Chapter IV · LEADING VARIETIES OF CHERRIES (continued 3)

Kleine Glaskirsche von Montmorency. 15. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 463, 464, 465. 1819.

Long Stem Montmorency. 16. Prince Pom. Man. 2:139. 1832.

Amarelle Royale. 17. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:191-195, fig. 53. 1866.

Montmorency Ordinaire. 18. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 17. 1897. 19. Ia. Sta. Bul. 73:75, fig. 15. 1903. 20. Am. Pom. Soc. Sp. Rpt. 33, 34, Pl. 2. 1904-05.

Montmorency is the most popular Sour Cherry grown in America. No one questions its supremacy. Probably half of the cherry trees in New York, Sweet or Sour, are Montmorencies and at least three-fourths of all the trees of the Sour Cherry are of this variety. It leads in the demands for this fruit in the markets, for the cannery and for home use as a culinary cherry. Several characters give it first place. It is surpassed by no other Sour Cherry, in New York at least, in vigor, health and productiveness of tree. In the last character, in particular, it is supreme. Year in and year out, Montmorency trees are fruitful. Possibly, too, no other Sour Cherry is adapted to a greater diversity of soils than Montmorency, which, with capacity to stand heat and cold, makes the variety suitable to wide variations in environment. The cherries are in no way remarkable—not much above the average for an Amarelle in size, appearance or quality, in all of these characters being much inferior to Large Montmorency. The fruit has the advantage of being presentable in appearance and fit for culinary purposes several days before it is fully ripe and this adds to the value of the variety for the market. Brown-rot takes less toll from this cherry than of others of its kind probably because of relatively firm flesh and thick skin. These characters, also, make the fruit stand handling well in harvesting, shipping and on the markets. The preserved product, whether canned at home or commercially, is attractive in appearance and very good. Montmorency is not a dessert cherry but for those who like Sour Cherries it may be eaten out of hand with relish when it is fully matured. Some maintain that the variety falls short in the size of the tree, which is seldom more than medium, but the head is spreading and much-branched and the fruit is borne in clusters thickly scattered throughout the whole head so that the total yield from a tree is greater than would be thought from its size. For any and all purposes to which Sour Cherries are put Montmorency may be recommended as the best in its season.

Unfortunately several quite distinct cherries bear the name Montmorency and it has been most difficult to separate them in pomological literature. To make matters worse, all of them have been much confused with other varieties, Early Richmond in particular. The different Montmorencies and Early Richmond originated in the Montmorency Valley, France, several centuries ago, at least before the Seventeenth Century, probably as seedlings of Cerise Hâtive or of Cerise Commune. These Montmorency cherries differ from each other principally in their stems and fruit, one having long stems and moderate-sized, regular fruit; one shorter stems and larger fruit; and the third, very short, thick stems and oblate, irregular fruit showing a distinct suture. The first cherry has been generally known, particularly among the French, as Montmorency à Longue Queue or sometimes Cerise de Montmorency. This is the Montmorency of this sketch. Duhamel, in 1768, was the first writer to mention this cherry directly and according to his statement it was then esteemed around Paris, being superior in productiveness to the Large Montmorency.

Montmorency early found its way into England, where it soon became confused with its probable parent, the French Cerise Hâtive or the English Kentish. In a short time it had replaced Kentish in many nurseries and came to be called Kentish in much of the literature of the time. Just when Montmorency was introduced to this country is not known but it has been cultivated here under various names for many years. William Prince spoke of it in 1832 as the Long Stem Montmorency and it has long and commonly been known here as Montmorency Ordinaire. Montmorency is to be found in nearly every nursery in the United States under various names, some nurserymen using the French name, others the English, while still others are selling the variety as Large Montmorency. Many supposed strains have been given new names but it is doubtful if any distinct strains of this cherry exist. The American Pomological Society added Montmorency to its fruit catalog list in 1897 using the qualifying term Ordinaire which was dropped in 1909.

MONTMORENCY

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, with the lower branches inclined to droop, round-topped, productive; trunk and branches smooth; branches reddish-brown tinged with light ash-gray, with a few lenticels of medium size; branchlets slender, reddish-brown partly overspread with ash-gray, smooth, with a few small, inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaves three inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upwards or flattened, oval to obovate, leathery; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface pale green, with a few scattering hairs; apex and base variable in shape; margin doubly crenate, glandular; petiole one inch long, tinged with dull red, glandless or with from one to three small, globose, brownish or yellowish glands, usually at the base of the blade.

Buds obtuse, plump, free, arranged singly or in clusters on short spurs; leaf-scars obscure; season of bloom intermediate; flowers white, one and one-fourth inches across; borne in scattered clusters in twos and threes; pedicels one inch long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes tinged with red, broad, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish to obovate, crenate, with short, blunt claws and shallow, crenate apex; filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to or slightly longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; three-fourths of an inch in diameter, roundish-oblate, slightly compressed; cavity abrupt; suture very shallow; apex roundish; color light to rather dark red; dots numerous, small, russet, inconspicuous; stem thick, usually with a faint tinge of red, one inch long, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, tender, separating from the pulp; flesh pale yellow, with a reddish tinge, with abundant light pink juice, tender and melting, sprightly, tart; of very good quality; stone free, small, roundish-ovate, flattened, pointed, with smooth surfaces which are tinged with red.

NAPOLEON

Prunus avium

1. Prince Treat. Hort. 30. 1828. 2. Kenrick Am. Orch. 273, 274. 1832. 3. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 183. 1845. 4. Thomas Am. Fruit Cult. 365. 1849. 5. Ann. Pom. Belge 1:27, 28, fig. 2. 1853. 6. Elliott Fr. Book 215. 1859. 7. Thompson Gard. Ass't 527. 1859. 8. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 74. 1862. 9. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:132. 1866. 10. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 470. 1869. 11. Pom. France 7: No. 9, Pl. 9. 1871. 12. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:219, 220 fig., 221. 1877. 13. Flor. & Pom. 57, Pl. 465. 1878. 14. Mas Pom. Gen. 11:109, 110, fig. 55. 1882. 15. Cornell Sta. Bul. 98:493, fig. 87. 1895. 16. Ont. Fr. Gr. Assoc. Rpt. 5:38 fig. 1898.

Gros Bigarreau Blanc. 17. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 1:165. 1768. 18. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 308-310. 1819. 19. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:123-126, fig. 29. 1866. 20. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:179, 180 fig., 181. 1877. 21. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 354. 1889.

Lauermannskirsche. 22. Christ Handb. 664. 1797. 23. Christ Wörterb. 280. 1802. 24. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 292-295, 323-328. 1819. 25. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 367. 1889.

Lange Marmorkirsche. 26. Christ Handb. 655. 1797. 27. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 330-333. 1819.

Holländische Grosse Prinzessinkirsche. 28. Christ Wörterb. 281. 1802. 29. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 295-299. 1819. 30. Ill. Handb. 125 fig., 126. 1860. 31. Mas Pom. Gen. 11:117, 118, fig. 59. 1882. 32. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 357. 1889.

Harrison's Heart. 33. Forsyth Treat. Fr. Trees 42. 1803. 34. Brookshaw Hort. Reposit. 1:69, 70, Pl. 34 fig. 2. 1823. 35. Mas Le Verger 8:145, 146, fig. 71. 1866-73. 36. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 362. 1889.

Grosse Weisse Marmorkirsche. 37. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 316, 317, 682. 1819.

Holland Bigarreau. 38. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 181 fig., 182. 1845.

Bigarreau d'Esperen. 39. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:119, 120 fig., 121. 1866. 40. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 463. 1869. 41. Mas Le Verger 8:11, 12, fig. 4. 1866-73. 42. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:198 fig., 199. 1877. 43. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 347. 1889. 44. Rev. Hort. 321, 322. 1912.

Bigarreau Gros Coeuret. 45. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:126-129, fig. 30. 1866. 46. Pom. France 7: No. 23, Pl. 23. 1871. 47. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:208, 209 fig., 210. 1877.

Royal Ann. 48. Cal. Bd. Hort. Rpt. 59, Pl. 18. 1893-94. 49. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 192. 1907. 50. Wash. Sta. Bul. 92:31, fig. 8. 1910.

Napoleon is the leading firm-fleshed Sweet Cherry. It takes its place by virtue of the large size, handsome appearance and high quality of the fruit and the phenomenal productiveness of the trees. The accompanying plate shows well the large size and beautiful color of the cherries—unsurpassed in either character by any other Bigarreau and possibly by any other cherry. The flavor is rich and sweet which, with the abundant juice and firm, crackling flesh, makes this a most delicious and refreshing cherry for dessert and, with the great size and attractive color, gives it preference over all other Sweet Cherries for culinary purposes. In particular, cherry-canners find that Napoleon makes a finely finished product. The cherries carry well and keep long and are, therefore, well thought of by fruit-dealers. Besides being very productive, the trees come in bearing early and are as vigorous, hardy and healthy as those of any other Sweet Cherry. They may usually be known by their upright growth and large, sturdy limbs. Napoleon, however, is not without its faults. The cherries crack badly in wet weather and the variety can be grown with certainty only in the dry summer climate of the Pacific Coast, where, especially in Oregon and Washington, it reaches truly wonderful perfection. In the East, too, Napoleon is more susceptible to brown-rot than several of its rivals. Possibly the greatest fault, however, is in the tree, which is very fastidious as to soils, thriving only in choice cherry land and in a congenial cherry climate. Despite these rather serious faults, cherry-growers agree that Napoleon takes first place among Sweet Cherries for both home and commercial plantings.

Napoleon is of unknown origin. Early in the Eighteenth Century it was grown by the Germans, French, Dutch and English, proof that it is a very old variety. Leroy believes that it was described by Merlet in 1667 but under another name. The great number of synonyms in several languages gives some idea of the countries in which the variety has been grown as well as the esteem in which it has been held. There are several accounts as to when the cherry was given the name Napoleon. Probably the best authenticated is that in which it is held that Parmentier, a Belgian, gave the cherry the name of the famous emperor in 1820. When the variety was taken to England, where at that time Napoleon was not in good repute, the name of his conqueror, Wellington, was substituted but seems to have been little used. As if not content with the score or more of European names, cherry-growers in America have added at least two more. In many parts of the country it is locally called the Ox Heart. On the Pacific Coast it is grown and sold by nurserymen and fruit-growers alike as Royal Ann, a name given it by its introducer, Seth Lewelling, of Milwaukee, Oregon, who lost the label bearing the old name in taking it across the Continent in early days and gave it a new name. With incomprehensible persistency Western horticulturists maintain this synonym to the confusion of horticultural nomenclature. The American Pomological Society placed Napoleon on its fruit list in 1862, it having been grown in America for at least 40 years before receiving this honor.

