Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 7.pdf/57

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.
First Fruits of the Land
51

This, also, will be fairly remunerative. Large dark cherries ship well, sell well, and probably will remain profitable. The world's fairs of 1893 and since revealed the fact that we grow the largest, showiest, and perhaps the finest cherry in the world. Somehow, we ought to do well with our dark cherries. Sixty Governor Wood and fifty May Dukes, after ten years' experience, were worked over into Royal Arms, with the same success in the grafting as with the plum. To-day only an expert would notice the graft or any change in the growth.

The object of this grafting story is to say, "Don't dig up old trees because the fruit does not suit you, graft into sorts that will suit you." Spraying, enriching, and deep cultivation will rejuvenate old trees and bring them into vigorous bearing long before you could realize from setting young trees, and at much less expense.