The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-10-07
ABOUT CHERRIES.
SOUR VARIETIES SAID TO BE MOST
IN DEMAND.

~I.u SAaissesS IN common Use--A1 Va
rieties Are from One Origin. -
The cherry has been cultivated in Eu-
rope about as long as any fruit and it
is supposed the wild fruit was used be-
fore it was cultivated. There are many
cherry varieties and these by selection
have been differentiated into families or
groups. That all of our cultivated cher
! ries had their origin in the one wild
| species of Europe seems to be proven by
the fact that trees have been grown
with the characteristics of all the groups
from the seed of one variety.
There are four quite distinct groups or
families in cultivation, two of the sweet
class and two of the sour or acid class.
The first or sweet group with mild sub
acid fruit are trees of rapid and large
growth and are divided into two sub
groups. The Biggeros, with firm
fieshed or meaty fruit. These are white,
yellow, red and black The Napoleon
Biggeros and Yellow Spanish are
types. The Hearts, more usually with
heart shaped fruits with softer sweeterr
pulp than the first group, but of the
same colors. The black Tartarian and
early Purple Guinge pronounced jean)
are types of the heart shaped group
These divisions are arbitrary but they
are useful for classification.
The acid cherries are divided into two
sub groups and are little more clearly
defined. They are the Dukes and No
rellos. The Dukes in general appear
ance are about half way between the
Morellos and sweets The trees are
small and generally of an upright
growth. The fruit is generally smaller
than the sweets, round or nearly round
though some varieties incline to heart
shape, with all the colors mentioned ex-
| cept yellow. The trees are harder than
the sweets but not SO hardy as the Mo-
! relic. The fruit is generally acid or sub
acid, though the sweetest cherry when
ripe, the Belle de Choisey, is placed in
this sub group. The May Duke and
Carnation are types of this group. They
| all do finely on this Coast There are
some very fine dessert cherries among
them if allowed to become fully ripe.
The May Duke nearly black-Reine Hor-
tense-perhaps the most desirable on
this Coast, is beautiful tree and an
enormous bearer of large, delicious fruit.
The Belle de Choisey is a very pretty
light coral red, round, sweet and de-
hcious. The tree is very erect and is =
great bearer. The trouble with the
Dukes is that they are rather watery
and tender for cooking, too soft for ship
ping and rather acid for dessert use The
May Duke, however, comes near being
an exception. 1t is highly priced every
where and especially where the climate
is Il little too cold for the sweets.
The Morello group comes last. These
are usually small, round-headed trees
with slender dropping branches and
small thick leaves. This group is di-
yided into two sub groups. One of
which is the Kentish or Early Rich
mond, Early May, etc. It is a small,
round, red, soft, acid fruit. 1t ripens
early and quickly. The fruit, though
watery, is highly esteemed for pies and
canning everywhere except in Califor-
mia. There are several better though
later cherries in this group than the
Kentish. The Montmorencies belong
in this group. Their foliage is smaller
than either of the other groups and
healthier in an unfavorable climate.
These are the renowned cherry pie fruits.
They are very dark red-nearly black
AAOSuAy 1OdAuE 4u1tC skill ana
flesh and very acid. Some of them are
very rich when fully ripe. They ripen
very slowly and are used for pies weeks
before they are ripe. Few people know
how good the common Morello is when
thoroughly ripe. simply because they
never saw ripe one The common black
Morello, the type of the group, is the
hardest and healthiest of our old varie-
ioc< al, ~
of this class are red and light red bat
none are as good as the common black
Morello. The black English Morello is
the largest of, the class. The tree is
small, conical, enormously productive.
late and very acid, much like some of
the plums and ripe American gooseber-
ries, so acid that sugar will not sweeten
them. Thiswas once the most profit
able cherry in the East but the plum
curcu1io eventually destroyed ALI the
| fruit. -
ts The Chicago market is usually abund-
antly supplied with cherries from the
Eastern shore of Lake Michigan. 1.-The
sour cherries bring about double the
prices of the sweets and are taken in un-
limited quantities. The same is true in
other large cities.
Here Is hint to the fruit growers of
| this Coast: There is money in the Mo
relSo group of sour cherries. They are
prolific bearers, are much healthier and
harder than the sweets, are better ship
pers and when cherries are plenty bring
more money. The Montmorencies are
perhaps really the best but the English
Morello sells best though it may be the
poorest cherry in the world. It makes
fine sweet picked.
Professors Budd and Gibbs have Sc
lected and imported many fine hardy va