NAPOLEON

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, very productive; trunk thick, shaggy; branches thick, roughened by the lenticels, dull brown overlaid with ash-gray, with numerous large, raised lenticels; branchlets thick, long, light brown overspread with gray, smooth, with a few inconspicuous, small lenticels.

Leaves numerous, five and three-fourths inches long, two and one-half inches wide, folded upward, elliptical to obovate; upper surface dark green, rugose; lower surface light green, somewhat pubescent; apex acute, base variable in shape; margin doubly serrate, with small, dark glands; petiole one and one-fourth inches long, thick, tinged with dull red, hairy along the upper surface, with from one to three large, reniform, reddish-orange glands, usually on the stalk.

Buds variable in size, conical, free, arranged singly or in thin clusters from lateral buds and from spurs; leaf-scars prominent; season of bloom intermediate; flowers white, one and one-half inches across; borne in scattering clusters in ones or in twos; pedicels variable in length, averaging one inch long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes tinged with red, long, rather narrow, acuminate, serrate, reflexed; petals oval, entire, dentate at the apex, with short, narrow claws; filaments one-half inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens, often defective.

Fruit matures in mid-season; over one inch in diameter, conical to long-cordate, compressed; cavity deep, wide, flaring; suture a distinct line; apex much pointed; color, varying shades of bright red over a yellowish background, distinctly mottled; dots obscure; stem slender, more than one inch long, adherent to the fruit; skin thin, rather adherent; flesh whitish, with a faint yellow tinge, with colorless juice, tender, meaty, crisp, mild, the flavor improving as the season advances, sweet; good to very good in quality; stone semi-clinging, small, ovate, flattened, pointed, with smooth surfaces.

NOUVELLE ROYALE

Prunus avium × Prunus cerasus

1. Flor. & Pom. 72, Pl. 1862. 2. Gard. Mon. 7:248. 1865. 3. Hogg Fruit Man. 70, 88. 1866. 4. Mas Le Verger 8:147, 148, fig. 72. 1866-73. 5. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 484. 1869. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 31. 1875. 7. Gaucher Pom. Prak. Obst. No. 80, Tab. 33. 1894. 8. Guide Prat. 9. 1895.

If this cherry were to be judged by its behavior on the grounds of this Station, it would be called one of the best of the hybrid Dukes. In particular, it would be commended by its product, the trees not making as good a showing as the fruit. The cherries are distinguished by their large size, dark red color, glossy surface, good quality, lateness in maturity and, even more particularly, sweetness, keeping in mind that the variety is a hybrid and not a true Sweet Cherry. The shape, too, offers a distinguishing character, the fruits being more oblate than in any other Duke. The long, stout stem is still another characteristic. Unfortunately the tree, while satisfactory in all other respects, is unproductive—a fatal fault in these days of commercial fruit-growing. Nouvelle Royale is not widely known in America and may well be given trial by those who want a late Duke.

This variety is supposed from its fruit- and tree-characters to be a hybrid between Early Richmond and May Duke but where, how and when it came to light is not known. Downing, in 1869, mentions the Nouvelle Royale as having recently been introduced into this country and it was noted in the Report of the American Pomological Society for 1875 but has never received a place upon the Society's fruit catalog list.

NOUVELLE ROYALE

Tree large, vigorous, upright, compact, moderately productive; trunk of medium size; branches upright, thickish; branchlets slender, long, brown partly covered with ash-gray, with very numerous conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, three and one-half inches long, two inches wide, folded upward, obovate; upper surface dark green, glossy, rugose; lower surface light green, lightly pubescent; apex abruptly pointed, base acute; margin finely and doubly serrate, glandular; petiole one and one-fourth inches long, slender, tinged with dull red, grooved and with few hairs along the upper surface, glandless or with from one to four globose, greenish-yellow or reddish glands variable in size usually at the base of the blade.

Buds small, short, obtuse, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds and on short spurs in clusters variable in size; leaf-scars obscure; season of bloom intermediate; flowers white, one inch across; borne in dense clusters in threes and fours; pedicels three-fourths of an inch long, slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube with a tinge of red, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes somewhat reddish, broad, acute, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish, entire, nearly sessile, apex entire; filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; nearly one inch in diameter, oblate, strongly compressed; cavity deep, narrow, abrupt; suture shallow; apex flattened or slightly depressed; color dark red; dots numerous, small, russet, inconspicuous; stem one and three-fourths inches long, adherent to the fruit; skin thin, tender, separating from the pulp; flesh pale yellowish or with a tinge of red, with light pink juice, slightly stringy, tender and melting, pleasantly flavored, mildly tart; of very good quality; stone free, roundish-oval, plump, blunt, oblique, with smooth surfaces often tinged with red, with small ridges radiating from the base.

OLIVET

Prunus avium × Prunus cerasus

1. Gard. Mon. 19:19. 1877. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 20. 1881. 3. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 3rd App. 164. 1881. 4. Can. Exp. Farm Bul. 17:11. 1892. 5. Cal. Sta. An. Rpt. 316. 1895-97. 6. Va. Sta. Bul. 133:27. 1902. 7. Ia. Sta. Bul. 73:76, 77. 1903. 8. Am. Pom. Soc. Sp. Rpt. 24. 1904-05. 9. Wash. Sta. Bul. 92:21. 1910.

Olivet is a large, globular, deep red, glossy cherry with a rich, vinous, subacid flavor. Some writers call Olivet a Duke while others place it with the Morellos. The fruit, on the grounds of this Station, shows many characteristics of the Morellos while the tree appears to be a Duke, suggesting that it is a hybrid between trees of the two groups. The fruit, eaten out of hand, would be rated as a very good Morello or a subacid and somewhat mediocre Duke, a fruit hardly good enough for dessert and not as good as some of the sourer cherries for culinary purposes. It is one of the earliest of the Morello-like cherries and this may give it a place in the cherry flora of the country. The trees are large and vigorous and their much-branched, round tops would seem to give the maximum amount of bearing surface, but, unfortunately, the cherries do not set abundantly. On the grounds of this Station the variety is not fruitful, this being its chief defect. In other parts of the country, however, it is reported to be either very productive or moderately so. The descriptions of this cherry as given by American experiment stations and nurserymen show plainly that there are several distinct sorts passing under the name Olivet in this country.

Olivet, of comparatively recent origin, was found at Olivet, Loire, France. American nurserymen introduced this variety sometime previous to 1877, for in that year the Gardener's Monthly mentioned the cherry as being "a valuable Duke sort filling an unoccupied place among the list of early cherries in central New York." Olivet was entered on the American Pomological Society's catalog list of fruits in 1881 where it is still retained.

OLIVET

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, round-topped, unproductive; trunk thickish, rather rough; branches thick, smooth, reddish-brown partly overspread with ash-gray, with numerous small lenticels; branchlets short, brown partly overspread with ash-gray, smooth, with numerous raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, three and one-half inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, obovate to oval, thin; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface light green, glossy, with a few scattering hairs; apex acute; margin doubly serrate, glandular; petiole one and one-fourth inches long, greenish, glandless or with one or two globose, brownish glands variable in position.

Buds usually pointed, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds and in small clusters on short spurs; leaf-scars prominent; season of bloom intermediate; flowers white, one inch across; borne in dense clusters, usually in threes; pedicels one-half inch long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube with a tinge of red, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes with a trace of red, long, of medium width, acute, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals oval to slightly obovate, entire, nearly sessile; apex entire; filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures in mid-season; nearly one inch in diameter, roundish to slightly oblate, somewhat compressed; cavity abrupt, regular; suture a line; apex roundish, with a small depression at the center; color bright red; dots russet, obscure; stem thickish, one and one-fourth inches long, adhering well to the fruit; skin tough, separating from the pulp; flesh light red, with abundant light red or wine-colored juice, tender and melting, sprightly, astringent, tart; of fairly good quality; stone free, small, roundish, slightly flattened, somewhat pointed at the apex, with smooth surfaces; somewhat ridged along the ventral suture.

OSTHEIM

Prunus cerasus

1. Christ Obstbäume 159. 1791. 2. Christ Handb. 676. 1797. 3. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 512-517. 1819. 4. Prince Pom. Man. 2:145. 1832 5. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 3:60. 1858. 6. Ill. Handb. 187 fig., 188. 1860. 7. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:295, 296 fig. 1877. 8. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 371. 1889. 9. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 25. 1899. 10. Del. Sta. An. Rpt. 12:121, 122. 1900. 11. Ia. Sta. Bul. 73:78 fig. 18, 79. 1903. 12. Wash. Sta. Bul. 92:14, 21, 22. 1910.

Ostheim finds considerable favor in the prairie states of the Middle West but is all but worthless as grown in New York and other eastern states. It is one of the Morellos and falls far short of the best of its group, the cherries being too small and of but mediocre quality. The trees are typical Morellos, round-headed, with slender, drooping branches and branchlets and very dark green foliage. The fruit is borne toward the ends of short branches which are not well distributed over the main branches, leaving much bare wood. Like all Morellos the fruit hangs long after maturity and since the ripening season is late the variety may be worth growing because of its lateness; as it may, also, in cold climates because of great hardiness. The trees on their own roots throw up many suckers which are often used in propagation. The variety has the reputation, too, of coming true to name from seeds.

Ostheim is a native of Spain and not of Germany as many have supposed. The trees were found in the region of the Sierra Morena Mountains, Spain, and were taken to Germany by a Dr. Klinghammer after the Wars of the Succession, 1701-1713. The cherry took the name Ostheim from the German town of that name where it was widely grown. The variety, being easily propagated, spread throughout Germany and soon became one of the best-known cherries. Later, the name seems to have come to be a class term for all cherries similar to the original Ostheim. The names Ostheim, Ostheimer, Griotte Ostheim and Ostheimer Weichsel are used interchangeably by foreign writers for this variety. American writers, however, have given these names to two very similar but distinct varieties. Ostheim was brought to the United States by William Robert Prince of the Linnean Botanical Gardens early in the Nineteenth Century. It has proved very satisfactory in some sections of the West and Canada, while in the East it is but a mediocre variety at best. At different times either buds or trees of so-called Ostheims have been imported to this country which have turned out not to be the true variety. What these sorts really are will remain uncertain until the several forms can be brought together and compared. Professor Budd imported a variety in 1883, which since has become known as Ostheim, carrying Griotte d'Ostheim as a synonym. Whether or not this is the old variety or a distinct strain of the Ostheim class we are unable to say. The Cerise d'Ostheim received by this Station has proved identical with this variety. Ostheim was first listed by the American Pomological Society in 1899. A cherry known as Minnesota Ostheim, introduced into Minnesota from Germany, is now recognized as a distinct sort. The variety as it is known in Kansas and Missouri is often called the German Ostheimer though some believe this to be different from the true sort.

