CHERRY VARIETIES 313 



May Duke 



May Duke is one of a class formed by cross- 

 ing the sweet with the sour cherry. All of this 

 class have some of the characteristics of both 

 species. They are neither so sour as are the 

 true sour cherries and seldom so sweet as the 

 sweet kinds, but have a flavor in which are 

 blended both the sweet and the sour. The 

 result, as can be imagined, is excellent and the 

 Duke cherries have long been popular. Many 

 of these sorts are unsatisfactory, however, 

 from the commercial standpoint as they do not 

 produce as heavy crops as the unmixed strains 

 of either the sour or sweet cherries. 



May Duke is a very old favorite and we 

 find it mentioned by name as far back as 1688. 

 Since that time it has gained popularity as a 

 fruit for home production, but is not looked on 

 with favor by commercial growers generally. 

 One of the commercial objections to it is that 

 it ripens over quite a long period and several 

 pickings are needed if the fruit is to be at its 

 best. It costs much more to pick any fruit in 

 this way than when the entire crop can be han- 

 dled at one time. Even for home use this is 

 a valid objection, but in spite of it the variety 

 is still popular and is still being planted over 

 a wide extent of territory. 



