Appendix. 165 



the oi'igination of still greater varieties, although the fruits these men 

 have originated will be a more lasting monument to their memory than 

 <an be erected by man. 



In these improved varieties which we have before us we see what has 

 been accomplished in the improvement of the cherry since the first trees 

 began to bear in Oregon, thus giving us some idea of what might be 

 done to still further improve the commercial qualities of this fruit. Re- 

 .suits obtained and improvements made in size and carrying qualities, 

 seen in the Lambert, Bing and Black Republican and Hoskins, surely 

 ■establish the fact that here in the Willamette Valley conditions are the 

 most favorable in the world for wedding the blossoms; and here the 

 progeny of the mating include varieties superior in size, flavor and all 

 other qualities desired in the commercial cherry to-day. 



Notwithstanding our past achievements in the origination of new cher- 

 ries, there is still room for improvement, and not until Oregon produces 

 a variety as large and fine flavored as the Lambert or Bing with the 

 color and all other good qualities of the Royal Ann, and ripening from 

 two to three weeks later than that variety, shall we approach the high 

 standard we should all be looking for. The Royal Ann stands today 

 as the best and in fact the only variety used extensively for canning 

 and for meeting the demands of the manufacturers who place Maras- 

 chino cherries upon the market for which use the highest prices are paid 

 for perfect fruit. But this variety, ripening as it does in most years, 

 just at the close of the rainy season, is too often damaged by climatic 

 conditions to be used for these special purposes, and the profit of a 

 good crop is too often dissipated by a late rain during its ripening 

 time. 



A few days ago I read an item in one of the newspapers in which the 

 statement was made that the entire crop of Royal Ann cherries growing 

 in the La Grande, Union and Cove districts had been contracted for by 

 a cannery for a term of five years at four cents per pound. To be sure, 

 four cents per pound is not a very high price, but the fact that a can- 

 nery is willing to take its chances on the whole crop of the district for 

 a term of five years is proof of the value of this variety for canning 

 purposes when grown in a section where there is no danger of injury 

 from rains at the time of ripening. 



In no section of the State does the cherry attain a higher degree of 

 perfection than in the Willamette Valley, nor is any section of the whole 

 State more free from storms during the month of July than is this 

 valley. This being the case, why not originate a variety, or varieties, 

 to follow the ripening season of the Lambert, filling all the requirements 

 of the shipper, the canner and the Maraschino manufacturer? That 

 this can be accomplished ap'pears quite feasible for the Lambert — the 

 largest and best variety yet introduced — has extended the cherry season 

 at least two weeks beyond that of the Royal Ann, showing that the 

 season of ripening can be extended by the origination of new varieties. 

 Near the city of Olympia, in the State of Washington, there is growing 

 :and ripening its fruit a variety of the Heart and Bigarx'eau class which 