OSTHEIM

Tree below medium in size, vigorous, upright-spreading, with drooping branchlets, dense, very productive; trunk smooth; branches rather slender, smooth, dark ash-gray partly overspreading reddish-brown, with small, raised lenticels; branchlets slender, willowy, long, brown partly overspread with ash-gray, smooth, glabrous, with small, inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaves very numerous, three and one-fourth inches long, one and one-half inches wide, folded upward, obovate to oval; upper surface very dark green, smooth; lower surface pale green, with a few scattering hairs; apex taper-pointed, base variable in shape; margin finely serrate, with small, dark glands; petiole slender, one-half inch long, short, tinged with dull red, grooved, with a few scattering hairs, with from one to three small, globose, greenish-yellow glands at the base of the blade.

Buds small, short, usually obtuse, plump, free, arranged as lateral buds and in small clusters on short spurs; leaf-scars prominent; season of bloom medium; flowers one inch across, white; borne in scattering clusters, in twos and threes; pedicels five-eighths of an inch long, rather slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green with a faint tinge of red, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes with a trace of red, rather long, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals obovate, entire, nearly sessile, apex entire; filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, nearly equal in length to the stamens.

Fruit matures very late; nearly three-fourths of an inch in diameter, roundish to slightly oblate, compressed; cavity very shallow and narrow, flaring; suture indistinct; apex roundish with a small depression at the center; color very dark red approaching black; dots numerous, small, dark russet, inconspicuous; stem slender, one and one-fourth inches long, but slightly adherent to the fruit; skin thin, tender, separating readily from the pulp; flesh dark red, with much very dark colored juice, tender and melting, sprightly, tart, losing its astringency when fully ripe; of fair quality; stone free, nearly one-half inch in diameter, roundish-oblate, somewhat pointed, with smooth surfaces slightly stained with red.

OX HEART

Prunus avium

1. Miller Gard. Kal. 154, 1734. 2. Christ Handb. 663. 1797. 3. Brookshaw Hort. Reposit. 1:36, Pl. 18 fig. 2. 1817. 4. Coxe Cult. Fr. Trees 249. 1817. 5. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 132-135. 1819. 6. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 176. 1845. 7. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 244. 1858. 8. Mas Pom. Gen. 11:57, 58, fig. 29. 1882. 9. Oberdieck Obst-Sort. 365, 366. 1882. 10. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 339, 371. 1889.

Bigarreau Gros Commun. 11. Mag. Hort. 9:203. 1843.

Ox Heart is very commonly used as a class name for the large, meaty varieties of cherries which are cordate in shape. In America the name is most often given to the light-fleshed cherries, such as Yellow Spanish, Napoleon or White Bigarreau. At one time, however, the name was applied to a distinct variety known throughout England, Germany and America, being first mentioned by Miller, an Englishman, in 1734. Coxe, in 1817, was the first American writer to list the variety but it never became popular in the New World. Ox Heart appeared among the fruits rejected by the American Pomological Society in 1858 and from then on it gradually gave way to better varieties. The synonyms of the true Ox Heart are badly confused not only with other dark-fleshed varieties but with those of the Yellow Spanish type. As some of these varieties are merely listed while others have but a meager description, it is impossible to separate or group them with any degree of certainty. In the 1909 catalog of the American Pomological Society there appears an Ox Heart of American origin and of recent introduction, known in the West as Major Francis. There are also in several nursery catalogs a "white-fleshed Ox Heart." What this variety is we are unable to say. The following is a description of Ox Heart compiled from European fruit books:

Tree medium in vigor, round-topped, spherical, productive; branches somewhat curved; internodes of medium length; leaves obovate, obtusely pointed, margin finely serrate; petiole short, rather slender, flexible, tinged red, with two reniform glands; flowers small; petals irregularly elliptical.

Fruit matures the last of June or early in July; medium to large, cordate, pointed, sides unevenly compressed; color lively red changing to intense purple or nearly black; stem of medium length and thickness, usually tinged red, inserted in a broad, deep cavity; skin tough; flesh dark red, with abundant colored juice, half-tender but firmer than most Hearts, sweet though slightly bitter before complete maturity; quality good; stone medium in size, broadly cordate, adhering to the flesh along the ventral suture.

REINE HORTENSE

Prunus avium × Prunus cerasus

1. Gen. Farmer 11:191 fig. 1850. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 55. 1856. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 211. 1856. 3. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 3:54. 1858. 4. Ill. Handb. 167 fig., 168. 1860. 5. Thomas Guide Prat. 17, 204. 1876. 6. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:379-382, fig. 1877.

D'Aremberg. 7. Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat. 45. 1831. 8. Kenrick Am. Orch. 215. 1835.

Hortense. 9. Elliott Fr. Book 196, 197 fig. 1854. 10. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 27. 1909.

Were there not so many good Duke varieties of its season Reine Hortense would take high rank among hybrid cherries. Several qualities fit it admirably for home and somewhat for commercial plantations. To begin with, it is most excellent in quality, its flavor being a commingling of the refreshing acidity of the Sour Cherry and the richness of the Sweet Cherry, though to some there may be a little too much acidity for a first-class dessert fruit. The cherries are also handsome—large, round, bright, glossy red with a shade of amber and very uniform in size, color and shape. The fruit is especially attractive on the tree as it hangs on long stems in twos and threes thickly scattered and never much clustered. Unfortunately the fruit does not stand handling in harvesting and marketing quite as well as that of some other Dukes and is a little too susceptible to brown-rot for a good commercial cherry. The chief faults of the variety, however, are in the trees rather than in the fruit. The trees are but of medium size, are not as productive as some others of the hybrid sorts, are at their best only in choice cherry soils and demand good care. In Europe, Reine Hortense is much used as a dwarf and for training on walls. It would seem that its merits and faults, as it grows in America, are such as fit it preeminently well only for the amateur.

Of the several accounts of the origin of Reine Hortense the one giving France as its home and Larose as its originator is here accepted as authentic. M. Larose of Neuilly-sur-Seine, Seine, a gardener of the imperial court, grew the original tree early in the Nineteenth Century from a seed of the Cerise Larose, a seedling of his introduction. Soon after the first mention of this variety, about 1841, there appeared the Louis XVIII, Morestin, Guigne de Petit-Brie and several others. The variety was seemingly rechristened by every nurseryman who got hold of it. At one time the name Monstreuse de Bavay was acceptable to many, it having been given to the variety by a Mr. Bavay of Vilvorde, Brabant, Belgium, about 1826. The theory that Reine Hortense comes true to seed and therefore has several strains has been discredited. The American Pomological Society recognized Reine Hortense in 1856, only a few years after being introduced into this country, by placing it on the recommended fruit list. In 1909, the Society shortened the name from Reine Hortense to Hortense but in this text we prefer to use the full name, thereby indicating clearly the person for whom the cherry was christened.

REINE HORTENSE

Tree of medium size, upright-spreading, productive; trunk shaggy; branches smooth, dark reddish-brown covered with ash-gray, with a few large lenticels; branchlets rather slender, with short internodes, brown partly overspread with ash-gray, smooth, with inconspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, four and one-half inches long, two and one-half inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate, thin; upper surface dark green, rugose; lower surface light green, pubescent along the midrib; apex taper-pointed, base abrupt; margin coarsely serrate, with dark glands; petiole one inch long, tinged with red, pubescent along the grooved upper surface, with none or with from one to four small, globose, greenish-yellow or brownish glands, usually at the base of the blade.

Buds large, long-pointed, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds and in small clusters on few long spurs; blooms appearing in mid-season; flowers white, one and one-fourth inches across; borne in dense clusters usually in threes; pedicels one inch long, slender, glabrous; calyx-tube with a tinge of red, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes long, acuminate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish, entire, sessile, with entire apex; filaments one-fourth of an inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; nearly one inch in diameter, oblong-conic to obtuse-conic, compressed; cavity somewhat shallow, narrow, abrupt, often lipped; suture indistinct; apex roundish with a small depression at the center; color amber-red; dots numerous, light russet, conspicuous; stem tortuous, slender, one and one-half inches long, adherent to the fruit; skin tender, separating from the pulp; flesh pale yellow, with colorless juice, tender and melting, sprightly subacid; of very good quality; stone free, rather large, oblong to oval, flattened, blunt, with smooth surfaces.

REPUBLICAN

Prunus avium

1. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 26. 1909.

Black Republican. 2. Cult. & Count. Gent. 35:534. 1870. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 20. 1875. 4. Am. Gard. 9:357 fig. 1888. 5. Wickson Cal. Fruits 289. 1889. 6. Wash. Sta. Bul. 92:23, 25. 1910.

Lewelling. 7. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 127. 1875. 8. Gard. Mon. 17:336. 1875. 9. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 26. 1909. 10. Wash. Sta. Bul. 92:28, 29, fig. 7. 1910.

For some reason Republican does not make headway in the favor of cherry-growers though all who have described it speak well of it. Judged by the palate, Republican is one of the best of the Bigarreaus. The cherries are rich and sweet in flavor, firm of flesh and with an abundance of refreshing juice. Judged by the eye, too, it holds its own with the best of its class, the fruit having a pleasing rotundness of shape and a beautiful dark red, almost black, glossy color. In size the variety very often falls short; for, though often given as one of the largest, it turns out to be, in many orchards, but of medium size and sometimes is small. Here seems to be its fatal defect. It is exceedingly capricious as to soils, failing wholly or in part in all but the very choicest cherry environments. The trees are large, spreading and vigorous but on the grounds of this Station are more susceptible to the shot-hole fungus than any other Sweet Cherry. It has been reported to be very subject to this disease at the Washington Station also. The failure of this cherry to meet the demands of commercial cherry-growers during a probationary period of nearly a half a century means that it is, at most, of but local value.

This variety, known under two other names, Black Republican and Lewelling, originated about the middle of the Nineteenth Century in the orchard of Seth Lewelling, Milwaukee, Oregon. In traveling across the continent in 1849, Mr. Lewelling took with him to Oregon, Bigarreau, Morello and Mahaleb cherries and from seeds of one of the Bigarreaus sprang several seedlings, among them one which was named Black Republican. The parentage of the sort is not known though it was thought to be a cross between Napoleon and Black Tartarian, having sprung up near these two trees. Some cherry-growers and nurserymen describe a cherry which they call Lewelling but in every case the descriptions agree very closely with Republican. Many list the two names separately as designating two distinct varieties of diverse origin. Of these, some have supposed Republican to be a seedling of Eagle originating in 1860. The American Pomological Society for many years listed Black Republican alone beginning in its catalog of 1875 but in 1909 the catalog contained the two names, Republican and Lewelling. Inasmuch as the consensus of opinion is that both names apply to a single cherry this Station has decided to list Republican only.

