CHERRY VARIETIES 303 



traveler of the seventeenth century, indicates 

 that cherries, like other fruits, were used by the 

 colonists as drink rather than as food. 



"It was not long before I left the country 

 that I made Cherry wine, and so may others, 

 for there are good store of them both red and 

 black." Continuing with the same paragraph 

 he made some statements concerning plant dis- 

 eases that are as interesting as is the cure which 

 he proposes. 



"Their fruit trees are subject to two dis- 

 eases, the Meazels, which is when they are 

 burned and scorched by the sun, and lowsie- 

 ness, when the woodpeckers jab holes in their 

 bark; the way to cure them when they are 

 lowsie is to bore a hole in the main root with an 

 Augur and pour in a quantity of Brandie or 

 Rhum, and then stop it up with a pin made of 

 the same tree." 



I am not saying it won't work, — but why 

 waste the "Brandie." 



Even on the Pacific slope the cherry was one 

 of the very early established fruits for it was 

 brought by the first Franciscan monks to the 

 missions of the early times. It has since been 

 an important Californian product, but that 

 state has now been outstripped by Oregon in 

 the production of this fruit. Probably the 

 finest sweet cherries to be found anywhere in 

 the world are grown in Oregon and their intro- 



