The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1904-02-24
MORE CHERRY TREES
FOR YAKIMA VALLEY
A Profitable Crop that viii Receive
rlore Attention in Future-New
Orchards Going In

Jeol Shoemaker of this city, writing to
! the Post -lnteligencer, gives some inter
/ nstng facts concerning the growing of
cherries i'll the Yakima valley, an in
lustry that is growing repidly and one
/ that is very profitable. Mr. Shoemaker
says:
| The orchardists of Yakima valley will
| plant more fruit trees this season than
in any previous year. Many of the gen
! pral farmers are starting orchards and
VINEYARDS. \ noticeable feature about
the orders being delivered by nursery
men is the great number of cherry trees
purchased Experienced growers state
that there is more profit i'll a cherry
| grove than from any other variety OF
| fruits. Cherries sold last season for
3 cents per pound. Ordianry 5-year-old
trees produce 100 pounds of marketable
fruits every year
! Sour cherries are the varieties selected
for general planting for home use and
market purposes. They are perfectly
hardy and begin giving fair crops three
! years after taken from the nursery. The
trees are comparatively tree from fun
gus diseases and blight, and require but
| little care in cultivation, pruning or
| spraying. When once established q cher
~ grove will continue bearing profitable
.rops for Il quarter of century. The
| fruits come into the market at time
when other acid producers are not OBJ
| ,ainable. making them more desirable
| tor table and canning purposes.
| There are sevral good varieties of the
sour cherries adapted to differing eli
matte and soil conditions. Some of the
numerous sorts can be grown with profit
n every fruit section of Washington
The Utah experiment station reports on
| twenty three varieties and names four
sorts that have been bearing over 100
pounds per tree for about seven years
The orchard in which they are standing
: but 9 years old. The four best varie-
| les are the Double Matte, yielding 21S
pounds per tree; Ostheim, 226 pounds
Der tree; Orel, 1913 pounds, and Mont
norency, l40 pounds.
\ cherry grove should bring an in
.ome of from 5000 to $1,000 an acre
Every year. The trees are planted about
,ghtccn feet apart either way. At that
ratc 1875 trees would be required for an
lcre of land. If the young trees are in
| rood condition when received almost
very one will grow and begin bearing
the second or third year from planting.
In the northwest, and especially where
| the orchards are irrigated or have an
abundance Of moisture, there is no fail
ire in the trees bearing every year. The
trees do not overbear and, therefore,
! the fruits need not be thinned as is nee
! ,ssary with peaches and pears.
Many cherry growers in Yakima sell
! their fruits on the trees. The pickers
purchase IL given number of large and
small trees, paying from - to So each
for the tree pruducts. They then let the
| fruits ripen and pick them "a needed,
| giving the owners assurance that the
trees will not be damaged. One grower
states that his cherry trees pay him at
the rate OF $500 per acre, and he never
,ievotes any time to them except to
spray with lime and sulphur in the
spring.
Cherry orchards may be cultivated to
my crop with profit. The trees are not
strong soil feeders and do not spread
over the land like the larger fruit trees.
Some growers utilize the land between
trees for gardening purposes. In the
Puget Sound basin the berry growers
have vines trailing about the cherry
tires and thereby get two excellent
money crops from the same land every
year. Poultry can be pastured in the
cherry orchard with profit to the fowls
and trees. There are only few birds
that destroy the cherries.
The market for sour cherries is al
most unlimited The cities of the Sound
are never fully supplied with cherries
Dealers frequently refuse to sell cher
ries in quantities, for the reason that
they are not able to get enough to sup
ply the demand. Because of this most
of the cherries noticed on the markets
are i'll fruit stands and sold for fresh
eating from the hand. There is no fruit
promising such valuable crops in so
short time as the cherry. 1t would be
well for fruit men in every section of
the state to investigate the conditions
The servant handed Mr.. Highmore