20 • Cherries at the West. 



some extent in Europe; and, about 1834, large importations were made of 

 this stock from the French nurseries. From that time, dwarf cherries be- 

 came the order of the day. But these did not meet pubHc expectation, as 

 they also proved tender. We next had a long list of hardy varieties from 

 the ^lorello and Duke families ; but these have not proved successful. 



In the spring of 1846, a year after the publication of Downing's " Fruits 

 of America," Jacob Smith, near Lockport, Will County, some thirty miles 

 south-west of Chicago, brought scions of the Early May Cherry from Put- 

 nam County, Ind., and grafted part of them on Morello stocks in the 

 orchard of Mr. Bronson. Three or four years later, Mr. J. W. Wakeman 

 of Cottage Hill, sixteen miles west of Chicago, obtained scions from Mr. 

 Bronson, and commenced propagating them in the nursery, by grafting on 

 the Morello suckers, under the name of Early May. At this time, I resided 

 in the neighborhood of Mr. Wakeman, and had the old Kentish which I 

 brought from New York, and at that time supposed to be identical with 

 the Kentish of Downing, but, on comparing it with the Early May, found 

 a wide difference, not only in habit of the tree, color of fruits, but in time 

 of ripening, and productiveness. 



About 1855, a cherry described by Downing under the name of Early 

 May was sent West, and supposed to be identical with what had now be- 

 come known as the Wakeman Cherry; but it proved to be quite a different 

 cherry, and of no practical value. 



Another cherry was sent out from the Rochester nurseries, under the 

 name of Early Richmond, which proved to be the Montmorency, a Duke 

 cherry. Mr. Wakeman set out a large orchard, and continued to propagate 

 this cherry on the Morello suckers as the cherry began to attract attention ; 

 and the demand for the trees could not be supplied. Nurserj^-men and 

 tree-dealers from the East claimed to have the same ; and the result was, the 

 West was flooded with the Early May of Downing and the Montmorency. 



J. J. Thomas followed Downing in his nomenclature, but sent West the 

 true Early May, under the name of Early Richmond. 



On the appearance of Elliott's "Western Fruits," 1855, Mr. Wakeman 

 changed the name of this cherry to that recognized in that work, — Early 

 Richmond ; by which name it is now generally known in the north part of 

 the State. Thus we had three varieties of the cherry propagated and sold 