REPUBLICAN

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, very productive; trunk thick, somewhat shaggy; branches stout, roughened, brown covered with ash-gray, with large, raised lenticels; branchlets stout, with long internodes, brown nearly overspread with ash-gray, smooth except near the base, with a few small, raised, inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaves numerous, five inches long, two and five-eighths inches wide, folded upward, obovate to oval, thin; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface slightly hairy; apex acute, base abrupt; margin coarsely and doubly serrate, glandular; petiole one and one-fourth inches long, thick, tinged with dull red, with two or three large, reniform, light green or reddish glands on the stalk.

Buds pointed or obtuse, plump, free, arranged singly on the branchlets, or in small clusters on spurs of medium length; season of bloom intermediate; flowers white, one and one-half inches across; borne in scattering clusters in ones and twos; pedicels variable in length, averaging one inch long, characteristically thick, glabrous; calyx-tube tinged with red, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes variable in width, tinged with red, long-obovate to acute, finely serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals obovate, entire, with short, blunt claws, with shallow, notched apex; filaments five-sixteenths of an inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length, often defective.

Fruit matures late; about one inch in diameter, wide, variable in shape, cordate or roundish-cordate, compressed, with angular and uneven surfaces; cavity deep, wide, flaring; suture a shallow groove, often extending around the fruit; apex with a small depression at the center; color purplish-black; dots numerous, small, dark russet, inconspicuous; stem thick, one and one-eighth inches long, adherent to the fruit; skin thin; flesh purplish-red, with dark colored juice, tender, meaty, crisp, mild, sweet or with slight astringency before fully mature; of good quality; stone semi-free, small, ovate, flattened, rather blunt, with smooth surfaces.

ROCKPORT

Prunus avium

1. Horticulturist 2:59 fig., 60. 1847-48. 2. Elliott Fr. Book 201, 202 fig. 1854. 3. Hooper W. Fr. Book 270, 271. 1857. 4. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 74. 1862. 5. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:131. 1866. 6. Oberdieck Obst-Sort. 372. 1881.

Rockport is of very doubtful commercial value and has too many faults to be included with the best sweet sorts for a home orchard. It is more easily characterized by its faults than its merits. Compared with the well-known Yellow Spanish, of which it is a seedling and to which it is similar, the cherries are smaller and the pits are larger than those of the parent variety,—quite too large for the amount of pulp. Worst of the faults of the variety is, however, that the cherries are not sufficiently firm of flesh to withstand harvesting, shipping and the attacks of the brown-rot fungus. To offset the defects of the fruit the flesh is rich, sweet and tender, making it, all in all, as good as any other Sweet Cherry for dessert. The trees, too, are very satisfactory, being large, vigorous and very fruitful, though with the reputation of requiring good soil and the best of care, of lacking a little in hardiness to cold, and of having the period of maturing the crop more or less changed by soil and culture. Rockport has been, and is, more or less popular in New York but it can be recommended only for a home orchard.

Rockport is another of Professor Kirtland's introductions, having been raised by him at Cleveland, Ohio, about 1842, from a seed of Yellow Spanish. It soon won a place, in 1862, on the fruit list of the American Pomological Society where it still remains. It is mentioned by several foreign authors and many American nurserymen offer it for sale. Swedish is given as a synonym of Rockport by Hooper.

ROCKPORT

Tree large, vigorous, upright, very productive; trunk somewhat slender, roughish; branches smooth, reddish-brown, with numerous small lenticels; branchlets stout, variable in length, with long internodes, brown almost entirely overspread with ash-gray, smooth, with conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, three and one-half inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, long-oval to obovate; upper surface dark green, somewhat rugose; lower surface dull, light green, pubescent along the veins; apex acute to taper-pointed, base abrupt; margin coarsely serrate, glandular; petiole two inches long, tinged with red, with a few hairs on the upper surface, glandless or with from one to four large, reniform, reddish glands variable in position.

Buds large, long, pointed, plump, free, arranged singly and in clusters from lateral buds and short spurs; leaf-scars prominent; season of bloom intermediate; flowers white, one and one-fourth inches across; borne in clusters usually in twos; pedicels one inch long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes acute, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish, entire, dentate at the apex, nearly sessile; filaments nearly one-half inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens, often defective.

Fruit matures early; one inch in diameter, cordate to conical, compressed; cavity shallow, wide, flaring, regular; suture a distinct line; apex roundish, with a small depression at the center; color bright red over an amber-yellow background, mottled; dots very numerous, small, light yellowish, somewhat conspicuous; stem one and one-half inches long, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, tender; flesh pale yellowish-white, with colorless juice, tender, somewhat melting, aromatic, mild, sweet; good to very good in quality; stone free, ovate, plump, with smooth surfaces.

ROYAL DUKE

Prunus avium × Prunus cerasus

1. Mag. Hort. 9:204, 205. 1843. 2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 192. 1845. 3. Thomas Am. Fruit Cult. 369. 1849. 4. McIntosh Bk. Gard. 2:543. 1855. 5. Thompson Gard. Ass't 530. 1859. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 12. 1871. 7. Mas Pom. Gen. 11:125, 126, fig. 63. 1882. 8. Hogg Fruit Man. 311. 1884.

Royale d'Angleterre. 9. Christ Obstbäume 159. 1791.

Cerise Royale. 10. Christ Wörterb. 284. 1802. 11. Cat. Cong. Pom. France 40 fig. 1906.

Königskirsche. 12. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 422, 423, 424. 1819.

Ungarische Süssweichsel. 13. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 3:51. 1858.

Anglaise Hâtive.. 14. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:161-163, fig. 42. 1866. 15. Mas Le Verger 8:83, 84, fig. 40. 1866-73. 16. Pom. France 7: No. 24, Pl. 24. 1871. 17. Guide Prat. 17, 180. 1895.

Belle de Worsery. 18. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:181. 1866. 19. Mas Pom. Gen. 11:39, 40, fig. 20. 1882.

Royal Duke has a place in the cherry flora to follow in season the well-known May Duke and to precede another standard sort, Late Duke. It is so nearly like these two sorts, except in season, and so similar to Arch Duke, as well, that there is much difficulty in getting the variety true to name. It is more often taken for May Duke than for the other kinds named but it differs from this well-known sort in being a little later in season, and the cherries are larger, a little lighter in color, do not hang as thickly, being scattered along the branches, often singly, and are more oblate. The trees are markedly upright and the foliage is very dense. None of the Dukes are popular in America for market fruits and this is no exception though, among all, Royal Duke is as good as any—pleasantly flavored, juicy, refreshing and very good. The trees, too, are very satisfactory. The variety has a place in home orchards and for local markets. The French say that the tree makes a very weak growth budded on the Mahaleb and that it should be worked on the Mazzard, which is generally true of all Dukes. The buyer will have difficulty in getting the true Royal Duke in America.

The origin of this variety is unknown but the Royale d'Angleterre, mentioned by Christ in 1791, was probably the variety now known as Royal Duke, although the description is too meager to be certain. According to Thompson, Royal Duke was one of the varieties formerly cultivated in England under the names Late Duke, Arch Duke, or Late Arch Duke and was probably introduced by the London Horticultural Society from France under the name of Anglaise Tardive. When or by whom this variety was introduced into America is not known but according to Downing it was very rarely found here in the first half of the Nineteenth Century. The American Pomological Society placed Royal Duke upon its catalog list of recommended fruits in 1871.

ROYAL DUKE

Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright, vasiform, unproductive at this Station; trunk slender, roughish; branches stocky, with roughened surface, dark reddish-brown covered with ash-gray, with lenticels of medium number and size; branchlets stout, long, brown partly overspread with ash-gray, smooth except for the lenticels which are inconspicuous.

Leaves numerous, variable in size, averaging four and one-half inches long, two inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate; upper surface dark green, slightly rugose; lower surface medium green, pubescent along the midrib; apex abruptly pointed, base acute; margin serrate or crenate; petiole variable in length, often one and one-half inches long, not uniform in thickness, tinged with red, glandless or with one or two small, reniform, greenish-yellow or reddish glands, usually at the base of the blade.

Buds rather small, pointed, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds and in very dense clusters on numerous short spurs; leaf-scars obscure; time of bloom mid-season; flowers white, one inch across; borne in very dense clusters, closely grouped in fours and fives; pedicels over one-half inch long, glabrous, green; calyx-tube green or with a tinge of red, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes with a trace of red, acute, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish, entire, sessile, apex entire; filaments nearly one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures early; three-fourths inch in diameter, oblate, compressed; cavity rather narrow, abrupt, regular; suture a mere line; apex flattened or depressed; color bright red becoming darker at maturity; dots few, small, obscure; stem one and one-half inches long, adhering to the fruit; skin thin, rather tough, separating from the pulp; flesh pale yellowish-white with tinge of red, pinkish juice, tender, sprightly, pleasantly acid; good to very good in quality; stone semi-free, small, ovate, slightly flattened, with smooth surfaces.

SCHMIDT

Prunus avium

1. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 3:38. 1858. 2. Ill. Handb. 37 fig., 38. 1867. 3. Jour. Hort. N. S. 23:169 fig. 1872. 4. Flor. & Pom. 121, fig. 2. 1874. 5. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 17. 1897. 6. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 2:290. 1903.

Smith. 7. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 26. 1909.

Schmidt, shortened in accordance with the rules of the American Pomological Society from Schmidt's Bigarreau, is not new nor can it be said to be little known, since it has been rather widely planted in America for a score of years. Yet in New York, at least, it is not receiving the attention that it deserves from commercial cherry-growers, being relegated to the rear of ten or a dozen kinds when it should be in the front rank. Indeed, about Geneva, where many Sweet Cherries are grown, while not the leading market variety, it is one of the best. The characters which entitle it to a high place as a money-maker are: large size, being unsurpassed in this respect by any other black cherry in this region; its round, plump form and glossy, black color which tempt the eye; crisp, firm, juicy flesh and sweet, rich flavor, delicious to the taste; dark ruby-red color under the skin which makes it as pleasing inwardly as outwardly; freedom from brown-rot, in this respect excelling any other market sort; and a vigorous, healthy, productive tree. The tree is further characterized by its abundant, large leaves of dark, luxuriant green. The fruit is often picked before it is ripe, at which time it is dark red and not black. There is a good deal of enthusiasm in New York over several new Sweet Cherries from the Pacific Coast but in this vicinity none of these is equal to Schmidt.

