY
By C. S. WALTMAN
The cherry has been one of the most satisfactory fruits grown
iu the yard or garden in Kentucky and the trees around homes have
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$IIDDli€d the needs of the community. During recent years, how-
ever, 3 marked decline in production of cherries occurred. The de-

 {
2 Ifentucky Em2‘eoz.s{0n Circular N0. 267
cline in cherry trees in Kentucky came largely because adequate
control measures against cherry leaf spot were not practiced. Leaf
spot is a disease which causes the leaves to turn yellow and fall during
July and August and trees may be severely weakened or killed by
the trouble if they are not properly sprayed. The cherry grows and
produces as well as any of the other fruits that are commonly grown
in Kentucky, but if satisfactory returns are to be had, attention must
be given to the operations of spraying, fertilizing and pruning. It
requires 6 to 8 years after a tree is planted before a sizable crop
will be produced and in view of the declining numbe1· of trees in the
. state and the reduction of the crop that has occurred, cherry growing
should be revived.
WINTER INJURY
Cherries differ considerably in their ability to withstand winter
cold and spring frosts. ln general the sweet cherry is more sus-
ceptible to injury than the sour. The experience in Kentucky has
been that the sour varieties are much more satisfactory than the
sweet, and that the trees live longer. Late winter or early spring
killing of the fruit buds is the most common injury. The sweet cherry
especially is subject to this trouble because the buds are tender and
bloom early. Sour cherries bloom later than the sweet and tho their
f1·uit buds, in certain stages of development, are easily injured, usual-
ly they produce some fruit every year, if favorably located.
SITE
To avoid conditions favo1·able to injury from frost a site shoulrl `
be chosen more elevated than the surrounding area. This provides `
air drainage. The temperature difference provided by an elevation
of only 20 feet may determine the success of an orchard. For the
small home orchard or for backyard trees little attention can he
given to the choice of a site. Under all conditions low-lying areas ·
l where cold air collects should be avoided.
SOIL ‘
The ideal soil for cherries is a deep, fertile, well—drained lonni. ‘
Good drainage is essential, and deep rooting is one of the prerequisites ‘
to heavy production and long life of the trees. Sour cherries are more ‘
tolerant of adverse soil conditions than the sweet, but for either kind
the lighter soils are preferable to the heavy and usually poorly drained l
clays. I

 Cherries for Kentucky 3
wie VARIETIES
  SourOl1eM‘*ieS. The Montmorency is the most important va-
1 bg, riety. Early Richmond is grown because of its early ripening. Both
aug, varieties are self fertile and bear when planted alone.
`OWN Sweet Cherrie.s·. Black Tartarian, Governor Wood, Yellow Span-
mm ish, Napoleon (Royal Ann), Schmidt and Windsor a1·e the principal
- It varieties. Most varieties are self sterile, hence at least two and
CEP preferably three should be planted together to insure pollination.
ie
ying Duke Cherries. The Dukes are hybrids of the sweet and sour
cherry a11d the tree and fruit usually are intermediate in character.
The May Duke is the most important variety. The Dukes should be
planted with either sweet or sour varieties to insure pollination.
nter
sus- PLANTING
has In general, 2—year—0ld trees are more commonly used than 1-year-
Fhe old, but if 1-year-old, vigorous trees can be purchased their cost is
img usually less. Regardless of where the trees are purchased it is
my economy to get only the best nursery stock. Planting in late Novem-
wil ber or early December is recommended for Kentucky. A better stand
WIT and more growth the first season generally results from fall»set trees.
uu Planting distances va1·y with different varieties and soils. In
general, sour varieties and Dukes should be set 25x25 feet. Sweet
` varieties g1·ow larger and should be spaced about 30 feet apart. In
setting the trees ordinary care should be used. Neither fertilizer
um 1101* manure should be mixed with the soil that is placed in the hole
des around the tree.
io11
the STOCKS
he Two different stocks are in use in the propagation of the cherry.
935 These are the Mazzard and Mahaleb. Both sweet and sour varieties
may be grown on either of these stocks. Experimental work done
in other states, particularly in New York and Tennessee, indicates
that the Mazzard stock is more satisfactory for both sweet and sour
varieties. The results show that the trees grow larger, live longer,
.111. and bear heavier crops when grown on Mazzard than on Mahaleb
tes stocks. The Mahaleb stocks grow satisfactorily on a wider range
yre of soils and withstand extremes of temperature better than Mazzards.
ntl The cost of trees grown on Mazzard roots is somewhat greater
ed because the Mazzard seedlings are more susceptible to leaf spot than
the Mahalebs and consequently more careful attention to spraying

