Chapter IV · LEADING VARIETIES OF CHERRIES

ABBESSE D'OIGNIES

Prunus avium × Prunus cerasus

1. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:182. 1866. 2. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:161, 162 fig. 1877. 3. Hogg Fruit Man. 276, 277. 1884. 4. Mich. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 329. 1888. 5. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 2:284. 1903. 6. Ia. Sta. Bul. 73:62 fig. 1907. 7. N. Y. Sta. Bul. 385:307, 308, Pl. 1914.

Abbesse d'Oignies has so many good characters that it is well worth trying commercially wherever cherries are grown in the United States. Curiously enough, it seems so far to have been tried only in the Middle West, Professor Budd having introduced it in Iowa from Russia in 1883. In the unfavorable soil and climatic conditions of the Mississippi Valley, Abbesse d'Oignies grows as well as any cherry of its class, if we may judge from the accounts of it. We do not know of its having been tried elsewhere in the East than on our grounds and here we find it, in competition with practically all of the varieties of its class, one of the best of the Dukes. At this Station it does so well that we described it, in the reference given, as one of the noteworthy fruits in our collection. The trees are large, vigorous, hardy, fruitful and very free from fungus diseases. The cherries are large, dark red, of most excellent quality, combining the flavor of the Dukes with a firmer and yet tenderer flesh than the Montmorency. The high quality, handsome appearance and good shipping qualities of the fruit, combined with the splendid characters of the tree, ought to make Abbesse d'Oignies a very good commercial variety.

This cherry probably originated in Belgium about the middle of the Nineteenth Century. At least it was first listed in Belgian nursery catalogs in 1854. It is now a greater or less favorite wherever cherries are grown in the Old World, Professor Budd having found it, as we have said, in 1883, in Russia and immediately transported it to America.

ABBESSE d'OIGNIES

Tree characteristically large and vigorous, upright-spreading, round-topped but with drooping branchlets, hardy, productive; trunk stocky, with shaggy bark; branches thick, smooth, ash-gray over reddish-brown, with many lenticels; branchlets short, with short internodes, brownish, roughened by transverse wrinkles and by numerous conspicuous, small, raised lenticels.

Leaves two and one-half inches wide, five and one-half inches long, folded upward, obovate, thick; upper surface glossy, dark green; lower surface light green, slightly pubescent, distinctly ribbed by the larger veins; apex taper-pointed, base acute; margin with small, black glands, coarsely and doubly serrate; petiole one and one-quarter inches long, thick, lightly tinged with red, grooved, with one or two small, globose, reddish-orange glands.

Buds rather long, pointed, free, arranged often in elongated clusters at the ends of long spurs; leaf-scars very prominent; season of bloom medium, averaging five days in length; flowers white, one and three-sixteenths inches across; borne in dense clusters at the ends of long spurs or spur-like branches, well distributed, varying from one to three; pedicels one-half inch long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube reddish, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes tinged red, long, narrow, somewhat acuminate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish-oval, entire, nearly sessile, with a broad, shallow notch at the apex; filaments one-quarter inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit late; three-fourths inch long, seven-eighths inch thick, roundish-oblate, slightly compressed; cavity of medium depth, wide, regular; suture a line; apex roundish, slightly depressed; color dark red; dots numerous, small, light russet, conspicuous; stem slender, one and one-half inches long, adhering to the fruit; skin tough; flesh yellowish-white, with colorless juice, slightly stringy, tender and soft, sprightly subacid; of very good quality; stone free, about three-eighths inch in diameter, roundish, turgid, slightly pointed, with smooth surfaces; ridged along the ventral suture.

ARCH DUKE

Prunus avium × Prunus cerasus

1. Parkinson Par. Ter. 571. 1629. 2. Rea Flora 205. 1676. 3. Prince Pom. Man. 2:135. 1832. 4. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 189, 190. 1845. 5. Floy-Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 97, 98. 1846. 6. Mag. Hort. 13:398 fig. 1847. 7. Elliott Fr. Book 203. 1854. 8. U. S. D. A. Rpt. 135. 1867. 9. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 12. 1871. 10. Hogg Fruit Man. 278, 279. 1884.

Griotte de Portugal. 11. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 1:190, 191, Pl. XIII. 1768. 12. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:297, 298 fig. 1877.

Portugiesischer Griottier Weichselbaum. 13. Kraft Pom. Aust. 1:6, Tab. 16 fig. 1. 1792.

Herzogskirsche. 14. Christ Handb. 670. 1797. 15. Christ Wörterb. 282. 1802. 16. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 371-376. 1819.

Portugiesische Griotte. 17. Christ Handb. 674. 1797.

Cerise Royale de Hollande. 18. Ann. Pom. Belge. 1:81, Pl. 1853.

Cerise de Portugal. 19. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:148 fig. 37, 149, 150. 1866.

Parkinson, nearly three hundred years ago, thought the Arch Duke "one of the fairest and best of cherries." It is now, however, quite surpassed by several others of the Dukes. The concensus of opinion of those who have known the true fruit of this name is that either May Duke or Late Duke is better. We give it prominence only because of its worthy past and that it may be better distinguished from May Duke with which it is often confused. As compared with the last-named variety it is two weeks later; the tree is more vigorous but not as productive; and the branches are larger, more divergent and more pendulous. The cherries are not as well flavored but are larger and have a shorter stalk.

This old English variety was first mentioned by Parkinson in Paradisus Terrestris, 1629. For many years previous to the middle of the last century the true Arch Duke cherry was very scarce and was often confused with other varieties, some writers asserting that it was the May Duke; others, the Late Duke. In 1847, however, the true Arch Duke cherry was discovered in the nurseries of Thomas Rivers, Sawbridgeworth, England, having been grown there, according to Mr. Rivers, by his ancestors for nearly a century. It was then found that the fruit was quite unlike that of either May Duke or Late Duke, though the habit of the tree was similar. It is not known when Arch Duke was introduced into America but the American Pomological Society placed it upon its fruit list in 1871.

ARCH DUKE

Tree medium in size, vigorous, somewhat upright, hardy, productive; trunk stocky, smooth; branches slender, long, smooth, reddish-brown, marked with considerable scarf-skin, with numerous, rather large lenticels; branchlets of medium length, curved, with short internodes, brown mottled with ash-gray, smooth, glabrous, with few small, slightly raised, inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaves numerous, about two inches wide, three inches long, folded upward, short-oval to obovate, of medium thickness; upper surface dark green; lower surface light green, very slightly pubescent; apex acutely pointed; margin finely and doubly serrate, glandular; petiole one inch long, tinged with dull red, slender, with one or two, rarely three small, globose, brownish glands at the base of the blade.

Buds small, short, conical, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds or in clusters of variable size; leaf-scars rather prominent; season of bloom medium; flowers white, one and one-sixteenth inches across; borne in clusters of twos and threes; pedicels three-fourths inch long, rather slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube with a faint tinge of red, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes with a trace of red, of medium length and breadth, acute, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish, entire, nearly sessile, the apex entire or with a shallow, wide notch; anthers yellowish; filaments three-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; one and one-eighth inches in diameter, obtuse-cordate, slightly compressed, flattened at the extremities; cavity of medium depth, narrow, somewhat obtuse; suture distinct; apex flattened or depressed; color light red becoming dark red or almost black at full maturity; dots numerous, of medium size, russet, rather inconspicuous; stem slender, one and one-half inches long, rather stout at its point of insertion in the fruit, adherent to the fruit; skin moderately thick; flesh light to dark red, firm, crisp, slightly astringent at first, becoming a very pleasant subacid at full maturity, juicy, good to very good in quality; stone semi-clinging, seven-sixteenths inch long, three-eighths inch wide, oval, compressed, with smooth surfaces.

