The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1922-06-29
WASCO COUNTY HAS
POLLENIZING TESTS

Experiments of the Oregon Expert
ment Station in pollenzation of cher
rles. conducted the past spring, have
directed the eyes of cherry growers in
all parts of the Pacific Coast to The
Dalles, where the experts worked.
Data of inestimable value was gath
cred. Prof. Schuster had charge of the
experiments. He says he will require
another year before making his an
nouncements definite.
The experiments have brought out
one fact stron gly-that Bing, Lambert
and Royal Ann cherries are both self
sterile and inter-sterile. Out of 3,7l3
blossoms of these varieties tested for
self-sterility. the setting of only one
half of one per cent was obtained.
The fret stage of the experiments in
bIossoming time, was emasculation of
the blooms except the pistils, which
were pollenized by hand with camel's
hair brushes. A total of $4,000 in
dividual blossoms was treated in this
way. After treating. the experts en-
closed the blossoms in paper bags, and
allowed them so to remain until the
fruit had set. Tests for determining
inter sterility on the three chief COM
mercial varieties OF cherries showed
fertilization of but four-tenths of one
per cent.
Prof. Schuster then set out too de-
termine just what varieties would be
best suited in orchards of Bings, Lam
berts and Royal AIMS for fertilizing
the blooms and bringing about set of
fruit. Pollen from every known vari-
ETY. and a number of seedlings was
used. The data given below shows the
results obtained by Prof. Schuster. In
this table the variety pollenized is
listed at the top followed by the vari-
eties used as pollenizers in groups,
with the percentage of fertility for all
cherries listed at the head:
Richmond (Kentish), May Duke. Royal
Ann, Elton, Royal Ann Seeding II
to 81 per cent, Montmorency. Governor
Wood 33 to As per cent, Black Tartar
ian, Norma. Centennial, Black Repub-
lican, WateThouse and Early Rose 49
to 66a per cent, Early Purple, Black
Oregon. Elton, Coe and Major Francis.
Royal Ann-Up to 10 per cent, Early
Richmond. May Duke. Elton, Royal
Ann Seeding. Bing and Lambert; IL
to 20 per cent, Early Purple, Black
Tartarian, wv aterhouse, Montmorency;
2l to 30 per cent, Early Rose. Gov
ernor Wood, Centennial, Elton, Major
Francis and Black Oregon; 81 to 40.8
per cent, Black Republican, Coe and
Norma.
Bing-Up to 10 per cent, Early Rich
mond, May Duke, Elton, Royal Ann
Seeding, Lambert, Royal Ann, Early
Purple, Waterhouse, Montmorency and |
Black Republican IL to 20 per cent, |
Black Oregon, Coe and Major Francis |
2l to 80 per cent, Early Rose, Gov
ernor Wood and Centennial; 81 to 40 /
per cent, Norma, Black Tartarian and |
Elton.
Briefly summarized. the Norma, a
Seeding. and the Coe gave the best re
suits in both the Royal Ann and Lam
bert divisions. The Elton was first as
a pollenizer for the Bing and Lambert |
divisions and pollenized from 2l to 80
per cent in the Royal Ann division.
Black Republicans, highly priced as
pollenizers because of their market
ability were in the 81 to 40.8 class for
Royal AIMS and 33 to 48 for Lamberts,
but they were in the 0 to 10 per class
Tor BIngS.
Prof. Schuster emphasized that acci-
dent may have rendered the findings
and declared that further
years checking would be necessary for
He emphasized that sea-
lonal changes might have an effect and
hat later experiments might prove
hat, to have bumper crop each year,
t would be necessary to have polleniz-
ng trees of several varieties.
"The horticultural bureau of The
Dalles Chamber of Commerce aided
With financing the recent experiments.