122 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Prof. Budd, of Ames, Iowa, recommended the Russian cherry to 

 this country, I secured from him such varieties as I thought came 

 nearest my ideal. These varieties were the following: Bessarabian, 

 Sklanka, Griotte Precoce, King's Morello, 2j Orel and Strauss 

 Weichsel. The Ostheim I received direct from Germany. 



Now I will tell you of my experience with these varieties and 

 how I value them by the number I planted of each in my orchard. 



Bessarabian: 4 trees. Late cherry, tree hardy, a rapid grower, 

 fruit large and late, but the tree is a rather shy bearer. 



Sklanka: 12 trees. One of the best Russian cherries, early and 

 large; ripened this year June 20th, a good bearer. 



Griotte precoce : 3 trees, not hardy and goes into the brush pile 

 next spring. 



King's Morello: 12 trees. A good tree, cherry light colored; 

 ripened this year June 16th. 



27 Orel: 3 trees. Shy bearer, cherry late. 



Strauss Weichsel: 25 trees. A hardy, upright growing tree; 

 when it first begins to bear the fruit is small, but as it grows older 

 the fruit increases in size, quality and quantity. 



Ostheim: 5 trees. A good cherry, but not always sure of a 

 crop. 



Homer: over 400 trees. A hard}' tree, ripens its wood earlier 

 in the fall than any of the Russian varieties; a good late cherry, for 

 canning and market, and always sure of a crop; ripens when other 

 cherries are gone and when people want cherries, and so always 

 brings a good price. 



The choice of varieties suitable to the locality is very essential 

 in the planting of an orchard. When there is danger of root-killing 

 the trees must be on their own roots or grafted on hardy stock. 

 One great drawback in cherry culture is that we have no hardy 

 stock, for most of our cherry trees are grafted on Mahaleb stock, 

 which is not hardy enough for Minnesota. ( >ne Wisconsin nursery- 

 man recommends grafting on the so-called non-sprouting stock, 

 and to plant deep to prevent root-killing, but this gentleman fails 

 to tell us how deep to plant the trees. My experience has taught 

 me that they must be planted three feet deeper than the terminal 

 bud on the top branch, or else they will kill. If the tree has any 

 chance of growth or has any life at all, it must get roots from the 

 scions. This same gentleman claims that if they sprout from the 

 roots there will be a cherrv thicket, and he has never seen a good 

 crop on a cherry thicket. The latter might be true, but who has 

 ever seen a good crop of red raspberries or blackberries where they 