BALDWIN

Prunus cerasus

1. Kan. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 23:81. 1898. 2. Kan. Hort. Soc. Cherry, The, 15, 16, Pl. 1900. 3. Ia. Sta. Bul. 73:63. 1903. 4. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 27. 1909.

Baldwin is supposed to have grown from a sprout of a stock on which Early Richmond had been budded on the farm of S. J. Baldwin, Seneca, Kansas. The Early Richmond bud was in some manner broken off and the sprout, springing from the stock, was allowed to grow and first fruited in 1891. On the grounds of this Station Baldwin trees which came fairly direct from the originator turned out to be Olivet. The published descriptions that can be found are so scant and fragmentary that we cannot make out whether the variety is really distinct or, as in the case of our trees, is Olivet renamed. The variety has been rather widely disseminated in the Middle West but has not shown much merit either for home or for commercial orchards in the rather lengthy probationary period it has had in the East. The American Pomological Society added Baldwin to its fruit list in 1909. The description we give is a compilation.

Tree vigorous, upright, round-topped; leaves large, broad; flowers white, changing to pink.

Fruit ripens early; usually borne in pairs; large, round; stem of medium length, rather thick; color very dark red, yet almost transparent; flavor slightly acid, yet considered one of the sweetest and richest of the Morello class.

BAUMANN MAY

Prunus avium

1. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 168 fig. 60. 1845. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 74. 1862. 3. Hogg Fruit Man. 279. 1884.

Frühe Maiherzkirsche. 4. Kraft Pom. Aust. 1:1, Tab. 1. 1792. 5. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 140, 141, 142. 1819. 6. Ill. Handb. 49 fig., 50. 1860. 7. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 348, 349. 1889.

Süsse Maiherzkirsche. 8. Christ Handb. 662. 1797.

May Bigarreau. 9. Kenrick Am. Orch. 234. 1841. 10. Mag. Hort. 7:288. 1841. 11. Cultivator N. S. 4:280 fig. 1. 1847. 12. Hovey Fr. Am. 1:55, 56, Pl. 1851.

Guigne Précoce de Mai. 13. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:54 fig. 2, 55, 56. 1866. 14. Mas Pom. Gen. 11:51, 52, fig. 26. 1882.

Bigarreau Baumann. 15. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:176 fig., 177. 1877.

Guigne de Mai. 16. Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom. 102 fig., 103. 1904.

Baumann May is an early Sweet Cherry which at one time held high place among its kind but a century of culture proved that it had little value except for extreme earliness and it is now but sparingly or not at all grown either in America or abroad. If the variety could be obtained it might be worth growing for breeding work because of its earliness and great productiveness. At one time this variety was rather largely grown in central and western New York and specimens of it must yet remain in this region.

From the latter part of the Eighteenth Century, when we first find an account of this variety in Kraft's Pomona Austriaca, to the last of the Nineteenth, writers have described Baumann May under many different names. From all accounts it originated toward the latter part of the Eighteenth Century, in Germany. From Germany it was introduced into Alsace where F. J. Baumann, a nurseryman at Bollweiler, grew it in his nursery under the name Bigarreau Baumann and disseminated it throughout the French provinces. The cherry was received in America, with several others, by Colonel M. P. Wilder of Boston, Massachusetts, from Messrs. Baumann, about the year 1838. The American Pomological Society listed the variety, in 1862, in its fruit catalog as Bauman's May but dropped it again in 1871. The following description is a compilation:

Tree vigorous, somewhat spreading, regular in form, compact, very productive; branches stocky, nearly horizontal but often curved downward; branchlets with short internodes, reddish-brown nearly covered with silver-gray scarf-skin; leaves medium to large, dark green, ovate-oblong, coarsely and deeply serrate; petiole rather short, with two large, reniform glands near the base of the leaf; buds large, ovate; flowers of medium size, opening very early.

Fruit matures very early; medium to rather small, ovate-cordate, angular, irregular in outline; color dark red becoming nearly black when fully ripe; stem one and three-quarters inches long, rather thick; flesh purplish-red, with abundant juice, soft and tender, sweet, well flavored; of good quality; stone medium in size, roundish-ovate.

BESSARABIAN

Prunus cerasus

1. Ia. Agr. Col. Bul. 53. 1885. 2. Ia. Sta. Bul. 2:38. 1888. 3. Ibid. 19:549. 1892. 4. Can. Exp. Farm Bul. 17:6. 1892. 5. Mich. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 244. 1894. 6. U. S. D. A. Pom. Rpt. 39, 40. 1895. 7. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 17. 1897. 8. Del. Sta. An. Rpt. 12:122, 123 fig. 8, 124. 1900. 9. Wash. Sta. Bul. 92:12. 1910.

By general consent Bessarabian has a place in home orchards in the colder parts of the Mississippi Valley and the Great Plains. It is very hardy and is said to thrive even under neglect—standing as much abuse as a forest tree. As compared with standard commercial cherries of the East the fruit is distinctly inferior in size and quality, being hardly fit to eat out of hand, and is sour and astringent even when cooked. The trees, though hardy and healthy, are dwarfish and not productive because of the smallness of the cherries. It is an early cherry but the fruit hangs long. The variety is said to root well from cuttings, which, if true, might make it worth while trying as a stock. Bessarabian is a variant of English Morello, the fruit of which sort greatly excels it wherever the trees can be equally well grown.

This variety was brought to America from Russia about 1883, by Professor J. L. Budd of Ames, Iowa, who believed it to belong to a race of cherries originally found in central Asia.

Tree of medium size, upright, becoming somewhat spreading, compact, healthy, unproductive, very hardy; branches somewhat drooping, long, slender; leaves abundant, medium to small, oval, coarsely serrate, dark green, broad, flat; glands few, usually on the stalk at the base of the leaf.

Fruit matures medium early, remaining on the tree a long time in good condition; medium in size, roundish-oblate to cordate, irregular, bright red becoming dark red; stem long, varying from one and three-fourths to two inches in length, slender, curved; skin tender; flesh light to dark red, with abundant colored juice, variable in firmness, sprightly subacid becoming milder when fully ripe; fair in quality; stone variable in size, roundish-oval, semi-clinging.

BIGARREAU PÉLISSIER

Prunus avium

1. Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom. 92 fig., 93. 1904. 2. Cat. Cong. Pom. France 30 fig. 1906.

Pélissiers Knorpelkirsche. 3. Proskauer Obstsort. 57. 1907.

This variety originated in France as a chance seedling about 1883 and fruited first in 1891. It was introduced a few years later by M. Auguste Pélissier, a nurseryman at Château-Renard, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. Although not yet well established even in France, this cherry is considered promising for market, because of its firm flesh, handsome appearance, high quality and good tree-characters. It is included among the major varieties in The Cherries of New York that the attention of American cherry-growers may be called to it. As yet it seems not to have been tried in this country. The following description is compiled:

Tree upright, vigorous, very productive; branches rather long, large, bearing large, oval leaves; flowers large, semi-open; blooming season early.

