They last better after harvesting if their green stems are still on. When buying, choose these ones.
History Notes
The Bing cherry tree was developed sometime before 1875 from a graft from a Black Republican cherry tree.
The cherries were introduced publicly by Seth Lewelling (1820 – 1896) in 1875.
Lewelling had come to Oregon from Iowa in 1850, and got into the horticultural business by helping his brother, Henderson, who had arrived three years before in 1847. [1] Lewelling also started his own orchard in Milwaukie, Oregon.
Lewelling named the cherry for one of his workman, Ah Sit Bing [1] [2]. It’s unclear whether Bing did the graft, or, Lewelling simply decided to give Bing the honours.
When Bing cherries were first exhibited in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, people were amazed at their size. The cherry became popular both for its size and for its ability to stand up well to shipping.
The Milwaukie Museum in Oregon has kitchen chairs that belonged to Seth Lewelling. Seth was responsible for organizing the campaign in 1894 to add referendums to Oregon’s Constitution, which was done in 1902.
Sources
[1] Herring, Peg. Bing cherries are an American favorite. But who was Bing? in : Oregon sweet cherries make their mark on the world. Oregon State University College of Agricultural Science Extension Service. Fall 2009. Accessed October 2014 at http://oregonprogress.oregonstate.edu/fall-2009/cherries
[2] Bing came from Manchuria, China around 1855 on a 35 year work contract for Lewelling. He supervised 30 other workers at the nursery. In 1889, he went back to China for a visit, but was unable to return to America as the restrictions of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 kept him from coming back.