82 THE CHERRIES OF NEW YORK 



THE POLLINATION OF CHERRIES 



We cannot complain in New York of much uncertainty in the setting 

 of the cherry crop. Late spring frosts occasionally catch the blossoms 

 of Sweet varieties but seldom those of the Sour sorts. Cold weather, 

 especially if accompanied by wet weather, not unfrequently cuts 

 short the cherry crop by preventing proper setting. There is, however, 

 no general complaint of poor crops through self-sterility. In fact from 

 the behavior of perfectly isolated trees in all parts of the State it would 

 be premised that the cherry is most nearly self-fertile of all tree-fruits. 



Yet there may be orchards or seasons in which cross-pollination cuts 

 a figure, for Gardner', of the Oregon Station, found in experiments carried 

 on by him in various parts of Oregon that many varieties of Sweet Cherries 

 in the Pacific Coast environment are self-sterile. The work seems to 

 have been very carefully done and the conclusions are worth reprinting 

 in full, bearing in mind that they would be much modified under New 

 York conditions. Gardener found: 



" I. All the varieties of the Sweet Cherry tested are self -sterile. This 

 self-sterility is in no case due to a lack of germinability of the pollen pro- 

 duced. On the other hand, the pollen of each of the varieties studied 

 is capable of producing a set of fruit on the variety or varieties with which 

 it is inter-fertile. The list includes Bing, Black Republican, Black Tar- 

 tarian, Coe, Early Purple, Elton, Knight, Lambert, Major Francis, May 

 Duke, Napoleon, Rockport, Waterhouse, Willamette, Windsor, Wood. 



"2. Certain of these varieties — Bing, Lambert, and Napoleon are 

 mentioned especially — are inter-sterile. Mixed plantings of these three 

 varieties cannot be expected to set fruit unless the trees are within the 

 range of influence of some other variety or varieties that are inter-fertile 

 with them. 



" 3. Among those studied. Black Republican, Black Tartarian, and 

 Waterhouse seem to be the most efficient pollenizers for this group of 

 varieties. 



" 4. Other good pollenizers that may be mentioned are: Elton, Wood, 

 Coe, Major Francis, Early Ptu^le. These, however, proved somewhat 

 variable in their pollenizing abilities. 



" 5. Some of the seedling trees found in and about cherry orchards 

 are efficient pollenizers for the three varieties — Bing, Lambert, Napoleon. 

 Probably fna^iy of these seedling trees are efficient pollenizers, though 

 the value of any particular seedling can be determined only by experiment 

 or very careful observation. 



■ Gardner, V. R. Pollination of the Sweet Cherry, Ore. Sta. Bui. 116:36. 1913 