Fruit matures from early June to the last of June; large or very large, obtuse-cordate, slightly depressed at the apex, with a shallow yet distinct suture; stem short, thick; skin rather thick, firm, yellowish almost entirely overspread with vivid red which becomes darker at maturity but often showing streaks of clear red; flesh fine-grained, firm, juicy, red with streaks of white, sweet, aromatic; quality good to very good; stone of medium size, oval, with a pronounced suture.

BING

Prunus avium

1. U. S. D. A. Rpt. 262, Pl. 4 fig. a. 1892. 2. Wash. Bd. Hort. Rpt. 126, 128. 1893. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 24. 1899. 4. W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 112. 1900. 5. Ibid. 26. 1904. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 192. 1907. 7. Wickson Cal. Fruits 187. 1908. 8. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 26. 1909. 9. Wash. Sta. Bul. 92:23. 1910.

Bing is one of the best of the several very good cherries from the Pacific Northwest. But few Sweet Cherries equal it in size and attractiveness and none surpass it in quality, so that it may be said to be as good as any of the dessert cherries. It is, too, a very good shipping fruit, ranking with the best of the Bigarreaus, to which group it belongs, as a cherry for distant markets. Another quality commending the variety is that it hangs well on the trees and the crop ripens at one time so that the harvest consists of but one picking. While many cherry-growers speak well of the trees, unfortunately we cannot do so from their behavior on the grounds of this Station. They have not been as vigorous, as healthy or as productive as cherry trees should be in a commercial variety of first rank. The cause, however, may be in the location rather than in the variety, for in an orchard but a few miles distant Bing does much better than on these grounds. The variety, though comparatively new, is no longer on probation. It has a niche in the cherry flora of the country, deserving a place in the collection of every amateur by virtue of its splendid fruit. When it is happy in soil and climate, Bing is bound to be one of the leading commercial cherries.

Seth Lewelling of Milwaukee, Oregon, the originator of several of our finest cherries, grew Bing from the seed of Republican in 1875. The variety was named after a Chinese workman. In 1899 the American Pomological Society placed the variety on its fruit list.

BING

Tree large, vigorous, erect becoming upright-spreading, rather open, productive; trunk and branches thick, smooth; branches brownish with numerous, small lenticels; branchlets thick, long, with long internodes, greenish-brown, smooth, pubescent, with small, raised, conspicuous lenticels.

Leaves abundant, large, folded upward, ovate to obovate of medium thickness; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface light green, pubescent; apex abruptly pointed, or acute, base abrupt; margin slightly serrate, glandular; petiole long, pubescent, thickish, tinged red, with from one to three large, reniform, reddish glands on the stalk.

Fruit matures in mid-season or later; very large, one inch in diameter, broadly cordate, somewhat compressed, slightly angular; cavity deep, of medium width, abrupt, regular; suture a dark line; apex roundish or slightly depressed; color very dark red, almost black; dots small, russet, inconspicuous; stem variable in thickness, one and one-fourth inches long; skin of medium thickness, tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh purplish-red with dark purple juice, rather coarse, firm, very meaty, brittle, sweet; of very good quality; stone semi-free, large, ovate to oval, blunt, with smooth surfaces.

BLACK GUIGNE

Prunus avium

1. Prince Pom. Man. 2:112. 1832.

Scheur-Kers. 2. Knoop Fructologie 2:36, 43. 1771.

Frühe Schwarze Herzkirsche. 3. Christ Wörterb. 274. 1802.

Guigne Bigaudelle. 4. Prince Pom. Man. 2:113. 1832.

Coburger Maiherzkirsche. 5. Ill. Handb. 51 fig., 52. 1860. 6. Oberdieck Obst-Sort. 377. 1881. 7. Lauche Deut. Pom. III:No. 1, Pl. 1882.

Guigne Noire Commune. 8. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:328, 329 fig., 330. 1877.

Noire Hâtive de Cobourg. 9. Mas Pom. Gen. 11:123, 124, fig. 62. 1882.

There is much confusion in the history of this old cherry. It undoubtedly originated in France and in that part of the country later conquered by the Germans, though Mas, in his Pomologie Générale, mentioned it as probably of German origin. In the time of Louis XIII this variety was known as the Guigne Noire Commune and was cultivated quite extensively in France and northern Italy. It was esteemed both for its earliness and its fine quality and was known as Guigne Guindoulle by the peasants of central France and by the Tuscans in Italy as Corbini because of the color of its skin. Black Guigne, Black Heart, and Early Purple, which, while similar in many characters, are entirely distinct, have been badly confused by both French and German writers and it is only with the greatest difficulty that the three can be separated. While this cherry was formerly considered of worth in Continental Europe, it is scarcely recognized there now and was probably never brought to America. The following description is compiled from European fruit-books:

Tree very large, round-topped, spreading, irregular in outline, productive; branches long, large, straight, brownish, mottled with gray scarf-skin; internodes long and unequal; leaves large, oval or oblong, acuminate; margin irregularly serrate; petiole long, slender, with large glands; blooming season late; flowers small.

Fruit matures the last of June to the middle of July, usually attached in pairs but sometimes in threes; medium to large in size, obtuse-cordate; color bright reddish-black changing to deep purple; suture indistinct; stem slender, inserted in a deep, broad cavity; skin thin, tender; flesh dark purple, with abundant colored juice, half-tender, somewhat stringy, sweet yet sprightly, pleasantly flavored; quality good; stone small, oval.

BLACK HAWK

Prunus avium

1. Horticulturist 6:360, 361 fig. 1851. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 45, 235. 1854. 3. Elliott Fr. Book 190 fig. 1854. 4. Hooper W. Fr. Book 258, 270, 271. 1857. 5. U. S. D. A. Rpt. 382. 1875.

Épervier Noir. 6. Mas Pom. Gen. 11:41, 42, fig. 21. 1882.

Despite the fact that Black Hawk was lauded by the horticulturists in the middle of the last century as one of the best of all black Sweet Cherries, it is now almost unknown. According to the older pomologists it was unsurpassed for eating out of hand but was only mediocre in all other characters of either fruit or tree. In particular it was surpassed in many ways by the better-known Eagle which fills about the same place in cherry culture. The variety was very popular in southern Ohio about Cincinnati where many trees may still be found and where it is still more or less planted. Possibly because of the excellent quality of the fruit, the amateur might well try a tree or two. The description is compiled.

Black Hawk originated with Professor J. P. Kirtland of Cleveland, Ohio, sometime previous to 1845. It is one of the best of the many seedlings fruited by him. The American Pomological Society in 1854 named this sort as one of the promising new fruits and it still remains on the fruit-list of this organization.

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, round-topped, resembling Yellow Spanish in habit, productive, healthy; branches stout, smooth, dark reddish-brown, straight; branchlets slender, with short internodes.

Leaves large, folded upward, obovate, rather thick; upper surface dark green; lower surface pale green; apex abruptly pointed; margin coarsely and deeply serrate; petiole short, stout, bright red, with two or more orange-red, reniform glands.

