lib 



308 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



which seem peculiarly adapted to the production of this fruit, For- 

 tunately for the reputation of the Willamette Valley, the earliest 

 introduction of cherries there (in 1848 by Henderson Lewelling, at 

 Milwaukee, Oreg.) appears to have included some of the choicest 

 varieties, so that the planters of that district were not compelled to 

 go through the long and trying experience with seedlings of indiffer- 

 ent quality that is common in- newly settled regions. At the same 

 time some very promising seedlings from these older sorts have in 

 recent years come to light, some of which, such as Republican, Bing, 

 and Hoskins, have attained considerable commercial importance. 



One of the most promising of these new sorts is the Lambert. 

 This variety appears to have originated as a seedling under a Na- 

 poleon (syn. Royal Ann) tree in the orchard now owned by Mr. J. 

 H. Lambert, at Milwaukee, Oreg., which was planted by the late 

 Henderson Lewelling during and shortly after 1848. This seedling 

 tree, which is supposed to have been a cross of Black Heart on Na- 

 poleofi, was grafted to May Duke before it reached bearing age and 

 transplanted to a location at one end of the old orchard. About 

 1880 the May Duke top was broken off or died, and a sprout from 

 the seedling stock was permitted to form a new top to the tree. When 

 it came into bearing its fruit attracted Mr. Lambert's attention, and 

 shortly after 1890 small shipments of it sent to Boston and other 

 eastern markets sold at much higher prices than other varieties 

 shipped at the same time. 



In 1895 Mr. Lambert gave to the Oregon State Horticultural So- 

 ciety the exclusive right to propagate and disseminate the variety 

 from the original tree and a few trees that he had grown from it, but 

 scions having been previously secured by other persons without his 

 knowledge, the society derived little financial benefit from its intro- 

 duction. 



So far as known, it has not been extensively planted east of the 

 Rocky Mountains, but it is considered worthy of testing wherever 

 sweet cherries thrive. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Form oblong, heart-shaped; size large to very large; cavity of 

 medium size and depth, with gradual slope; stem medium to long, 

 rather slender; suture a mere line, terminating in a russet dot in a 

 slight depression at the apex; surface smooth, except for numerous 

 fine indented dots; color light red, beautifully marbled with darker 

 red; skin moderately thick, tenacious; stone oval, rather large, ad- 

 hering rather closely to flesh; flesh purplish red, with lighter mar- 



Letters of E. L. Smith, Hood River, Oreg., and H. M. Williamson, Portland, 

 Oreg., August, 1907. 



