While these
varieties are hardier than the Richmond the trees are lightly protected
with straw during the winter for protection of the fruit buds, when
paying crops are secured. North of Orel the Griottes alone are grown on
the bush plan, with from three to six stems springing up from the crown.
In Vladimir tens of thousands of acres are covered with these bush
cherry orchards, producing many train loads annually of fruit of
surprising excellence, considering the far northern and inland location
of the plantations.
On the college farm we have some specimens growing of the Ostheim,
Vladimir, double Natte, and other forms of the Griottes, and a few
specimens from Orel and Veronish of the Amarells and the Spanish races.
We have now orders out, of which we have received a part, for perhaps
fifty other varieties from Austria, Poland, and South Russia.
For the present these will be planted in experimental orchard with a
view to noting their behavior in our climate. Until scions are grown
here we can not make much advance in propagation. The work is
necessarily slow, but it can not fail, I think, to finally demonstrate
that so far we have been on the wrong track in attempting to grow
cherries on the prairies of the Northwest.
Pages:
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100