Buds of medium size, rather short, free; flowers small or medium in size; pedicels long, very slender; calyx-lobes straight, finely serrate, obtuse; petals roundish, broadly and deeply notched at the tip.

Fruit matures about the middle of June, a few days later than Black Tartarian; medium to large, obtuse-cordate, surface uneven, sides compressed; cavity deep, broad, abrupt, nearly regular; color glossy, dark purplish-black changing to almost black at complete maturity; stem usually thick but often variable, of medium length; skin thick, adhering to the pulp; flesh purplish-black, tender, with abundant colored juice, aromatic, well flavored, sweet; of very good quality; stone of medium size, with uneven surfaces.

BLACK HEART

Prunus avium

1. Rea Flora 205. 1676. 2. Prince Pom. Man. 2:115. 1832. 3. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 169 fig. 1845. 4. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 195. 1854. 5. Thompson Gard. Ass't 526. 1859. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 74. 1862.

Guignier à Fruit Noir. 7. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 1:158, 159, 160, Pl. 1 fig. 1. 1768.

Frühe Schwarze Herzkirsche. 8. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 116-119. 1819. 9. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 340, 349. 1889.

Guigne Noire Ancienne. 10. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:66 fig. 7, 67, 68. 1866.

Bigarreau Noir d'Espagne. 11. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:223 fig., 224. 1877.

Although one of the oldest cherries under cultivation, Black Heart is still largely grown the world over. Prince, in 1832, said that it was more widely cultivated in the United States than any other variety and Downing, in 1845, said Black Heart was then better known than any other cherry in the country. While neither of these two statements would hold for Black Heart now, it having long since passed its heyday of popularity, it is still, because of the fruitfulness of the tree and the high quality and beauty of the fruit, a variety of much merit. Black Heart fails in the commercial fruit growing of nowadays, as compared with the cherry culture of the fruit connoisseurs of a generation ago, because it does not meet market demands, failing to do so through two defects: it does not ship well and when brown-rot is rife it quickly succumbs to this fungus. It is, too, now difficult to obtain the variety true to name, the trees at this Station, as an example, in several attempts, turning out untrue, which forces the use of a compiled description in this text.

This cherry was mentioned by John Rea in 1676 but there can be no doubt but that it originated many years previous to this date. Probably it is the cherry mentioned by Robert Dodonée, a naturalist of Malines, Belgium, in 1552. When or by whom it was introduced to America is not known but it was being grown here very early in the Nineteenth Century and ever since has been considered a valuable variety for general planting. Nearly every nurseryman throughout the United States lists Black Heart, a fact attesting its popularity. The American Pomological Society placed Black Heart on its catalog of fruits in 1862, a place which it has since retained.

Tree large, very vigorous, tall, wide-spreading, productive; branches stout, brownish, mingled with yellow, mottled with gray scarf-skin; lenticels numerous, small.

Leaves very large, oblong, waved, acuminate, nearly flat; upper surface dark green; margin deeply and coarsely serrate; petiole of medium length, lightly tinged with red, with greenish glands.

Buds large, oval, pointed; season of bloom early or very early; flowers medium in size; petals roundish, imbricated.

Fruit matures early, season long; large, obtuse-cordate, somewhat compressed; cavity broad; suture deep; surface somewhat irregular; color dark purple becoming black; stem one and three-fourths inches long, slender; skin slightly shrivelled; flesh dark red, firm to very firm becoming tender at full maturity, with abundant colored juice, sweet; good in quality; stone large, roundish-ovate; dorsal suture deep.

BLACK TARTARIAN

Prunus avium

1. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 130-132. 1819. 2. Pom. Mag. 1:44, Pl. 1828. 3. Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat. 55. 1831. 4. Prince Pom. Man. 2:113, 114. 1832. 5. Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr. 52. 1848. 6. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 3:21. 1858. 7. Ill. Handb. 61 fig., 62. 1860. 8. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:228, 229 fig., 230. 1877. 9. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 377, 378. 1889. 10. Cat. Cong. Pom. France 37. 1906.

Ronald's Large Black Heart. 11. Forsyth Treat. Fr. Trees 42, 43. 1803.

Guigne Noire à Gros Fruit. 12. Cat. Cong. Pom. France 36. 1906.

Tartarian. 13. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 26. 1909.

Black Tartarian is probably the favorite dooryard and roadside Sweet Cherry in New York and ranks second or third among commercial cherries in the State, as it probably does for the whole region east of the Mississippi. It is known by all who grow or eat cherries. The preeminently meritorious characters which give it so high a place in cherry culture are: first, and most important, the elasticity of its constitution whereby it adapts itself to widely different soils and climates; second, the fruitfulness, healthfulness and robustness of the trees which also bear regularly, live to an old age and grow to a prodigious size, oftentimes attaining a diameter of two feet; third, this variety is comparatively free from the worst of cherry diseases, brown-rot; lastly, the cherries, though not as large as some similar sorts, are tempting to the eye through their rotund form and glossy black color and are a delight to the palate, the handsome purplish-red flesh being firm and crisp, yet juicy, with a sweet, rich flavor which all agree gives the quality the rank of "very good to best." It is a virile variety and from it have come several promising seedlings and it is one of the parents of a number of cross-bred cherries. Black Tartarian is earlier than most of the Sweet Cherries with which it must compete—under most conditions a help in marketing. Unfortunately it is a little too soft to handle well in harvesting and marketing or to hold its shape as a canned product. Its small size is also against it for the canner's trade. The several defects noted prevent Black Tartarian from taking first rank in commercial orchards but for the home plantation it is one of the best.

Black Tartarian came originally from Russia. It was introduced into England in 1794 from Circassia, by Hugh Ronalds of Brentford, Middlesex, as Ronald's Large Black Heart. Two years later, John Fraser introduced a variety, a native of Crimea, which he purchased in St. Petersburg, as Fraser's Black Tartarian. This turned out to be the same as the cherry from Circassia. Some go farther back and say that Black Tartarian was carried to Russia from Spain, thence to England. It owes its introduction into this country to William Prince of Flushing, Long Island, probably in the early part of the Nineteenth Century. It was recognized in 1848 and placed on the schedule of fruits at the National Convention of Fruit Growers which later became the present American Pomological Society. The variety still retains a place among the recommended cherries but under the name Tartarian. The variety quickly became popular in America, finding a place in every orchard and in the lists of all nurserymen. Some nurserymen claim to have superior strains of the old variety; as, Green's Tartarian and Black Tartarian Improved. Comparisons show no differences. Black Russian, listed by some firms, is probably Black Tartarian as it is used many times as a synonym by foreign writers.

BLACK TARTARIAN

Tree characteristically large, vigorous, upright, vasiform, productive; trunk of medium thickness, smooth; branches smooth, reddish-brown, slightly overspread with ash-gray, with large lenticels; branchlets rather long, brown almost entirely overspread with ash-gray, smooth, glabrous, with inconspicuous, slightly raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, five and one-half inches long, two and one-half inches wide, folded upward, obovate to elliptical, thin; upper surface dark green, rugose; lower surface light green, slightly pubescent; apex acute, base abrupt; margin varies from serrate to crenate; petiole two inches long, thick, tinged with red, with a few hairs, with from one to three reniform, reddish glands of medium size usually on the stalk.