Schmidt is a seedling of Festfleischige Schwarze Knorpelkirsche and was raised by Herr Schmidt, Forester at Casekow, Prussia, Germany, about 1841. It was introduced into England by Thomas Rivers of Sawbridgeworth and eventually found its way to America but how and when is not known. Schmidt appeared on the fruit list of the American Pomological Society in 1897 but only for two years when for some reason it was dropped. In 1909, a Smith was listed, with Smith's Bigarreau as a synonym. Budd-Hansen in the publication of 1903 also mentioned a Smith which is probably Schmidt. We are inclined to hold to the German spelling, Schmidt.

SCHMIDT

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, productive; trunk and branches stocky, smooth; branches dull reddish-brown covered with ash-gray, with numerous lenticels; branchlets thick, short, smooth, with rather conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, six inches long, three inches wide, folded upward, obovate; upper surface light green, smooth; lower surface pale green, pubescent along the midrib and larger veins; apex acute, base abrupt; margin serrate, glandular; petiole one and one-half inches long, thick, dull red, with a narrow, deep groove along the upper surface, glandless or with one or two large, reniform, reddish glands on the stalk.

Buds large, long, obtuse to conical, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds and in numerous small clusters; leaf-scars prominent; time of blooming mid-season; flowers white, one and one-half inches across; borne in scattering clusters in twos and threes; pedicels one inch long, thick, glabrous; calyx-tube green or with a tinge of red, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes long, broad, acute, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals oval, crenate, with short, narrow claws; filaments three-eighths inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; one inch in diameter, cordate, compressed, often slightly oblique; cavity deep, wide, flaring; suture indistinct; apex bluntly pointed; color purplish-black; dots numerous, small, dark russet, obscure; stem slender, one and one-half inches long, strongly adherent to the fruit; skin tough, separating from the pulp; flesh purplish-red, with dark colored juice, very meaty, crisp, firm, mild, sweet; of good quality; stone semi-clinging, ovate, slightly oblique, with smooth surfaces; ventral suture prominent.

SHORT-STEM MONTMORENCY

Prunus cerasus

1. Christ. Handb. 679. 1797. 2. Prince Pom. Man. 2:141, 142. 1832. 3. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:365, 366 fig., 367. 1877.

Gobet à Courte Queue. 4. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 1:180, 181, Pl. VIII. 1768. 5. Kraft Pom. Aust. 1:7, Tab. 18 fig. 1. 1792.

Gros Gobet. 6. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 634-638. 1819. 7. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 3:71, 72. 1858. 8. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:204, 308. 1866. 9. Mas Le Verger 8:51, 52, fig. 24. 1866-73. 10. Hogg Fruit Man. 299, 300. 1884. 11. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 358. 1889. 12. Guide Prat. 9, 190. 1895.

Flemish. 13. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 195 fig. 85, 196. 1845.

Cerise à Courte Queue. 14. Poiteau Pom. Franc. 2: No. 15, Pl. 1846.

Cerise Gros Fruit. 15. Pom. France 7: No. 11, Pl. 11. 1871.

In tracing the history of the Montmorency cherries from Duhamel's time to the present we have been led to conclude that three distinct types are now being cultivated. Of these closely related strains, all of which probably originated about the same time in Montmorency Valley, France, Montmorency is by far the most important and the one now grown commercially in all parts of the country. Large Montmorency, while quite similar to Montmorency, is much less grown because of its unproductiveness, although in quality it is quite equal or perhaps superior to Montmorency. Short-Stem Montmorency, under discussion here, varies considerably both in tree and fruit from either of the other two, although it is frequently taken for Large Montmorency. The tree is smaller and more drooping but usually very productive. The fruit, similar in size to Large Montmorency, differs from it by being more oblate and irregular, and in having a very deep, wide suture which becomes an indistinct line towards the apex. The skin seldom becomes as dark red even at perfect maturity. The flavor is more sprightly but its quality is not as high. All three varieties have long lists of synonyms, many of which have been used for each of the three sorts. Many writers believe that only two distinct strains of Montmorency exist and that Short-Stem Montmorency is identical with Large Montmorency. The variety is little grown in North America and is not as worthy for any purpose as either of the other two better-known sorts.

SHORT-STEM MONTMORENCY

Tree upright-spreading, round-topped, productive; trunk shaggy; branches roughish, reddish-brown covered with ash-gray, with numerous lenticels; branchlets slender, long, brown partly overspread with ash-gray, smooth, with conspicuous, numerous, small, raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, variable in size, averaging four inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, long-oval to obovate, thick; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface medium green, with a prominent midrib; apex taper-pointed, base acute; margin doubly crenate, glandular; petiole one inch long, tinged with dull red, variable in thickness, lightly pubescent, glandless or with from one to three large, raised, reniform glands on the stalk.

Buds small, short, variable in shape, free, arranged as lateral buds and on few, if any, spurs; leaf-scars obscure; season of bloom late; flowers white, one inch across; borne in a few scattering clusters, variable in number of flowers per cluster; pedicels one-half inch long, thick, greenish; calyx-tube green or with a tinge of red, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes with a trace of red, obtuse, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish-oval, crenate, sessile, with a distinctly notched apex; filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length, often defective.

Fruit matures in mid-season; over three-fourths of an inch in diameter, decidedly oblate, irregular in outline, slightly compressed; cavity deep, wide, irregular, flaring; suture very deep near the stem but shallow at the apex which is flattened or depressed; color light to dark red; dots numerous, small, russet, inconspicuous; stem very thick, less than three-fourths of an inch long, adhering strongly to the fruit; skin rather tender, separating from the pulp; flesh pale yellow, with colorless juice, tender and melting, sprightly, sour; of fair quality; stone clinging along the ventral suture, small, roundish, plump, blunt, with smooth surfaces, faintly tinged with red; ventral suture very prominent.

SKLANKA

Prunus cerasus

1. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 330. 1885. 2. Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 327. 1888. 3. U. S. D. A. Pom. Rpt. 40, 41. 1895. 4. Del. Sta. An. Rpt. 12:116 fig. 6, 117. 1900. 5. Ia. Sta. Bul. 73:83 fig. 21, 84. 1903.

Sklanka is evidently a cross between a cherry of the Amarelle group and one of the Morellos—another indication of the frequency of hybridization in this fruit. The cherries of Sklanka have the light-colored skin and juice of the Amarelles while the dwarfish, round-topped trees with pendant branches and abundant, small leaves are typical of the Morellos. The variety is in no way remarkable unless it be in hardiness, the pomologists of the colder parts of the Mississippi Valley holding that it is one of the hardiest of cherries. The fruit is not on a par with that of a score of other Amarelles and the trees, in New York at least, are too small and unproductive to be worth planting. The cherry has value, then, only where hardiness is a prime requisite.

Sklanka was imported to this country from Russia in 1883 by Professor J. L. Budd of Ames, Iowa. Its parentage and origin are uncertain. It does not seem to have been grown in continental Europe outside of Russia but in certain sections of that country it is reported as being one of the hardiest and most productive of the Sour Cherries. As grown in our Northern Central States it has proved one of the hardiest of all varieties but has not, as yet, gained much reputation commercially even in these cold regions. It is mentioned but seldom in the literature and is listed by but few nurserymen.

SKLANKA

Tree of medium size, vigorous, spreading, with drooping branchlets, open-topped, unproductive; trunk thick and smooth; branches rather slender, long, slightly roughened, reddish-brown partly overspread with ash-gray, with numerous rather small lenticels; branchlets slender and willowy, with short internodes, brown nearly covered with ash-gray, smooth except for the lenticels, which are small, numerous, raised, conspicuous.

Leaves of medium number, three and one-fourth inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, obovate to elliptical, thick, stiff; upper surface very dark green, glossy, smooth; lower surface medium green, finely pubescent along the midrib and larger veins; apex and base acute; margin finely and doubly serrate, with small, dark glands; petiole three-fourths of an inch long, thick, tinged with dull red, grooved, with a few hairs along the upper surface, with from one to four small, globose, orange-colored glands usually at the base of the blade.

Buds small, short, variable in shape, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds and in few, very small clusters; time of blooming mid-season; flowers one and three-sixteenths inches across, white; borne in dense clusters usually at the ends of branches or spurs, well distributed, usually in threes; pedicels over one-half inch long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes broad, obtuse, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish, entire, nearly sessile, with almost entire apex; filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures early; about three-fourths of an inch in diameter, oblate, not compressed; cavity of medium depth, narrow, abrupt; suture lacking; apex flattened or strongly depressed; color bright currant-red; dots numerous, light colored, slightly conspicuous; stem thick, less than one inch long, adherent to the fruit; skin rather tough, separating from the pulp; flesh pale yellow, with colorless juice, tender and melting, sour; of good quality; stone semi-free, clinging only along the ventral suture, about one-third inch in diameter, roundish, slightly flattened, blunt, with smooth surfaces.

SPARHAWK

Prunus avium

1. Kenrick Am. Orch. 219, 220. 1835.

Sparhawk's Honey. 2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 177. 1845. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 74. 1862. 4. Mas Le Verger 8:143, 144, fig. 70. 1866-73.

Honey Heart. 5. Cole Am. Fr. Book 234 fig. 37, 235. 1849.

Sparhawk has little to recommend it for either a home or commercial orchard; but the rich and honeyed sweetness of the cherries, scarcely surpassed in flavor, might make it worth planting by plant-breeders and connoisseurs of choicely good fruits. The name "honey" which appears in several of the synonyms is indicative of the flavor of the fruit. The cherries are quite too small and the pits altogether too large for a commercial product. The tree is upright-spreading, with numerous thick branches over which the cherries are rather thickly scattered in ones, twos and threes and never in clusters. The fruit-stems are characteristically long and slender. Though of the Bigarreau group the flesh is too tender to well withstand harvesting, shipping and the brown-rot.

This cherry was introduced by Edward Sparhawk, for whom it was named, of Brighton, Massachusetts. The variety has been known under a number of different names, the number being no measure of its merit, however, for it has never been extensively cultivated. The American Pomological Society placed it in its fruit catalog list of recommended varieties in 1862 but dropped it in 1871 and for many years but little attention has been given it. It is now for sale in but few of the nurseries of the country.

Tree large, vigorous, upright, rather open-topped, hardy, unproductive; trunk stocky, slightly shaggy; branches thick; branchlets medium in thickness and length; leaves numerous, five inches long, two and one-fourth inches wide, long-oval to obovate, thin, medium green; margin coarsely and doubly serrate, glandular; petiole two inches long, thick, overlaid with red, with one or two large, reniform, reddish glands on the stalk; buds intermediate in size and length; season of bloom intermediate, average length five days; flowers one and one-fourth inches across; pistil shorter than the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season, average length about nineteen days; nearly seven-eighths inch in diameter, somewhat conical, compressed; color dark red over a yellowish background, finely mottled; stem of medium thickness, one and three-eighths inches long, adherent to the fruit; skin thin, tough, separates from the pulp; flesh pale yellowish-white, with colorless juice, tender, crisp, highly flavored, mild, aromatic, sweet; very good in quality; stone nearly free, large for the size of the fruit, ovate, flattened, slightly oblique, with smooth surfaces.

