190 HORTICULTURE FOR SCHOOLS 



This statement explains why the cultivation of the sweet 

 cherry is so limited in North America. Its commercial pro- 

 duction is confined to California, Oregon, parts of Montana, 

 the Hudson Valley, western New York, and western Michi- 

 gan in the United States; and in Canada to that part of 

 Ontario along the northern shore of Lake Erie and to the 

 interior parts of British Columbia. 



The sour cherry is adapted over a much wider territory. 

 It is grown extensively along Lakes Ontario and Michigan, 

 and throughout the eastern and central states. In Canada 

 sour cherries are produced mainly in Ontario, Nova Scotia, 

 Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and British Columbia. 



It is of interest to note that the seven leading cherry- 

 producing states are: California, Oregon, Michigan, New 

 York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Very few cherries 

 of any kind are grown in the South. 



Nearly all varieties of sweet cherries are self -sterile ; there- 

 fore, several kinds should be planted in rows in the orchard 

 for pollination purposes. 



The cherry, however, is primarily a home fruit and the 

 greater part of the fruit raised in the United States is con- 

 sumed on the farms where grown. The tree does not require 

 specialized care, as does the peach. The sour cherry is re- 

 markably resistant to insect enemies and plant diseases, and 

 both the sweet and sour forms require little attention in the 

 way of pruning after the framework of the tree has become 

 well established. The tree also thrives with less attention to 

 soil fertilization than do the other orchard fruits. On the 

 other hand, many orchards large and small have suffered neg- 

 lect because they do moderately well even under adverse 

 conditions. With good care they would far more than pay 

 for the increased cost of attention. 



Those communities that excel in the raising of cherries give 

 careful attention to cultivation, pruning, control of insects, 

 fertilization, cover-crops, and harvesting; and the trees re- 