Buds pointed or obtuse, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds, or in small clusters on spurs of variable length; leaf-scars very prominent; season of bloom medium; flowers white, one and one-fourth inches across, borne in scattering well-distributed clusters in twos and threes; pedicels one inch long, slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube faintly tinged with red, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes with a trace of red, long, broad, obtuse, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish, entire, with short, blunt claws; anthers yellowish; filaments nearly one-half inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit matures early; less than one inch in diameter, cordate, compressed; cavity intermediate in depth and width, flaring; suture indistinct; apex pointed and slightly depressed; color purplish-black; dots numerous, small, russet, obscure; stem slender, one and one-half inches long, adherent to the fruit; skin thin, separating readily from the pulp; flesh purplish-red, with dark colored juice, firm, meaty, crisp, pleasant flavored, mild, sweet; of very good quality; stone free, ovate, slightly flattened and oblique, with smooth surfaces.

BLEEDING HEART

Prunus avium

1. Rea Flora 205. 1676. 2. Forsyth Treat. Fr. Trees 42. 1803. 3. Floy-Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 104. 1846. 4. Elliott Fr. Book 215. 1854.

Gascoigne. 5. Parkinson Par. Ter. 571, 572. 1629. 6. Gerarde Herball 1504. 1636. 7. Hogg Fruit Man. 298. 1884.

Red Heart. 8. Rea Flora 206. 1676. 9. Brookshaw Hort. Reposit. 2:183, Pl. 96 fig. 1. 1823.

Blutherzkirsche. 10. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 224, 225, 226. 1819.

Gascoigne's Heart. 11. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 174. 1845.

Blutrothe Molkenkirsche. 12. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 3:29. 1858.

Guigne Rouge Hâtive. 13. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:338 fig., 339. 1877.

Bleeding Heart goes back almost as far as the history of cultivated cherries. It is only of historical interest now and this chiefly because it has been the parent of many sorts of present worth. According to the old writers it took highest rank in the cherry lists of a century and more ago by virtue of its high quality and handsome appearance, the name being indicative of color and form. So far as can be made out at this late date the variety has been grown but little or not at all in America, the description here given coming from old pomologies.

This, like the preceding sort, is a cherry of several names, having been mentioned first by Parkinson in 1629 as the Gascoign Cherry. In England three different names have been applied to this variety, Gascoigne, Red Heart and Bleeding Heart. At least there seems to be little doubt that the Bleeding Heart and Red Heart listed by John Rea in 1676 were the Gascoign of Parkinson and Gerarde.

Tree of largest size, very vigorous, not very productive; branches numerous, large, long, diverging, brownish-red, mottled with gray scarf-skin; leaves very large, oblong, acuminate; margin crenate; petiole thick, long, reddish, with well-developed glands; blooming season early.

Fruit matures the latter half of July; usually in pairs, large, elongated heart-shaped, with pointed apex; color bright red changing to dark red, somewhat mottled; stem two inches long, slender; flesh reddish, rather tender although firm, with abundant juice, highly flavored, sweetish; good in quality; stone large, oblong.

BOURGUEIL

Prunus cerasus

Cerise de Bourgueil. 1. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:205. 1866.

Montmorency de Bourgueil. 2. Mas Le Verger 8:123, 124, fig. 60. 1866-73. 3. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:364, 365 fig. 1877.

Bourgueil is a variant form of Montmorency hardly differing enough in fruit from Large Montmorency to be distinguished from it and yet since it seems to be more productive than the last-named sort it is possibly worth adding to the cherry flora of the country. The variety, it must be remembered, is still on probation, but if trees true to name can be obtained it is worth planting in small numbers where growers want a cherry of the Montmorency type.

This variety was found by a Doctor Bretonneau about 1844 in Bourgueil, Indre-et-Loire, France. It is known by the name of the finder as well as that of the locality in which it originated and through having the same place of origin is often confused with Cerise Rouge Pale. The United States Department of Agriculture received this variety in 1905 from Ferdinand Jamin, Bourg-la-Reine, Seine, France, and in turn forwarded it to this Station where it has been fruiting for the past few seasons. Nurserymen do not as yet offer it for sale and it is doubtful if it is known in more than a few places in America.

BOURGUEIL

Tree vigorous, upright-spreading, vasiform, productive; branches slender, smooth, reddish-brown partly covered with ash-gray, with numerous lenticels; branchlets slender, long, brown, with some ash-gray, smooth, with numerous inconspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, four inches long, two inches wide, folded upward, obovate to ovate, thick; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface light green, pubescent along the veins; apex and base variable in shape; margin doubly crenate; petiole one inch long, thick, with a dull tinge of red, pubescent, with none or with from one to three globose, yellow or brownish glands on the base of the blade.

Buds small, short, variable in shape, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds and on short spurs in clusters variable in size; leaf-scars prominent; season of bloom late; flowers white, one and one-fourth inches across; borne in scattering, well-distributed clusters, usually in threes; pedicels short, one-half inch long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube faintly tinged with red, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes with a trace of red, broad, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals crinkled, roundish, entire, sessile, with apex entire; filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures in mid-season; three-fourths inch long, one inch wide, nearly oblate, somewhat compressed; cavity deep, wide, medium flaring, regular; suture indistinct; apex roundish to flattened; color bright red; dots small, russet, inconspicuous; stem stout, one and one-eighth inches long, adherent to the fruit; skin tender, free; flesh yellowish-white with colorless juice, tender and melting, sprightly, sour; of good quality; stone free, large, roundish-ovate, pointed, with smooth surfaces, tinged with red, with a prominent ventral suture.

BRUSSELER BRAUNE

Prunus cerasus

1. Christ Handb. 676. 1797. 2. Christ Wörterb. 288. 1802. 3. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 533-536. 1819. 4. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 3:63, 64. 1858. 5. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 333, 341. 1889. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 24. 1899. 7. Del. Sta. An. Rpt. 12:124, 125, fig. 8. 1900.

Brüsselsche Bruyn. 8. Krünitz Enc. 75, 76. 1790.

Zweite Grösser Herzkirschweichsel. 9. Kraft Pom. Aust. 1:9, Tab. 22 fig. 1. 1792.

Ratafia. 10. Hogg Fruit Man. 309, 310. 1884.

From the standpoint of commercial cherry culture, Brusseler Braune has little value. The trees are uncertain in bearing; the cherries are small, sour, and astringent; and, worse than the faults named, the crop ripens very unevenly. It is of the English Morello type but in New York, at least, is far inferior to this well-known sort. Brusseler Braune has been much advertised for cold climates but there are many better cherries that stand cold nearly or quite as well and are better in both tree and fruit characters and, in particular, that will not vex the souls of growers by ripening so unevenly. The variety has two marked peculiarities: the leaves on the two-year-old wood are very small and the fruit-stems bear a small leaflet at their base. These leaflets on the fruit-stem would have to be removed in marketing the crop—another serious defect.

