CHERRY CULTURE IN OREGON. 



By Hox. R. H. Weber, Commissioner of the Oregon State Board of Horticulture 



for the Fourth District. 



The steady growth of commercial orcharding has broadened a field of 

 action in the Pacific Northwest in which many thousands of energetic men 

 are doing successful work, and the ranks of the fruit-growers arc being 

 constantly augmented by enterprising and progressive men who are attracted 

 to this coast by this rapidly developing and profitable industry from all 

 parts of the Eastern States. The quality of our Northwestern fruit has so 

 firmly established it in the homes of Eastern people that it may now be 

 considered one of the staple articles of diet and no longer a luxury, thus 

 creating an ever-increasing demand and assuring us a good market for our 

 orchard products, whether fresh, evaporated or preserved. 



To the cherry, however, belongs the distinction of being more exclu- 

 sively a Pacific Coast production than any other of the many varieties of 

 deciduous fruits grown here, which makes cherry-growing a most striking 

 feature of the coast region horticulture. Owing to the limited areas siiitable 

 to cherry-growing, an over-production of this luxurious fruit can hardly be 

 considered even among the possibilities of a good many years to come. At 

 the present time, at least, the demand is greatly in excess of the supply 

 and is increasing much more rapidly than the production, which is the incen- 

 tive for the rapid extension of the industry. 



The varieties of cherries in cultivation consist of two distinct classes or 

 sorts; the first, comprising the Hearts and Bigarreaus, commonly designated 

 as sweet cherries, is characterized by an unusually upright growth and 

 pyramidal form of tree, and by a decidedly sweet flavor of the fruit. 



The second class includes the Dukes and Morellos, commonly called the 

 Kentish or pie cherries. They are of a decidedly acid flavor and have little 

 or nothing to recommend them to the commercial cherry-grower. 



Great care should be exercised in the selection of soil, exposure and 

 drainage for a cherry orchard, as much of the future success of the business 

 depends on a proper location. Tn the coast region, west of the Cascade 

 Mountains, a deep, light loam, with a south or southeast exposure has been 

 found to be the most desirable, while in the Inland Empire region, east of 

 the Cascades, they thrive best on sandy or gravelly soil, and there they 

 attain their highest perfection; but they will do quite well in almost any 

 situation except a very wet one or in. very heavy clay. A south or southeast 

 expo.sure should be selected, as it will be found that on this slope the trees 

 mature more perfectly and are less subject to gummosis than on the heavier 

 soils of a north or northwest slope, where the growing season is certain to 

 continue longer on account of the greater retention of moisture, which is 

 quite sure to prove detrimental. 



The cultivation and irrigation, if the latter must be resorted to, of a 

 cherry orchard should be so regulated and calculated that the wood growth 

 of the tree will almost cease with the harvesting of the crop, causing the 

 tree to stand practically dormant during the remainder of the season. This 

 system, which refers to mature trees in full bearing only, will be found 

 to be most valuable in preventing gummosis, for it is in the orchards where 

 strong wood growth is encouraged throughout the summer after picking 



