Just saw this pop up on the Sour Cherry Facebook group and thought everyone might want to know about it. https://honeyberryusa.com/info/fe-cherry-press-release-bagley.pdf
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I do see itās posted for sale. $30-$35.
Ooo hopefully someone gets it and is able to report back about it
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I just ordered one! Can give updates as it arrives and grows!
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Iām surprised to see theyāve applied for a patent given that theyāve already been growing it for over 60 years. The description was kind of vague regarding whether or not the variety had already been shared prior to applying for the patent (sharing without strict written agreements prior to patenting could invalidate a patent). The description did indicate that suckers had been dug from the original and replanted at a location in a different city than the original was planted (not clear if that was a property owned by the same individual or if it was released to a different person at that time).
Iāll be very curious to see if the patent application actually gets approved on this one.
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The journey to the āFEā (patent pending) cherry began in the 1960s when Francis McCartney (known affectionately as āMomma
McCartneyā) planted a grafted North Star cherry tree in her garden in Great Falls, MT. A new variety was discovered after
suckers were left to grow to replace the original grafted portion of the tree that was dying.
In my reverse engineering thought processā¦ what cherry rootstock would be used in the 60s? Gisela 5?
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My immediate assumption was that it was grafted atop a rootstock simply grown from seed.
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Ok i read more about it and im not going to cast any shade on itā¦ im going to try it myself.
āgenetic testing has shown itās closest relative tested so far is the Evans Bali.ā
Fruit size 4-5g
ā Brix 17-21
Excellent sweet flavor balanced with tartness
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It looks and sounds good to me, I wish that it were something that would grow well in my area this far to the south.
It would make sense if a nursery out that way had been grafting onto seedlings from āEvansā given the need for cold hardiness.
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Dr. Evans āfoundā Evans Cherry in the 70s in Edmonton Canadaā¦
So that doesnt fit.
However Bali cherry does fitā¦ It has been around since the 1920s and probably very likely transferred to the US easily in those days.
But technically yesā¦ Evans/Bali does make alot of sense.
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Based on the info Iāve found, āEvansā and āBaliā are the same cherry, which some nurseries have started calling āEvanās Baliā to reference both names.
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I donāt think Evans/Bali reaches 21 brix though. My hits about 12, so FE might have better fruit quality.
Acid levels will greatly affect how sweet a āsourā cherry tastes. Iād be curious what the overall flavor balance is rather than just brix.
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I donāt know anything about cherries, but sure why not Iāll give it a shot
just ordered one
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I think Iāll bite on one too. I swung them an email earlier today for more info. The 1qt trees look to be about 2ft and the 1gals about 3ft. Theyāre all grown on their own roots.
Iāve been wanting to add a geneva 3 and meader male kiwi anyway so I can lump it all togetherā¦just gotta see if thereās anything else I want that I donāt have room for. 
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Some food for thought since this cherry resembles Evans/Bali DNAā¦for us growers south of Z4.
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I talked with Bill Mackently at St. Lawrence Nursery many times in the 1980ās. He used to call me when I lived and worked in Minnesota and ordered some apple trees from me if he ran short on some items.
Bill told me he was introducing a new tart cherry into the U.S. and was calling it Bali. The fruit supposedly ripened in August and was from a selection in Canada that readily suckered true to variety.
I later heard it was called āEvansā in Canada and āBaliā in U.S. but
the original name of āEvansā seems to have won the name game.
I too doubt Evans is a seedling of Montmorency. The flesh color on the Evans that I have eaten is very dark and much stronger cherry flavor than Montmorency has.
Interesting that this new cherry āFEā resembles Evans in DNA.
Sweet Cherry Pie tart cherry offered by Bailey Nursery in ST. Paul, MN was selected by my late friend Bill Eubank. It too suckered profusely and the suckers were true to variety. To stop that, Bailey Nursery buds them onto some Prunus rootstock which seems to reduce/eliminate the constant suckering that it was prone to do. Sweet Cherry Pie is also somewhat close in color/flavor to Evans. No idea if anyone ever did a genetic test on Sweet Cherry Pie.
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Is grafting them so they donāt sucker preferred do you think? Would they be too bushy otherwise?
Iāve shifted over to growing bush cherries like Carmine Jewel. Very productive and they stay low. So far most of the sour cherries are blooming late enough to beat our late frosts. And the fruit from the bush cherries can be pretty sweet as they get more ripe. Iām not sure I see anything in this FE variety that would be an improvement. I also have a Montmorency that fruits well, plus Nankings. I guess some folks are saying this new one might be sweeter than Montmorency but it sounds like that would be true of Evans/Bali too. Am I mising anything?
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