Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1925-10-02
he profitable.
4 Cherries.

vi uNGuulll VI tllN idiN oPih 2
rains our sweet cherries are really
gamble with the weather, The
Lambert is the most profitable
with us. Were / to plant any con
siderable area into sweet cherries
| would have them budded on
Mahaleb seedlings, especially the
Bing, On these roots they seem
to make congenial union and to
persist, forming with little top
pruning an apple tree shape. They
seem less liable to gumosis on
these roots.
Montmorency cherries are the
accepted market variety. We have
sold many thousands of these the
past twenty years, and three years
ago we had our misgivings about
extending our own paintings. So
we wrote to the Pomologist of the
Agriculture Dept. of the U. S. and
told him about our fears and asked
him to give all the data he had,
He wrote us a long letter the
points of which are briefly:
l. AT the junction of the Mo
hawk and Hudson river there is a
small area in Montmorencies also
in western New York. Then you
have an area of them in northern
Michigan, then across the lakes in
Green Bay and Sturgeon Bay, Wis
consin are extensive paintings.
Then you have to jump across the
continent to Arkansas river bot
toms in Colorado where they have
large paintings and can raise su-
perior Montmorency. Now if you
can raise good Montmorency in
the Puget Sound country you need
not be concerned about the de,
mand or price. Moreover in New
York, Michigan and Wisconsin
they are often caught with crop
failures on account of late spring
frosts. This is the gist of his let
tier, and what surprises me is that
he did not seem to know that we
lof this Puget Sound country can
raise a superior Montmorency
! Do not plant cherries on soil
THAT remains wet and soggy all
winter. They will die, even if the
Hand is drained. On such land
plant pears. The rolling hills OF
upland even if light and grayelly
lis better, and on such land the
Montmorencys should be buddet
on black Russian mazzard seed
lings. On these roots the tree i:
large and long lived. Personally
| | like the Mohaeb stock. These
produce semi-dwarf, 200 or more
to the acre, and are easily picked
land prolific bearers. But they ar,
; comparatively short lived, ant
many die before they reach thu
lage limit which is about 20 years
No one seems to know why thes'
trees suddenly die My impression
is that the uncongential union o:
the stock and tree is the trouble
! If in development of the tire,
alignment of the tissue gets mix
ed up the tree is literally stranglet
however, this is just more or les
a guess.
These semi-dwarfs may be plant
ed about IA feet apart each way
approximately 200 trees to the acre
and if well cultivated and fertile
ed ought to produce at maturit,
about an average of 100 pounds tt
the tree; probably $50 but tax,
minimum, ten tons to the acre a
$4,000 per ton gross, which w
received this past season, is not S;
bad for this soil when compare,
with wheat farming or any othel
farming.
The larger or standard tree
will yield much more to the tree
300 to 400 pounds and about q
trees or less to the acre. Our
about 20 years planted averaged
close to 400 per tree. Pickers d.
not like to climb and pick from
a 25, foot ladder. Picking TIN
standards usually costs abou
twice as much as dwarfs and tn,
pickers make more money from
these dwarfs. We have now
acres of Montmorencys of all ages
3 acres of dwarfs and 5 of stand
ards. Where a dwarf dies we plan
in a standard. If wet feet is tn
cause we plant in a Comice or Bos
pear.
5. Apples and Pears.
Apples and pears when properly
L.. fa.,4s1..l -,