North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Bernie Nikolai <BNikolai@shaw.ca>]

Diane, Ideally in a perfect world they would be seedlings from the hardiest
of the sweet cherries, Van, Hedlefingen, Lapins, Gold, Kristen, etc.  Bing
is probably the most tender of the sweet cherries commercially grown.  But
you are very correct, ANY sweet cherry pits are better than no sweet cherry
pits.  In terms of trying Duke cherries, well the U of Saskatchewan already
has some outstanding tart, almost sweet cherries available.  I'd like to try
a "true" sweet cherry.
     Call me Pollyanna, but I believe planting a million or so pits WILL get
me a very few, 3 or 4 perhaps, true sweet cherries that are zone 3 hardy.  I
very much doubt they will be giant Raniers in size, but sweet cherries
nonetheless.  And then we have a starting point for further breeding by the
"big boys" in the government breeding programs.  I can always dream
anyways....
Bernie Nikolai
Edmonton, Alberta
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Diane Whitehead" <voltaire@islandnet.com>
To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2005 11:58 AM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] sweet cherry pits


> I offered to send Bernie sweet cherry pits next summer.
>
> I just thought of something, though.  My garden is on the site of a
> cherry orchard, subdivided about 1968.  There were lots of Bing (I
> think - crunchy big black ones subject to splitting, anyway) plus
> Queen Anne's for pollinators.  I have lots of seedling trees.  I
> usually just leave their cherries for the birds, squirrels and
> raccoons.  Their cherries are sweet but small.  They are red.  No big
> black ones.  Of course, I only have a dozen or so trees, so the full
> range of possibilities isn't showing.
>
> Probably my Sams and Lamberts are being pollinated by some of these
> seedling cherries.  Would that matter to you, Bernie?  However,
> perhaps if you live in zone 3, any sweet cherry would be welcome,
> even though small.  Is that so?
>
> Diane Whitehead  Victoria BC  Canada
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