Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1910-09-02
COMMERCIAL CHERRY GROWING
w. S. Thornber, Horticulturist
Washington State College

crop been realized in the Pacific
Northwest. With the coming into use
Of refrigerator cars for soft fruits,
the Pony refrigerator, the erection
of canneries, and the origin of sew
eral particularly firm, good shipping
| ~ growing has received an impetus
that placed it at once with the fore
most fruit crops.
The cherry tree is generally hardy
and readily adapts itself to varied
conditions. However. it is extremely
susceptible to early fall injury if
new wood has had a chance to ripen
thoroughly or mature. This injury
is frequently called winter killing
but in reality is due to poor location,
unsatisfactory site or late summer
or fall growth.
Probably the most critical time in
cherry culture is that period preced-
ing, during, and Immediately fol-
| lowing the blooming OF the trees
| Heavy losses occur annually during
| this time of year which possibly
might have been avoided if proper
| Judgement had been used in the Sc
! lection of the site or location for the
orchard. Cherry trees bloom from
two to eight days later on northern
| slopes than they do on southern
slopes and are always less subject
| to frost injury on rolling, slightly
elevated or sloping lands than on
flat lands. Good atmospheric drain
| age is one of the essentials of sue
| cessful cherry culture.
The cherry can be profitably grown
on variety of soils, but for long
life of tree and large, regular crops it
should have rather dry, sandy loan
to light clay loan, rich in mineral
plant foods but poor in nitrogen.
The subsoil should be porus, well
drained, and neither clay, hard pan
nor dry gravel. A stiff, clay soil, rich
in heterogeneous plant food produces
a woody, rarely-productiye short
! lived tree, while poorly drained soil
rarely ever produces a healthy, pro-
ductiVe tree. The cherry is a heavy
feeder, and should be encouraged in
growth while young, but the wood
growth should be discouraged in old
or bearing trees.
A first-class cherry soil should con-
tain abundance of free moisture dur
ing the early spring months and up
to the time of the ripening Of the
fruit; afterward only enough mois-
ture to keep the tree growing slow
ly or keep the wood plump.
With reference to distance for
planting, the variety, soil, elm ate
and rainfall or irrigation all combine
as factors in governing the distance
apart that trees should be planted.
The sweet cherry on rich soil with
reasonable amount of moisture,
requires from thirty to forty feet;
while sour cherries under the same
conditions will not require more than
twenty to twenty-five feet. On the
rich, moist soils of Western W55hing-
ton the sweet cherry should be given
plenty of room for full DEVELOPMENT
and will require from thirty-fiye to
forty feet. The irrigated valleys with
light, sandy soils and more or less
of scarcity of nitrogen will produce
good cherries at from twenty-five to
tWenty-eight feet, while sweet cher
ries on the rich uplands should have
from twenty-eight to thirty-two feet
in order to be sure of sufficient mOis-
ture.
Heavy fruit production at the ex-
pense of wood growth is common in
the valleys, while the reverse is true
on the Pacific coast slopes
The cherry should always he plant
ed alone and never as a filler or with
a filler for any other orchard tree,
since it requires an entirely different
method of cultivation. 1t is late
spring and early summer grower and
mature its crop very early in the
season and should naturally take the
remainder of the season for the de-
velopment of fruit spurs and buds
and the maturing of the wood 1t IS
wrong to expect it to maintain a
growing activity for a period as long
as the apple or peach and for this
reason it should never be planted
with these trees.
Before planting the trees the soil
should be thoroughly subdued, prop
| erly graded, if irrigation is necessary,
and placed in perfect surface til
/ lage
1t matters little whether the square
or hexagonal plan be used, Each has
its advantage. The most important