No doubt Brusseler Braune originated in Holland but there is nothing definite as to the time though Truchsess, a German, writes of having received it in 1785 as Brüsselsche Bruyn. The synonyms of this variety are more or less confused with those of English Morello. This cherry was brought to America in 1883 by the late J. L. Budd with several other varieties. In the collection of trees sent out from the original importation, of which this was one, or from trees budded from them, were Griotte du Nord, Large Long Late, Shadow Amarelle, Lutovka, George Glass, Orel No. 27, or Gibb, and Bessarabian. Unfortunately the varieties were badly mixed and much confusion has resulted. It is not impossible that the first three are synonyms but the Lutovka, George Glass, Bessarabian and possibly the Gibb are distinct varieties. In 1895, this Station recommended a new cherry for trial for home and market and distributed buds throughout the state under the name Lutovka. Later it was found that an error had been made regarding the trees sent us as Lutovka, they being the Brusseler Braune. The American Pomological Society added Brusseler Braune to its fruit catalog list in 1899 but dropped it in 1909.

BRUSSELER BRAUNE

Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright-spreading but with drooping branchlets, dense, round-topped, unproductive; trunk and branches smooth, stout; branches brownish, overspread with ash-gray, with numerous small lenticels; branchlets slender, with short internodes, nearly covered with ash-gray, smooth, glabrous, with small, lightly raised, inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaves three and one-half inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, obovate, thick, grooved along the midrib; upper surface very dark, dull green; lower surface light green, pubescent; apex taper-pointed, base acute; margin finely and doubly serrate; petiole one and one-eighth inches long, tinged with dull, dark red, grooved along the upper surface, with from one to four small, globose, yellowish-green glands.

Buds pointed, plump, free, arranged as lateral buds and in clusters on scattering, short spurs; leaf-scars prominent; season of bloom late; flowers one inch across, white; borne in scattering clusters in threes and fours; pedicels one and one-eighth inches long, slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube furrowed, tinted with red, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes with a trace of red, acuminate, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals oval to obovate, entire, nearly sessile, with a shallow, wide notch at the apex; filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures very late; nearly one inch in diameter, although variable in size, roundish-cordate, slightly compressed; cavity of medium depth, narrow, abrupt; suture very shallow, indistinct; apex roundish, with a small depression at the center; color light red changing to dark red as the season advances; dots numerous, small, dark russet, inconspicuous; stem two and one-fourth inches long, with small leaflets at the base, strongly adherent to the fruit; skin thin, tender, separates readily from the pulp; flesh dark red, with dark colored juice, tender and melting, somewhat astringent, sour; of fair quality; stone nearly free when fully mature, fifteen-thirty-seconds inch long, roundish-oval, rather plump, blunt-pointed; surfaces smooth; ventral suture slightly enlarged near the base.

BUNTE AMARELLE

Prunus cerasus

1. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 652-655. 1819. 2. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 330. 1885. 3. Ia. Sta. Bul. 2:40. 1888. 4. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 2:272. 1903.

So far Bunte Amarelle has found a place only in the trying cherry climate of Iowa and neighboring States. It is not attractive enough in appearance, good enough in quality, or certain and fruitful enough in bearing to compete with other Amarelles, to which group this variety belongs. Its saving grace is extreme hardiness of tree, though vigor and health help make it somewhat desirable in cold, prairie regions of the Mid-West where cherry growing is more or less precarious. There has been much uncertainty as to the true variety and we have had to discard the trees on the Station grounds and compile a description.

This variety probably originated in Germany in the latter part of the Eighteenth Century. Truchsess, a German, in 1819, called the cherry Bunte Amarelle because of its variegated color before full maturity. The variety was introduced from Poland to America sometime previous to 1885 and has usually gone under the name of Amarelle Bunte. From all accounts Professor J. L. Budd of Ames, Iowa, the authority on these hardy cherries during his time, had two different cherries under the name Amarelle Bunte; for in his report at the Iowa Horticultural Society in 1885, he mentioned a variety under that name as being a large, dark purple and nearly sweet sort which could not have been the true Bunte Amarelle of Truchsess. Budd and Hansen in 1903 described a variety which agrees very closely with the true variety of Truchsess which we herewith describe.

Tree vigorous, upright, hardy; foliage large, coarse.

Fruit matures the second week in June; medium to large, roundish, flattened at the base; cavity variable in depth; suture shallow, indistinct; apex depressed; color yellow overspread with light red; stem green, straight, rather slender, one and one-half to two inches long; flesh slightly colored, juicy, firm but tender, pleasantly subacid; very good in quality; stone variable in size, broad.

CALIFORNIA ADVANCE

Prunus avium

1. Wickson Cal. Fruits 289, 292. 1889. 2. Wash. Sta. Bul. 92:25. 1910.

Advance. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 130. 1897.

Ulatis. 4. Mich. Sta. Bul. 177:32. 1899.

California Advance is a Sweet Cherry, one of the "Hearts" of common parlance, distinguished and worth growing only because it is extra early, though when fully ripe it is of very good quality. It is usually described as a cherry of "large size" but on the grounds of this Station the cherries run small, as they are occasionally reported elsewhere to do, suggesting that the variety requires good care and a choice cherry soil for a finely finished product. On these grounds the variety seems to be preeminently free from fungus diseases but the robin and other birds take greater toll from it than from almost any other cherry, beginning their harvest long before the fruit is fit for human fare. California Advance might well be planted in a small way for a local market in New York, or a tree or two for home use, but it has no place in large numbers in this State.

California Advance came from a seed of Early Purple sown by W. H. Chapman of Napa, California, the seedling being saved because the cherries were larger and ripened earlier than those of its parent. It has sometimes been confused with the Chapman cherry, of somewhat similar characteristics, which also originated in Napa, but the two are quite distinct.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense, productive; trunk and branches stout, smooth; branchlets of medium thickness, brownish-bronze partly covered with ash-gray, glabrous; leaves numerous, five and one-half inches long, two and one-half inches wide, long-obovate to elliptical, thin, medium green, slightly rugose; margin serrate, glandular; petiole nearly two inches long, slender, tinged with red, pubescent along the upper side and with a shallow groove, with from two to four large, reniform, reddish glands, usually on the stalk; buds large, obtuse or pointed, plump, arranged singly as lateral buds or in clusters of variable size on numerous short spurs; leaf-scars prominent; season of bloom early; flowers one and one-eighth inches across; pistil equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit ripens very early, season averaging eleven days; about three-fourths inch in diameter, roundish-cordate, compressed; color purplish-black; stem of medium thickness, often one and one-half inches long, adherent to the fruit; skin thin, tender, separates from the pulp; flesh reddish, with dark red juice, meaty, tender, mild, sweet; of very good quality; stone semi-clinging, three-eighths inch by eleven-thirty-seconds inch in size, roundish-oval, compressed, oblique, with smooth surfaces.

CARNATION

Prunus cerasus

1. Rea Flora 205. 1676. 2. Langley Pomona 86, Pl. 16 fig. 3. 1729. 3. Forsyth Treat. Fr. Trees 42. 1803. 4. Coxe Cult. Fr. Trees 251. 1817. 5. Prince Pom. Man. 2:138, 139. 1832. 6. Downing

Fr. Trees Am. 194 fig. 83. 1845. 7. Thompson Gard. Ass't 529. 1859. 8. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 74. 1862. 9. Mas Le Verger 8:91, 92, fig. 44. 1866-73. 10. Hogg Fruit Man. 289. 1884.