 4 Kentucky Eaztensicn Circular N0. 267
has to be given. After the trees have been budded and the desired the
variety is growing on Mazzard roots there is no reason for believing ferti
that leaf spot should then be more serious than if the trees were on the:
Mahaleb roots. tion
The experimental work in Kentucky with sour varieties on Maz- tree:
zard stocks has not progressed far enough so that definite recom. For
mendations can be given as to the better one to use. The experience is D
of those growers who have found their trees short—1ived, in spite of the
fact that they have sprayed carefully and have controlled leaf spot,
seems to indicate that the short life of the trees often was due to the
· stocks upon which they were growing. is d(
the
CULTURE AND FERTILIZATION Old}
in Kentucky, where the growing season is long, cherry trees thrive back
better than most other tree fruits, in sod. However, because of their mlm
habit of producing part of their fruit on shoots of the past seasou’s Sm]
growth in addition to the amount formed on spurs, an abundant supply then
of available nitrogen in the soil is important. Most of the successful Sm
commercial cherry orcha1·ds are cultivated and the application of gm"
nitrogen fertilizers usually is profitable. lf trees are growing in sod md
the use of nitrogen fertilizers is required for maximum crops and
good fruit size. For sod management a legume crop such as clover, mus
alfalfa, sweet clover or lespedeza is preferred to bluegrass. If blue- bm]
grass or weeds crowd out the legume it is considered best to break mm
the sod and reseed. {lie
When cultivation is practiced the land should be plowed i11 the  
spring, before the cherries bloom. Early plowing enables soil to warm mea
up more rapidly. Cultivation should be continued thru the early is at
summer and a quick-growing cover crop as oats, buckwheat or sob'- kept
beans should be sown soon after the fruit has been harvested. Cultivfl- can
tion is desirable because the trees make a heavy demand upon the soil hem
for moisture and nutrients thru the early summer. The processes of
. blooming, fruit setting, fruit—bud formation, vegetative growth and is ZL
even the ripening of f1·uit all take place within eight to ten week§ a M
and competition from cover crop during this period may have a d€'t1`1· com
mental effect upon the trees. The best cover crop is one which D1`? me
duces much green material to serve as a soil cover and add orgillllc bum
matter when turned under. If the vegetation is not sufficient to pre-
vent soil washing during the winter, rye or barley may be sown about
September 1.
Either nitrate of soda or sulfate of ammonia may be used to
flll`lllSh additional nitrogen. The material should be scattevéd Ou hill
the surface of the ground underneath and a short distance b9>’0Hd my

 Cherries for Kentucky 5
sired the drip of the bI‘9.I1CheS. There is H0 need of placing any of the
wing fertilizer close to the trunk. The application should be made in
·e on the spring, a week or ten days before the blossoms open. The condi-
tion of the trees and soil determines the amount to use. For young
MM mes not yet in bearing one-half to one pound per tree is sufficient.
com rm- large, bearing trees three to six -pounds for each tree usually
ence is proiitable. If barnyard manure is available it serves excellently.
E the
spot, PRUNING AND TRAINING
) the Proper pruning at the time of setting the tree is important. This
is done principally to balance the evaporating surface of the top with
the relatively small absorbing area of the root system. If one-year-
oltl trees have been used they are straight whips and should be headed
[mg back to a height of 24 to 36 inches. Two-year-old trees which have
{heh. numerous side branches should have all but three to five of the
,OH·S strongest and best distributed ones removed. Those remaining should
ppl}, then be headed back to a distance of one-third to one—half their length.
Mui Sour cherry trees are trained to an open center, while the natural
1 of growing habit of the sweet cherry makes it suited to the central
sod leader type of tree.
and Heavy pruning while the trees are young is objectionable be-
,v€1.y cause it stunts the growth and delays bearing. After trees have
mw borne for several years, however, they decrease in vigor and un-
pak lil`llll€Many fruits een- mai
tinue to increase in color and in flavor after liarvesting, but eher. che
ries do not. For this reason it is distinctly advantageous to leave Aut
them on the trees until fully ripe. Unless the fruit is to be used fuse
immediately for canning, it should be picked with stems attaeiwa grin
Wl1e11 the stems are pulled from the fruit the tissues are broken and
molds and rots develop quickly. me
on :
DISEASES* Che]
Leaf Spot. Cherry leaf spot is the chief limiting factor to Sw]
' cherry production in southe1·n States. The seriousness of this dig. SWG
ease cannot be overemphasized because, if it is not controlled, the
trees are short-lived. The disease lives over winter in old leaves fre,]
on the ground and the first infections come on the new foliage early wm
in the summer. The seriousness of the trouble is determined by
climatic conditions, wet weather being necessary for the develop-
ment of the disease. Tl1e trouble first appears on the leaves as lil
very small dark spots no larger than a pin head. These increase in NISE
size and become purplish, except at the center. The entire area of H Yi
the spot finally turns brown and the dead tissue (ll'()pS out fornilnc Sum
a hole in the leaf. Some of the affected leaves turn yellow and also
(ll'O[) from the tree. The loss of leaves greatly lowers the vitality
of the trees and aifects the size, CO101' and quality of the fruit the pest
following year. In addition to this the trees become weakened and 3 di
are unable to form fruit buds for the next year’s crop. “Untloiihte ·— s
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