SPÄTE AMARELLE

Prunus cerasus

1. Christ Handb. 679. 1797. 2. Christ Wörterb. 294. 1802. 3. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 629-632. 1819. 4. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 3:67, 68. 1858. 5. Ill. Handb. 541 fig., 542. 1861. 6. Mas Le Verger 8:149, 150, fig. 73. 1866-73. 7. Lauche Deut. Pom. III: No. 24, Pl. 1882. 8. Am. Gard. 9:264. 1888. 9. Ia. Sta. Bul. 2:36. 1888. 10. Del. Sta. An. Rpt. 12:126, 127. 1900.

Späte Morello. 11. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 78. 1890. 12. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 2:282, 283. 1903.

This is another variety with Amarelle fruit and a Morello-like tree and is unquestionably a hybrid between varieties of the two groups. Several references from the Middle West mention Späte Amarelle as very promising but in New York, where such sorts as Early Richmond and the Montmorencies thrive, it is unpromising for any purpose. The cherries are quite too poor in quality, being very sour, and the trees too unproductive to make the variety even a poor rival of a score or more of Amarelles and Dukes with which it would have to compete in this State.

The origin of this cherry is unknown but according to Truchsess it was sent out from Hanover as Späte Morelle in 1785. In 1797, Christ mentions a cherry under this name the description of which agrees with that of Späte Amarelle. Lauche states that Truchsess received the variety from Hanover under the name Späte Morelle and later changed the name to Späte Amarelle. This cherry was grown in the Paris National Nursery under the name Cerise Amarelle Tardive and at one time was commonly grown in gardens in France. In the spring of 1883, Professor J. L. Budd of Iowa brought to America a large number of cherries from central and eastern Europe. Somehow there was confusion in the description of these imported cherries and two kinds were described under the name Späte Amarelle, one a light-fleshed sort, the other with red flesh and colored juice. The true variety has light flesh and juice and a pleasant, acid flavor and is probably identical with the old French sort, Cerise Amarelle Tardive. The cherry sometimes called Späte Morello can be no other than the Späte Amarelle.

Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright-spreading, round-topped, rather unproductive; trunk stocky, somewhat shaggy; branches smooth, dark brown overspread by ash-gray, with numerous lenticels variable in size; branchlets slender, rather short, brown nearly covered with ash-gray, smooth, with slightly raised, inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaves numerous, small, folded upward, oval to somewhat obovate, rather stiff; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface medium green, pubescent only on the midrib and larger veins; apex acute, base variable in shape; margin finely serrate, glandular; petiole greenish or with a slight bronze tinge, glandless or with from one to four small, globose, brown or yellowish glands usually at the base of the blade.

Buds small, pointed, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds and in clusters on long or short spurs; leaf-scars prominent; season of bloom late; flowers one inch across, white; borne in scattered clusters, usually in threes; pedicels three-fourths of an inch long, slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green with a tinge of red, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes with a trace of red, rather narrow, acute, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals broad-oval, entire, slightly crenate at the apex; filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to or longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; one-half inch long, oblate, slightly compressed; cavity shallow, narrow; suture indistinct; apex roundish or depressed; color dark red; dots numerous, very small, obscure; stem slender, one and one-half inches long; skin thin, tender; flesh light red, with light colored juice, tender, tart; of good quality; stone free, roundish, flattened, with smooth surfaces; distinctly ridged along the ventral suture.

SUDA

Prunus cerasus

1. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 27. 1909.

Suda Hardy. 2. Ohio Hort. Soc. Rpt. 21. 1892-93. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 25. 1899. 4. Stark Brothers Cat. 1899. 5. Ia. Sta. Bul. 73:84 fig., 85. 1903. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Sp. Rpt. 36. 1904-05.

Suda has been widely advertised as an improved English Morello but, while there seem to be some slight differences between the two, the new variety is not an improvement on the old so far as can be discovered at this Station. The trees of Suda in general aspect are more upright and the stems of the cherries longer and more slender than those of English Morello, being but an inch in length in the one variety and an inch and three-fourths in the other. The trees on the grounds of this Station are not as productive as those of English Morello. The cherries, if anything, are not as high in quality as those of the older and probably the parent variety. It is doubtful if there is a place for Suda in the cherry industry of New York.

This cherry originated in the garden of a Captain Suda, Louisiana, Missouri, about 1880. The American Pomological Society listed Suda in its fruit catalog of 1899 as Suda Hardy but in 1909 shortened the name to Suda, a change which has generally been accepted.

SUDA

Tree vigorous, rather unproductive; branches slender, with numerous small lenticels; branchlets slender, long; leaves numerous, four inches long, two and one-fourth inches wide, obovate to oval, dull, dark green; margin doubly serrate, with dark glands; petiole one inch long, of medium thickness, tinged with dull red, glandless or with one or two reniform, yellowish-brown glands usually at the base of the blade; buds small, short, obtuse, arranged singly as lateral buds and on but very few, if any, spurs; season of bloom late; flowers white, one inch across; filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil shorter than the stamens.

Fruit matures very late; three-fourths inch in diameter, roundish-cordate, slightly compressed; cavity flaring; suture indistinct; color dark purplish-red; stem slender, one and three-fourths inches long, adherent to the fruit; skin separating from the pulp; flesh dark red, with dark colored juice, tender, somewhat meaty, sprightly, astringent, very sour; poor in quality; stone free or nearly so, ovate, slightly pointed, with smooth surfaces.

TIMME

Prunus cerasus

1. Ia. Sta. Bul. 73:85, 86. 1903. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 27. 1909.

Timme can hardly be distinguished from Early Richmond, differing only in smaller fruits, and probably is a seed variation of that variety. On the grounds of this Station the trees of Timme are even more productive than those of Early Richmond, one of the most fruitful of all cherries, but the greater fruitfulness of the tree hardly offsets the smaller size of the cherries. It is doubtful if this new strain can displace the older Early Richmond, which is well established in the favor of cherry-growers everywhere.

TIMME

This variety is supposed to have been brought to America from Germany by a Mr. Timme of Omaha, Nebraska. It is of some local importance in Iowa and Nebraska but as yet has not been widely distributed in America. Possibly it will be found in time that it is some old German variety renamed. It was placed on the fruit list of the American Pomological Society in 1909.

Tree medium in size, rather vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, healthy; trunk and branches thick, with numerous large lenticels; branchlets slender, long, willowy; leaves three and one-half inches long, one and five-eighths inches wide, ovate to obovate, thick, stiff, leathery, dark green; margin finely serrate, tipped with reddish-brown glands; petiole three-fourths of an inch in length, with one or two large, globose glands variable in position; flowers one inch across, in dense clusters.

Fruit matures medium early; over one-half inch in diameter, roundish-oblate; color light red becoming dark red at full maturity; stem one inch long; flesh yellowish-white, with abundant pinkish juice, tender and melting, pleasant flavored, sprightly; good in quality; stone semi-clinging, roundish-ovate, plump; prominently ridged along the ventral suture.

TOUSSAINT

Prunus cerasus

1. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 1:178-180, Pl. VII. 1768. 2. Kraft Pom. Aust. 1:7, Tab. 18 fig. 2. 1792. 3. Poiteau Pom. Franc. 2: No. 21, Pl. 1846. 4. Ann. Pom. Belge 1:103, 104, Pl. 1853. 5. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:205, 308. 1866. 6. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:305, 306 fig., 307, 308. 1877. 7. Rev. Hort. 250. 1906.

Stäts Blühender Kirschbaum. 8. Krünitz Enc. 42, 43. 1790.

All Saints. 9. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 661-668. 1819. 10. Prince Pom. Man. 2:152, 153. 1832. 11. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 3:72. 1858. 12. Hogg Fruit Man. 277. 1884. 13. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 332. 1889.

Toussaint is a marked deviation from its species. Instead of bearing blossoms normally this variety sends out small branches from the buds. In the axis of the first four leaves are borne the buds destined to produce similar branches the following spring. As the branches elongate these buds remain dormant but others are borne which produce flowers in umbel-like clusters of two or three. The trees begin blooming three or four weeks later than other cherries and new buds and flowers appear continually until August or thereabouts. The tree, too, is most striking in appearance, being dwarfish in stature, thickly set with pendant branchlets and, all in all, attractive enough to make it a rather handsome ornamental. The cherries are of little or no value, being quite too acid to eat out of hand but furnishing very late fruit which may be used for culinary purposes. The description given is compiled.

The history of the variety is uncertain. Leroy says that it was mentioned by Daléchamp, a French writer, as early as 1586. Duhamel seems to have been the first pomologist to describe it which he did in 1768 under the name Cerisier de la Toussaint. The variety is well known in Europe, being widely distributed in Austria, Germany, Belgium, France and England, pomologists and nurserymen in all these countries seeming to be well acquainted with it. There are no records of its culture in America, although Prince and Elliott describe it from European fruit books.

Tree small, hardy, moderately productive; branches slender, numerous, pendant.

Fruit small, flattened on the ends and sides; stem long; color clear red, darker on maturing, rather transparent; flesh white somewhat red at the center, with reddish juice; flavor, if mature, sour, though not excellent; stone large, long, clings to the flesh more than to the stem. The fruit borne in October never reaches maturity.

VLADIMIR

Prunus cerasus

1. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 84, 85. 1882. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 75. 1883. 3. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 327, 328. 1885. 4. Ia. Sta. Bul. 19:550. 1892. 5. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 454. 1895. 6. Del. Sta. An. Rpt. 12:128, 129. 1900. 7. Ia. Sta. Bul. 73:87. 1903. 8. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 27. 1909.

Vladimir is a Morello-like cherry not more promising in New York, at least in the orchard of this Station, than any other of the many competitors of English Morello. The cherries are large, very similar in size and appearance to those of English Morello; the pit is small, the skin very thin and separating readily from the pulp. The variety is further characterized by the very dark red flesh and dark colored juice which is too astringent and sour to eat out of hand but does very well for culinary purposes. The tree is much like that of English Morello but is far more dwarfish and not as productive, these being fatal faults for commercial planting in New York. It falls short of English Morello in another respect—the fruit ripens very unevenly. Vladimir has the reputation of being one of the hardiest of all cherries. It is said to come true from seed and does better on its own roots than on either Mazzard or Mahaleb. The Russians, according to Budd, succeed best with it when it is propagated from sprouts and allowed to form a bushy plant with several stems, the oldest of which are cut from time to time. There seems to be little in the variety to commend it for either home or commercial plantings in New York.

