Just brewed 2 batches - need input please.

Hello All-
I just got done with (2) batches. The first batch was a Chocolate Milk Stout, and the other was a cherry wheat. Below are the ingredience for both. My main question is with the 2nd batch of cherry wheat. This is the first time Im using real cherries.

Batch #1: Chocolate Milk Stout:
1- Can (4lbs) Mountmellick Famous Irish Stout
3 lbs - Dry Spraymalt Extract - Plain Dark
1lb - Lactose
10 Tbsp - Herseys dry baking chocolate
1 - Tube White Labs English Ale yeast. Wlp002

- All went great. Started doing its thing about 24 after pitching. Went on for about 2 days before settling down. Very very dark. I plan to bottle it in about a week and age it for 1-2 months.
*** Any thoughts / comments on this one?????***

Batch #2: Cherry Wheat
1 - Can Mutons Wheat (4lbs)
2lbs - Spraymalt Extract Dry - Plain Extra Light.
1lb - Plain Wheat Dry Spray Malt.
3 lbs - Dark Sweet Cherries ( Frozen)
1- Pack Fermentis Dry Ale Yeast.

OK - there is what I did. Tell me if I screwed up. Normal - boil all the extracts in one pot. Put all cherries ( smashed a little) and apx. 1 gallon water in another pot and brought just below a boil. I added the cherries to the Carboy. I dumped in the extract and brought the water level up to 5 gallons. After the temp went to apx 75 degrees, pitched the yeast. Yes, all was sterilized in both batches.

My issue: I found other recipes that dont add the cherries till the secondary. Some add when I did. - Is there a right way and a wrong? Differences? I really dont use a secondary. Normally I just leave the beer in the primary for 7-10 days and then bottle. Will this work?
2nd Issue: When I pitched the yeast, it kinds balled together on the top. This yeast said there was no need to do a starter. Is this normal?

Any thoughts / comments on the above items would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers to all. :

Fermentis...like a Saf-ale S-## ?
http://www.fermentis.com/FO/EN/06-Ales/40-10_directions_hb.asp
is how you rehydrate that brand.
it'll be fine though, might lag a wee tiny bit.

why don't you secondary your beers? it helps clear it up without using additional clarifiers. Still plenty of yeast in suspension to carbonate the bottles.

I suspect that you'll get more fermentation from fruit in the primary, while putting it into the secondary would add fruit flavoring without fermenting the sugars as much. Make sure you have plenty of head space in the primary as you may get a vigorous fermentation and you don't want beer all over the room.

Try the secondary, or leaving it in the primary for 2-3 weeks. A lot more yeast will settle out and your beer will taste better.