THE KANSAS CHERRY. 31 



When in Kansas City a few years ago I bought a box of California 

 sweets ( ? ) ; small affairs they were, but I took them in haste to get 

 once more a realization of my youthful memory. I tried one; two ; in 

 surprise I looked at the rest. They all looked alike. Tried another ; 

 found that all three tasted alike, and in disgust I consigned the whole 

 lot to the gutter. 



But let no one understand that I do n't like cherries, even such as 

 we grow in abundance in northwest Missouri. In getting my allegi- 

 ance Americanized I have also got my cherry taste adjusted, and to-day 

 I vote the American cherry a grand success. Fully ripe, they are 

 good to eat ; mixed with sweet apples, or any kind, for that matter, and 

 sweetened to taste, they make the best pie on earth. 



For a market cherry I would place the English Morello at the top 

 of the list. True it went to wholesale destruction last winter ; but are 

 we going to quit planting all the kinds of fruit that were injured by 

 that outlandish performance the weather clerk put on the program 

 last winter ? I think we will discharge him and the next one may 

 take due notice and govern himself accordingly. Last winter has 

 been called by some a test winter, but I do n't understand it so. It is 

 not to be expected that so many adverse circumstances and conditions 

 will get up another such a combination in the next century. 



The next best and very best for home and near-by market is Early 

 Richmond. It must be used soon after jjicking. A neighbor told me 

 that in canning they had mixed them with one-half strawberries, to 

 the great improvement of both, the combination keeping well, when 

 they had had trouble in keeping strawberries ; that it gives a body 

 and substance to that^ watery fruit that makes it much better. A few 

 years ago I could not sell Early Richmond in my market. Nothing 

 would do but English Morello. Yet to-day people have learned that 

 the Early Richmond is much the better cherry and the demand has 

 increased beyond the supply. 



Montmorency Ordinaire, Suda Hardy and Ostheimer have gone to 

 the happy hunting-grounds along with English Morello and some 

 semi-sweets. True they are not all dead, but all more or less damaged ; 

 being late, they grew too late, and were not matured to withstand the 

 shock. Dyehouse wintered well and bore a small crop ; it does not 

 bear as young as Early Richmond ; may do better later. I can see very 

 little difference in fruit, though the trees grow more stocky, Wragg 

 has stood the weather finely ; it is small, sour, bitter, and puckery ; even 

 sugar fails to make it eatable ; not adapted to my situation and I shall 

 grub it out. It is the true Wragg, as I got it from the Wragg nursery 



However, the best variety that has ever come under my observation 

 in this country is one tree that stands in the yard of S. Chamberlain, 