Vladimir is a generic name for a group of varieties grown in Russia, principally in the province of Vladimir east of Moscow. Most of these cherries are large, black fruits with highly colored juice and good quality, much valued for market use in their native country. Professor J. L. Budd imported a number of these Vladimir cherries from Orel in Central Russia and grew them at the Experiment Station grounds in Iowa, giving to each a seedling number as a distinguishing characteristic. One, Orel No. 25, was selected as being superior in many respects to the others and was finally named Vladimir. This variety, typical of these Russian cherries, has been considerably propagated and is generally distributed throughout this country. The American Pomological Society added Vladimir to its list of recommended fruits in 1909.

VLADIMIR

Tree dwarfish, round-topped, very hardy, productive; trunk medium or below in size; branches willowy, drooping, reddish-brown slightly overspread with ash-gray; branchlets slender, long, smooth, with a few small, raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, three inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, oval, thick; upper surface dull, dark green, smooth; lower surface light green, with a few scattering hairs; apex acute, base slightly abrupt; margin finely serrate, with dark colored glands; petiole one-half inch long, tinged with red, with a few scattering hairs along the stalk, glandless or with from one to four small, reniform, greenish-yellow glands at the base of the blade.

Buds small, short, very obtuse, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds and in small clusters on small spurs; leaf-scars obscure; season of bloom intermediate; flowers white, one and one-fourth inches across; borne in scattering clusters in twos, threes and fours; pedicels three-fourths of an inch long, rather slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube with a tinge of red, somewhat obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes reddish, broad, obtuse, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish or slightly obovate, irregularly crenate, with short, blunt claws, apex entire; filaments over one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit matures very late; three-eighths of an inch long, seven-eighths of an inch wide, roundish-cordate, slightly compressed; cavity rather shallow; suture a line; apex roundish; color dark red almost black at full maturity; dots numerous, small, russet, inconspicuous; stem slender, one and one-half inches or more in length, adherent to the fruit; skin thin, separating from the pulp; flesh dark red, with very dark colored juice, slightly stringy, melting, sprightly, astringent, sour; of fair quality; stone semi-clinging, rather large, long-ovate to oval, with smooth surfaces, tinged with red.

WATERLOO

Prunus avium × (Prunus avium × Prunus cerasus)

1. Prince Treat. Hort. 29. 1828. 2. Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat. 56. 1831. 3. Prince Pom. Man. 2:118. 1832. 4. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 178. 1845. 5. Floy-Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 101, 102. 1846. 6. Elliott Fr. Book 213, 214. 1854. 7. Hogg Fruit Man. 314. 1884.

This old sort, seemingly well thought of in Europe, has not been popular in America and has only historical value to cherry-growers of this country. It is an interesting cherry resembling the Bigarreaus in tree and leaf-characters while the flowers are more like those of the Dukes, the fruit, too, taking on more the aspect of the Dukes than of the Sweet Cherry. The variety has long since passed from general cultivation in the United States and can now be found only in collections or as an occasional dooryard tree.

This cherry was raised early in the Nineteenth Century by T. A. Knight, Downton Castle, Wiltshire, England, and first fruited in 1815, shortly after the Battle of Waterloo, hence its name. It was supposed to be a cross between Yellow Spanish and May Duke. The variety was brought to this country by Honorable John Lowell of Newton, Massachusetts, though it was described by Prince in 1828 from European fruit books. The following description is compiled:

Tree vigorous, thrifty, rather irregular and spreading, productive; branchlets thick, stocky, grayish; leaves large, drooping, wavy; margin slightly serrate; flowers large; stamens shorter than the pistil.

Fruit matures the last of June or early in July; large, obtuse-cordate, broad at the base, convex on one side, flattened on the other; stem one and one-half to two inches in length, slender; color dark purplish-red becoming nearly black at maturity; skin thin; flesh purplish-red becoming darker next to the stone, firm but tender, juicy, fine flavored, sweet; good in quality; stone separating readily from the pulp, small, roundish-ovate, compressed.

WHITE BIGARREAU

Prunus avium

1. Thacher Am. Orch. 217. 1822. 2. Prince Pom. Man. 2:125. 1832. 3. Mag. Hort. 8:283. 1842. 4. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 180 fig., 181. 1845. 5. Thomas Am. Fruit Cult. 366. 1849. 6. McIntosh Bk. Gard. 2:541. 1855.

Tradescant. 7. Coxe Cult. Fr. Trees 250. 1817.

White Oxheart. 8. Kenrick Am. Orch. 278. 1832.

White Bigarreau is a cherry of the past, having been considered one of the good sorts of a century ago. Rivers, the English pomologist, believed it to have come originally from Russia. It is reputed to have been brought to America from France by Chancellor Livingston of Revolutionary fame. Thacher, in 1822, described the variety first under its present name. The variety, as the synonymy shows, has been grown under many names both in America and Europe. In 1845, according to Downing, this cherry was common in the neighborhood of New York and Philadelphia but since Downing's time no one seems to have mentioned it. The variety is usually spoken of in the United States as neither hardy nor productive. The fruit books describe it as follows:

Tree medium in size, spreading, very tender, unproductive; leaves narrow, waved.

Fruit matures the last of June or early in July; large to very large, heart-shaped, somewhat pointed; color yellowish-white with a bright red cheek, mottled; flesh very firm, breaking, pleasantly flavored, sweet; very good in quality; stone separating readily from the flesh.

WHITE HEART

Prunus avium

1. Bradley Gard. 211. 1739. 2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 173, 174 fig. 1845. 3. Elliott Fr. Book 216. 1854. 4. Horticulturist 15:327, Pl. fig. 1. 1860. 5. Hogg Fruit Man. 315. 1884.

Amber Heart. 6. Miller Gard. Kal. 154. 1734. 7. Jour. Roy Hort. Soc. 21:355. 1898.

Frühe Bernsteinkirsche. 8. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 304, 305. 1819. 9. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 3:39. 1858. 10. Mas Pom. Gen. 11:45, 46, fig. 23. 1882. 11. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 348. 1889.

Kentish Bigarreau. 12. Bunyard-Thomas Fr. Gard. 43. 1904.

White Heart is mentioned in The Cherries of New York only because of its reputation in Europe and the frequent references, therefore, that American cherry-growers see to it in European publications. Bunyard and Thomas, in the reference given, speak of it as one of the best and most profitable cherries grown in the famous Kent cherry orchards. Early American horticulturists describe it but it seems not to have been widely grown in America and has probably long since passed from cultivation. It failed, according to Elliott, because it was a "variable and uncertain bearer" and while an early cherry "not early enough to compete with many new varieties."

White Heart seems to have been mentioned first by Miller in 1734. A little later it is found to be described in both Germany and France, indicating that it must have been known and widely distributed before the time given. It seems to have been brought to America before the War of the Revolution and to have been grown in this country under the several different names which are given in the list of synonyms. The following description is compiled:

Tree large, vigorous, somewhat erect, very healthy, rather productive; branches stocky, somewhat angular, with large, roundish, light colored lenticels; internodes of unequal length; leaves medium in size, oval or obovate, sharply pointed; margin finely serrate; petiole short, slender, tipped with two reniform, orange-red glands; flowers medium in size; petals obovate.

Fruit matures early in June; rather small, roundish-cordate, often one-sided, with a distinct suture; color whitish-yellow, tinged and speckled with pale red in the sun; stem long, slender, inserted in a wide, shallow cavity; skin firm; flesh light colored, firm, half-tender, breaking, juicy, sugary, pleasant; first quality; stone rather large, roundish-oval, with a pointed apex.

WINDSOR

Prunus avium

1. Gard. Mon. 24:208. 1882. 2. Cult. & Count. Gent. 49:636. 1884. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 22. 1885. 4. Del. Sta. Bul. 35:16 fig. 7. 1897. 5. Ont. Fr. Exp. Sta. Rpt. 5:41 fig. 1898. 6. Am. Gard. 21:76. 1900. 7. Can. Hort. 25:3, 262 fig., 263. 1902. 8. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 56, 57. 1907.

Windsor is the standard late Bigarreau and one of the most profitable of the hard-fleshed cherries grown in New York. Both fruit and trees deserve the approbation of cherry-growers. In color the cherries meet the market demand, buyers preferring a dark-colored Sweet Cherry. None would find fault with the appearance of Windsor. The flesh is firm and the product stands harvesting and shipping well and at a season of the year when brown-rot is usually rife this variety is fairly free from this scourge of the Sweet Cherry. The quality is from good to very good, equaled but not surpassed by others of its class. But it is in its tree-characters that the superiority of Windsor is best shown. The trees have the reputation of being the hardiest of the Bigarreaus and of thriving in many soils. They are usually fruitful. To offset these merits, the trees have two or three rather serious faults. Thus, they do not come in bearing early; they are tall and upright in growth, being almost fastigiate, making it difficult to harvest the crop; and the load of fruit is too much clustered. Cherry-growers agree that the worst of all pests of this fruit is the robin and that the Windsor, for some reason or other, is the freest of its kind from this and other thieving birds. From the behavior of the variety in New York, we can heartily join with practically all who are growing this variety in recommending it as a late, market Sweet Cherry.

Windsor originated in the latter half of the Nineteenth Century on the farm of James Dougall, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and was introduced to fruit-growers in 1881 by Ellwanger & Barry, Rochester, New York. It has been planted extensively in many sections of this country for both home and market use and is now offered for sale by a large number of nurserymen. The American Pomological Society added Windsor to its fruit catalog list in 1885 and the variety still holds a place there. Though rather widely known in the United States the commercial culture of this variety is almost wholly confined to New York. It seems as yet not to have found its way to Europe, a fact to be regretted, for its many good qualities would soon make it known in the Old World where the Sweet Cherry is better grown and more appreciated than in America.

WINDSOR

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, very productive; trunk thick, shaggy; branches stocky, very smooth, brown nearly overspread with ash-gray, with large lenticels; branchlets thick, rather short, brown overspread with light ash-gray, smooth, with few small, inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaves four inches long, two inches wide, folded upward, obovate to oval, thin; upper surface dark green, slightly rugose; lower surface light green, pubescent; margin doubly crenate, glandular; petiole one and one-fourth inches long, tinged with dull red, with from one to three globose, reddish glands of medium size on the stalk.

