Nebraska advertiser., 1868-08-13
Weetern Cherry CuIture.

a communication read by J. v, Hop
per before the Illinois Horticultural
Society, giving the results of his long
experience with the different varieties
Of the cherry, from which we copy
the following extracts. The Heart
and Bigareau varieties as is well known
do not succeed there:
The Duke cherry tree may be re-
garded as hardy, for, although they
do occasionally winter kill, yet not
more so than the Peach, which we re-
gard as being hardy. Among the
Dukes, the May Duke is the earliest,
and on this account the most desira-
BILE. 1t is a good cherry for the des-
sert and for cooking, the tree is a rapid
growth and an early and abundant
bearer. Complaint has been made
of this variety, that it ripens its fruit
in succession, so that for market pur-
poses the whole crop cannot be gath
cred at once, which some think desi-
rable. it is not true that all summer
fruits ripen in succession? 1 think it
is, and it is not a real objection. This
characteristic of our summer fruits is
very desirable /; thereby their season
is extended through several weeks.
I regard the May Duke n of the most
desirable cherries to plant for home
use and for market.
Belle MdgRgf9ue.-It is a very good
cherry, larger and better in quality
than the May Duke, and about three
weeks later.
Refine Hortense.-Very good fruit,
but a shy bearer.
Belle de ChOjsy.-A very shy bearer.
I regard the buds of all Of the Dukes
as being somewhat tender; that is,
liable to be killed by a frost somewhat
harder than will kill the buds of
peaches.
MOreUos and Kenttsh.-This family
of cherries are all hardy in tree and
bud. They are all quite tart, yet for
cooking and canning, they are very
good, if not the best cherries we have.
The Black MOrellO is the common
cherry of the country. The red Ken
fish. differs from the black only in
color, yet it sells in the market much
higher, because persons buy by sight,
and not from q knowledge of quality.
These varieties are known by the
abundant suckers that grow from their
roots. TheyshOuld be grated as here
matter described.
Early RichH1Ond.-I cannot agree
with the Illinois State Horticultural
Society in calling this the Early May,
as it is quite well known that there is
another cherry of the same family that
is known as the Early May, which is
an inferiOrfruit. Twas well acquainted
with this Early May in Ohio. The
fruit is small and very sour. The tree
is of very slender growth, and small
in all its parts, while the Early Rich
mOnd is a stout, shOrt-jOinted grower.
Again, they admit that the Early
Richmond originated near Richmond,
Virginia, and hence this name; and
to my mind is a sufficient reason
why this name should be retained, as
every person will know what cherry
is intended by Early Richmond; but
if Early May is spoken of or written
confusion and disappointment
may result; and / believe no other
cherry-is known by the name of Early
1 have had the Early
Richmond in bearing eve or eight
years, and in that time have not failed
to raise a crop. Though sometimes
the crop would be thinned by late
frost, 1 know of no fruit tree
that is as certain to produce a crop as
the Early Richmond cherry. The
quality of the fruit is second rate, it
being quite tart even when fully ripe
vet for cooking il is very good. Birds
eat it, and they will not eat a poor
fruit. We usually can a large lot of
H., aE.a-sA@ 60 h1n.a rvuo foHTnn
out the stones, which are easily pulled
out by the stems and thus prepared
they are a very good tart fruit. They
are very free from worms; we seldom
find a knotty or deformed cherry
among them. Tt ripens about one
week later than the May Duke. /
know of no cherry that is as profitable
as this variety IS a market fruit, and
for home purposes we are never disap-
pointed byit. The fruit grows i'm clus-
tiers, and they can be picked rapidly
with the stems on, which should al
ways be done for marketing or home
use, as in most instances the stone can
be drawn out by the stem. Last year
L sold my crop at S. per bushel, de-
livered at the express Office. At this
rate the profit will be large, as one
hundred and sixty trees can and should
be planted on an acre. Another thing
that makes this tree desirable to the /
market ochardist is its freedom from
the many ills that other trees are heir
to. The peach tree has its borer and
leaf curl, also winter and spring frosts;
the pear has the destructive blight
the apple its bOrer and the many in
sect enemies that attack the leaf and
fruit, while the grape rot bids defiance
to the skill of the vintner. But 1 have
not seen anything on the Early Rich
cherry, either tree or fruit, ex-
cept the Tent caterpillar and the birds.
The catapillars are easily destroyed,
and the birds-well, ] am not now wri-
ting about birds.
My trees of this variety commenced
bearing at from four to five years from
the graft, and bear full crops at from
six to seven years from the time OF
grating.