Cerise d'Orange. 11. Knoop Fructologie 2:36, 41. 1771.

Rothe Oranienkirsche. 12. Krünitz Enc. 55, 56. 1790. 13. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 456-463. 1819. 14. Ill. Handb. 175 fig., 176. 1860.

Carnation is a conspicuous cherry because of its beautiful color—red, a little variegated with white or yellow, hence the name. It is one of the Amarelles, similar to Montmorency except in color in which character it is more pleasing than the better-known sort. The stone separates from the pulp very readily leaving the flesh unusually bright and clean. Because of their sprightly refreshing flavor, the cherries are pleasing to the palate, as well as attractive to the eye. Unfortunately the trees are but moderately vigorous and fruitful and these qualities count so heavily against it as a commercial cherry that Carnation cannot be more than a fruit for amateurs unless under exceptional conditions. For a home plantation, however, it would be hard to name a better cherry of its kind.

Carnation is another of the choicely good, old cherries, being first mentioned by John Rea in 1676 and later by Langley in 1729. Having been cultivated for so long and disseminated among so many growers who kept meagre records in early days, this sort became badly confused with other varieties, especially with the "Cerisier à gros fruit rouge-pale," mentioned by Duhamel in 1768. How old the variety truly is or where it originated cannot be said. Carnation seems to have been first mentioned in America by William Coxe in 1817 and a few years later it was growing on the grounds of William Prince, Flushing, New York. Since that time it has been quite widely disseminated throughout the United States but is grown less extensively now than formerly. The American Pomological Society, in 1862, placed Carnation on its list of recommended fruits where it still holds a place.

CARNATION

Tree medium in size, spreading, becoming drooping, not very productive; trunk intermediate in thickness; branches reddish-brown overspread with ash-gray, with numerous lenticels variable in size; branchlets brown or ash-gray, smooth, with numerous conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaves very numerous, four inches long, two inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate, thin; upper surface dark green, roughened; lower surface dull, light green, thinly pubescent; apex acute; margin finely and doubly serrate, glandular; petiole two inches long, slender, dull red on the upper surface, with one or two large, reniform, reddish glands on the stalk.

Buds small, short, obtuse, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds, or in small clusters on numerous, short spurs; season of bloom late; flowers white, one and one-fourth inches across; borne in scattered clusters in twos and threes; pedicels one inch long, of medium thickness, glabrous, green; calyx-tube light reddish-green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes tinged with red, of medium length, broad, acute, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish-oval, entire, with short, broad claws, the apex notched; filaments in four series, the longest averaging one-half inch in length; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season or later; three-fourths of an inch long, one inch in thickness, roundish-oblate, compressed; cavity deep, abrupt; suture indistinct; apex flattened or with a deep depression; color medium to dark red; dots numerous, small, russet, inconspicuous; stem one and one-half inches long, adherent to the fruit; skin tender, separating readily from the pulp; flesh yellowish-white, with abundant colorless juice, tender and melting, sprightly; of very good quality; stone free, nearly one-half inch in diameter, roundish, blunt, with smooth surfaces.

CENTENNIAL

Prunus avium

1. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 17, 159. 1885. 2. Wickson Cal. Fruits 289. 1889. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 24. 1899.

In California, Centennial is passing from the period of probation to one of general acceptance as a standard variety. Unfortunately it has not been well tested in the East but trees growing in a commercial orchard at Geneva show the variety to be a close competitor, in this instance at least, with its parent, Napoleon, the mainstay of Sweet Cherry growers in New York. In some respects it quite surpasses Napoleon. It is larger, sweeter and better flavored and has a smaller pit. The trees fall short of those of its well-known parent, however, in being less fruitful. Even more serious defects are, in the orchard under observation, that Centennial cracks and is less successful in resisting brown-rot than Napoleon though it surpasses many other well-known sorts in these respects. The two varieties under comparison may be further distinguished by the more oblate fruits of Centennial, by a more mottled color and by the pits which are longer and more pointed in the newer variety. Centennial is recommended for home orchards and experimentally for commercial plantations.

Centennial is a seedling of Napoleon grown by Henry Chapman, Napa, California. It came in fruit in 1876 but was not introduced until 1885, Leonard Coates of Napa, California, being the introducer. Despite its many merits, Centennial did not win a place on the fruit list of the American Pomological Society until 1899.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, productive; trunk thick, roughish; branches stout, smooth, brownish, with many large lenticels; branchlets thick, with internodes of medium length.

Leaves numerous, large, flattened, long-oval to obovate, thick; upper surface dark green, rugose; lower surface pale green, thinly pubescent; apex taper-pointed; margin coarsely serrate, with small and inconspicuous glands; petiole one and one-fourth inches long, pubescent, tinged with red, with from two to four large, reniform, greenish-red, flattened glands, usually on the stalk.

Buds large, long, pointed, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds or in small clusters on short spurs; leaf-scars prominent; blooming season about the middle of May; flowers one and one-fourth inches across, usually arranged in twos and threes; pedicels variable in length averaging one and one-eighth inches, slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube faintly tinged with red, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes long, acute, glabrous on both surfaces, reflexed; petals oval, entire, tapering to short, narrow claws, with a slightly crenate apex; anthers greenish; filaments one-eighth inch long, shorter than the petals; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures the last week in June, length of season rather short; very large, short-cordate, compressed; cavity deep, wide; suture distinct, broad, shallow; apex roundish or slightly depressed; color amber-yellow, speckled and overlaid with crimson; dots whitish, inconspicuous; stem thick, one and one-fourth inches long, adherent to the pulp; skin thin, tender, cracks badly, adherent to the pulp; flesh whitish, with colorless juice, meaty, crackling, sprightly, sweet; of very good quality; stone semi-clinging, three-eighths inch in length, eleven-thirty-seconds inch in width, ovate, plump, oblique, with smooth surfaces; ridged on the ventral suture.

CHOISY

Prunus avium × Prunus cerasus

Cerisier à Fruit Ambré, à Fruit Blanc. 1. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 1:185, 186, 187, Pl. XI. 1768.

Schöne von Choisy. 2. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 452-455. 1819. 3. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 333, 334, 376. 1889.

Belle de Choisy. 4. Pom. Mag. 1:42, Pl. 1828. 5. Prince Pom. Man. 2:137. 1832. 6. Cultivator 10:150 fig. 1843. 7. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 190 fig. 79. 1845. 8. Poiteau Pom. Franc. 2: No. 27, Pl. 1846. 9. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 37, 38, 102. 1852. 10. Ann. Pom. Belge 1:63, fig. 2. 1853. 11. Elliott Fr. Book 189. 1854. 12. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 74. 1862. 13. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:169, 170 fig. 45, 171, 172. 1866. 14. Mas Le Verger 8:113, 114, fig. 55. 1866-73. 15. Hogg Fruit Man. 276, 280. 1884. 16. Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom. 80 fig., 81. 1904. 17. Cat. Cong. Pom. France 18. 1906.