Buds conical or pointed, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds and in very numerous clusters variable in size, on short spurs; leaf-scars somewhat prominent; season of bloom intermediate; flowers white, one and one-fourth inches across; borne in scattering clusters, in ones and twos; pedicels one inch long, slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes greenish or with a tinge of red, acute, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals broad-oval, slightly crenate, with short, blunt claws; filaments five-sixteenths of an inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit matures in late mid-season; three-fourths of an inch in diameter, slightly oblong to conical, compressed; cavity deep, wide, flaring; suture a line; apex roundish, with a depression at the center; color very dark red becoming almost black; dots numerous, small, russet, obscure; stem slender, one and one-fourth inches long, adherent to the fruit; skin thin, adhering to the pulp; flesh light red, with reddish juice, tender, meaty, crisp, mild, sweet; good to very good in quality; stone semi-free, ovate, flattened, blunt-pointed, with smooth surfaces; ventral suture rather prominent near the apex.

WOOD

Prunus avium

1. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 26. 1909.

Governor Wood. 2. Elliott Fr. Book 196 fig. 1854. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 108. 1856. 4. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:324 fig. 1877.

Wood is preeminently a Sweet Cherry for the amateur, having many qualities that fit it for the home orchard and but few to commend it to commercial growers. The trees are a little tender to cold, are not quite productive enough to make the variety profitable and are, too, somewhat fastidious as to soils. To offset these defects, they are vigorous and healthy and bear early. But the chief fault of the cherry from the cherry-grower's standpoint is to be found in the fruit. The flesh is soft and the cherries will not stand handling in harvesting and shipping and are very susceptible to brown-rot and crack badly in wet weather. Wood has special merit in the home collection, however, because of its earliness, its beautiful appearance and delicious flavor. It is one of the first of the Sweet Cherries, is large and, as the color-plate shows, is a beautiful yellowish-white tinted with shades of crimson, with conspicuous russet dots—a beautiful fruit. The flesh separates readily from the skin, is tender, juicy, with an abundance of colorless juice and a flavor that has given it the reputation, wherever grown in America, of being one of the best in quality. It would be hard to name another cherry better suited for small plantations and it is to be hoped that it will long be kept in the gardens of connoisseurs of good fruit.

Wood is one of the best of Professor J. P. Kirtland's83 seedlings. It was raised by him in 1842 at Cleveland, Ohio, and named in honor of Reuben Wood, at one time Governor of Ohio. In 1856, it was added to the fruit list of the American Pomological Society where it still remains, being changed in 1909 to Wood with Governor Wood as a synonym. Its popularity is shown in the United States by the fact that practically every nurseryman in this country lists this variety.

WOOD

Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, open, productive; trunk stout; branches thick, smooth, dull reddish-brown covered with ash-gray, with a few small lenticels; branchlets thick, reddish-brown slightly overspread with ash-gray, smooth, glabrous, with a few inconspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, four and one-half inches long, two and one-half inches wide, folded upward, obovate, thin; upper surface light green, smooth; lower surface dull green, lightly pubescent; apex acute, base abrupt; margin coarsely and doubly serrate, glandular; petiole one and one-half inches long, slender, tinged with dull red, with from one to three reniform, reddish glands on the stalk.

Buds large, long, pointed, very plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds or in small clusters on short spurs; leaf-scars prominent; season of bloom intermediate; flowers one inch across, arranged in twos and threes; pedicels one inch long, slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube tinged with red, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes reddish, long, acute, glabrous on both surfaces, reflexed; petals roundish, crenate, with short, blunt claws; anthers yellowish; filaments one-eighth inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length, sometimes defective.

Fruit matures in early mid-season; nearly one inch in diameter, roundish-cordate, compressed; cavity of medium depth, wide, flaring; suture variable in depth, distinct, wide; apex roundish; color shades of crimson on a yellowish-white background; dots numerous, small, light russet, somewhat conspicuous, especially just before maturity; stem slender, one and one-half inches long, adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, tender, separating from the pulp; flesh whitish, with colorless juice, tender, meaty, mild, sweet; very good in quality; stone clinging, rather large, roundish, blunt, with smooth surfaces; with a broad, ventral suture.

WRAGG

Prunus cerasus

1. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 171. 1884. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 95. 1887. 3. Can. Exp. Farm Bul. 17:15 fig. 8. 1892. 4. Neb. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 39. 1892. 5. Am. Gard. 20:178. 1899. 6. Del. Sta. An. Rpt. 12:119, 120. 1900. 7. Ia. Sta. Bul. 73:89, fig. 26. 1903. 8. Am. Pom. Soc. Sp. Rpt. 38. 1904-05. 9. Wash. Sta. Bul. 92:22, 23. 1910.

Wragg is either English Morello or a strain of that variety. Trees on the grounds of this Station are identical with English Morello but it may be that here, and occasionally elsewhere, the older sort has been substituted for Wragg. In Iowa, where the new variety is most largely grown, pomologists claim that it is distinct and that it is an improvement on English Morello. Professor J. L. Budd, an authority on Russian cherries, believed that this sort is distinct and of Russian origin having, according to him, been brought to America by Ellwanger & Barry of Rochester, New York, in an importation of Russian trees. Captain C. L. Watrous of Des Moines, Iowa, another prominent pomologist of that State, was of the opinion that Wragg came to light on the grounds of J. Wragg, Waukee, Iowa, as a sprout from another tree. Colonel G. B. Brackett, pomologist of the United States Department of Agriculture, who visited Mr. Wragg's place some years ago and compared the new cherry with the English Morello, could find no distinguishing characters between the two. On the other hand, Mr. Wragg insisted that they were distinct. The American Pomological Society calls Wragg and English Morello the same. Those who believe that the two are distinct say that the fruit of Wragg is larger, the trees hardier and that the cherries ripen a little later than those of English Morello. With the information now at hand it is impossible to say here whether or not Wragg is distinct. A compiled description taken from the text describing this cherry is so unsatisfactory that we offer none and refer the reader to that of English Morello from which it differs but little, if at all.

YELLOW SPANISH

Prunus avium

1. Miller Gard. Dict. 1:1754. 2. Forsyth Treat. Fr. Trees 42. 1803. 3. Prince Treat. Hort. 28. 1828. 4. Prince Pom. Man. 2:125. 1832. 5. Thomas Am. Fruit Cult. 372. 1867. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 17. 1897. 7. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 2:291. 1903.

Biguarre Cherrie. 8. Parkinson Par. Ter. 572. 1629. 9. Rea Flora 205. 1676.

Spanish. 10. Gerarde Herball 1503, fig. 3. 1636.

Bigarreau Commun. 11. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 1:167, 168. 1768. 12. Prince Pom. Man. 2:128. 1832. 13. Poiteau Pom. Franc. 2: No. 5, Pl. 1846. 14. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:115-119, fig. 26. 1866. 15. Pom. France 7: No. 2, Pl. 2. 1871. 16. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:188-191, fig. 1877. 17. Cat. Cong. Pom. France 20, fig. 1906.

Gemeine Marmorkirsche. 18. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 301-303. 1819. 19. Ill. Handb. 123 fig., 124. 1860.

Graffion. 20. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 338-340. 1819. 21. Brookshaw Hort. Reposit. 1:69, Pl. 34 fig. 1. 1823. 22. Prince Pom. Man. 2:137, 138. 1832. 23. Cultivator N. S. 6:21, fig. 6. 1849. 24. Elliott Fr. Book 208. 1854.

Bigarreau. 25. Mag. Hort. 9:202. 1843. 26. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 179 fig., 180. 1845. 27. Floy-Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 102. 1846. 28. Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr. 52. 1848. 29. Cole Am. Fr. Book 233 fig. 31. 1849. 30. Hogg Fruit Man. 281, 282. 1884.

For centuries Yellow Spanish must have been the best of all the Bigarreaus and it is only in comparatively late years that it has had rivals. Even yet in tree-characters it is hardly equaled, surpassing Windsor, which has a notable tree, in several respects and falling short of it only in hardiness. The trees are large,—perhaps the largest of all the varieties of Prunus avium,—having an upright-spreading top which gives a large bearing surface and forms a canopy of splendid foliage. The trees are vigorous, bear abundantly and regularly and come in bearing young, with the crop well distributed and not in clusters as is the case and the fault of Windsor. Unfortunately, the cherries, though very good in most characters, do not come up to the trees in points of superiority. They are rather smaller than those of Napoleon, the greatest competitor of Yellow Spanish, and are more subject to attacks of brown-rot than several others of the Bigarreaus. As may be seen by comparing the color-plates, however, Yellow Spanish is rather the handsomer of the two cherries, the crimson color being more evenly distributed and the skin not having the mottled appearance of Napoleon. In quality Yellow Spanish is the better of the two, having tenderer flesh and a sweeter and richer flavor. Yellow Spanish is notable in the nursery for its strong, upright growth and its large leaves, the leaves of no other cherry attaining so great a size. In blossoming time the variety may be distinguished by the whiteness of the blossoms as they open and a reddish tint as they drop. It is a mid-season cherry, ripening after Wood and a few days before Napoleon. Despite the great age of the variety it still remains one of the best, furnishing proof, by the way, that varieties of cherries do not degenerate with age. In New York Yellow Spanish cannot be spared from either home or commercial plantings.

Yellow Spanish is so old and so widely disseminated that its origin can only be conjectured. From the name we naturally infer a Spanish nativity and yet it is almost equally well known as Bigarreau, a word of French derivation. Under the last name French pomologists believe that they trace its history to the First Century of the Christian Era as the variety described by Pliny under the name Cerasum Duracinum. The Germans and Austrians certainly knew this variety in the Eighteenth Century and probably much earlier, an inference to be drawn from the references given. Parkinson, the English herbalist, described a cherry in 1629 which he called the Biguarre Cherrie which later came to be known as the Bigarreau or Graffion by English writers and which we now know to be Yellow Spanish. Seven years later Gerarde described a Spanish cherry the description of which is not unlike our Yellow Spanish. Miller and Forsyth, English writers, also at an early date described a Spanish cherry which may be the fruit of this discussion.

Fortunately we are well informed as to the history of Yellow Spanish in America. Prince, one of the most accurate of American pomologists, in 1832, gave the following historical account of the Graffion, or Yellow Spanish: "This tree was imported from London by the father of the author, in the year 1802, under the name Yellow Spanish, and one of the original trees is now growing in his garden, where it produces abundantly, and there is little doubt that from his stock have originated most of the trees of this kind now in our country, as he has taken much pains to recommend it." Why Prince and other Americans came to call the variety introduced by the elder Prince of Europe as Yellow Spanish, as Bigarreau and Graffion, does not appear unless the younger Prince wanted to make the name in this country conform to that in most common usage in England at the time. Besides the names already given, Yellow Spanish has been rather widely grown in America as Ox Heart and White Caroon. This variety was placed on the recommended list of the National Congress of Fruit Growers, which afterwards became the American Pomological Society, in 1848, under the name Bigarreau. The name was changed in 1897 to Yellow Spanish and it now appears on the list of that organization as Spanish.