It seems to be the consensus of opinion of a score or more of European and American pomologists who have known Choisy that it is the handsomest and most delicious of all Duke cherries—one of the very best of all dessert cherries. In it are delicately combined the richness of the Sweet Cherry and the sprightliness of the Sour Cherry. Unfortunately, while it bears early and regularly, the trees are seldom fruitful. As an offset to unfruitfulness, however, the trees are vigorous, hardy and healthy. The cherries keep and stand the wear and tear of marketing as well as those of any other Duke. Its qualities all commend it for the home orchard and for a local market. In particular it may be recommended for cold climates where a true Sweet Cherry is not quite hardy, this hybrid being nearly as hardy as the other parent, the Sour Cherry. Unfortunately suitable specimens of this beautiful cherry could not be obtained for a color-plate and the description has had to be compiled in part.

Duhamel describes two amber-colored cherries, one of which is listed by Leroy as Belle de Choisy. The Cerise Blanche, or Cerise Ambrée (Grosse), according to Leroy, was cultivated in Central France as early as 1628 and in 1667 Merlet wrote of it as the most curious and rare of all cherries. Kenrick, American Orchardist, 1832, lists a variety, Ambrée, which according to Floy-Lindley's and Duhamel's descriptions must be Choisy. Some writers, however, say that Choisy was first grown by M. Gondouin, a gardener for Louis XV, in 1760, at the village of Choisy near Paris. The American Pomological Society, in its report for 1852, mentioned this variety as having promise and ten years later listed it in the Society's fruit catalog where it has since remained.

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, somewhat open, hardy, but moderately productive; branches thick, of a clear grayish color with brownish-red tips; lenticels very numerous, large, roundish.

Leaves numerous, very broad, obovate, rather abruptly pointed; upper surface shining dark green, deeply and regularly serrate to rather dentate.

Buds large, thick, conical, clear brown somewhat covered with gray; season of bloom rather early; flowers white, large, numerous, borne in large clusters; petioles short, scarcely an inch in length; petals broadly round, edges dentate; calyx-lobes short, large; pistil longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures in some localities just before May Duke, in others just after that variety, ordinarily ripe, however, at the end of June; usually attached in pairs, large, roundish to somewhat oval, flattened toward the base; cavity shallow, wide; suture shallow, indistinct; apex depressed; color attractive bright red mottled with yellow and amber; stem thick at the base, one and one-half to two inches long, generally forking at about one-half inch from the base; skin thin, somewhat firm, semi-transparent showing the netted texture of the pulp beneath; flesh pale amber, with abundant colorless juice, tender, melting, sweet, pleasant flavor; very good in quality; stone medium to small, roundish, pointed at the apex; dorsal suture indistinct; surfaces nearly smooth.

CLEVELAND

Prunus avium

1. Horticulturist 2:60 fig. 1847-48. 2. Elliott Fr. Book 191 fig., 192. 1854. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 74. 1862. 4. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:131. 1866.

Knorpelkirsche von Cleveland. 5. Ill. Handb. 45 fig., 46. 1867.

Cleveland is a Bigarreau which falls so far short of its near kin, as it grows in New York at least, as not to be worth planting except as an early cherry of its type—earliness being its one saving asset. The cherries closely resemble Rockport in size, color, shape and flavor, are in no way better than that somewhat mediocre sort and are even more subject to brown-rot. It ripens with Black Tartarian and can never compete in orchard or market with that sort. Possibly Cleveland has too much merit to be wholly neglected yet it certainly is not worth planting in New York unless in a locality where it does exceptionally well and when an early cherry of its kind is wanted.

Cleveland is said by its introducer, Professor J. P. Kirtland, to be a seedling from Yellow Spanish. Its close similarity to Rockport suggests that it may have come from a pit of that variety. It was brought out in 1842 but was not adopted by the American Pomological Society for its fruit list until 1862. Despite rapidly passing popularity it is still on this list.

Tree of medium size and vigor, upright-spreading, open, very productive; trunk of medium diameter and smoothness; branches smooth, reddish-brown partly overspread with ash-gray, with many small lenticels; branchlets slender, brown partly overspread with ash-gray, smooth, with numerous small, inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaves numerous, five inches long, two and one-half inches wide, folded upward, obovate to long-elliptical, thin; upper surface medium green, slightly rugose; lower surface light green, lightly pubescent; apex acute, base abrupt; margin coarsely and doubly serrate, glandular; petiole often two inches long, reddish, rather slender, hairy, grooved, glandless or with from one to four reniform, reddish glands, usually on the stalk.

Buds small, short, pointed, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds or in clusters of variable size on rather short spurs; leaf-scars prominent; flowers white, one and one-fourth inches across; borne in scattered clusters, usually in twos; pedicels three-fourths inch long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green, tinged with red, light green within, broadly campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes tinged with red, broad, acute, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish, entire, with short, broad claws, notched and crinkled at the apex; filaments in four series, the longest averaging one-half inch in length; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit matures early; about three-fourths of an inch in diameter, cordate, compressed, cavity wide, flaring, irregular; suture shallow, indistinct; apex somewhat obtusely-pointed; color light red overspreading yellow; dots numerous, small, yellowish, obscure; stem slender, one and one-half inches long, adherent to the fruit; skin thin, tender, separating readily from the pulp; flesh light yellow, with colorless juice, tender and melting, sweet; of good quality; stone clinging, large, one-half inch long, oval, flattened at the base, plump, with smooth surfaces.

CLUSTER

Prunus cerasus

1. Parkinson Par. Ter. 572, fig. 10. 1629. 2. Gerarde Herball 1505 fig. 6. 1636. 3. Prince Pom. Man. 2:132, 133. 1832. 4. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 194 fig., 195. 1845. 5. Hogg Fruit Man. 290. 1884.

Flanders Cluster. 6. Ray Hist. Plant. 1539. 1688.

Cerisier à Bouquet. 7. Duhamel Trait Arb. Fr. 1:176, 177, 178, Pl. VI. 1768. 8. Poiteau Pom. Franc. 2: No. 16, Pl. 1846. 9. Mas Le Verger 8:47, 48, fig. 22. 1866-73.

Tros-Kers. 10. Knoop Fructologie 2:43. 1771.

Trauben oder Bouquet Amarelle. 11. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 621-629. 1819. 12. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 3:70, 71. 1858. 13. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 340. 1889.

Griotte à Bouquet. 14. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:278, 279 fig., 280, 281. 1877.

Cluster is a curiosity, characterized by fruits borne in clusters at the extremity of a single peduncle. The pistils vary from one to a dozen, setting from one to five perfect fruits in the cluster or from eight to twelve as the trees become older. The variety is little known in America but is well known in Europe, having first been described by Daléchamp in 1586, according to Leroy. Its origin is uncertain. Parkinson speaks of it as Flanders Cluster, in 1629, and as it was cultivated in Germany before 1613 and nearly as soon in Switzerland it may be assumed that either South Germany or Flanders is its native home. It appears under several names in European fruit books, the terms trochet, bouquet, buschel, and trauben all signifying that the fruits are borne in clusters and usually referring to this variety. The Cerisier à Trochet of Duhamel is probably a distinct variety. The fruit has little value and is cultivated chiefly as a curiosity. The following description is compiled:

Tree small and bushy, moderately vigorous, dense, productive; branches numerous, long, slender, somewhat curved, drooping and often breaking under a load of fruit; internodes long; leaves small, oblong, acuminate; margin doubly serrate; petiole thick, short, rigid, with small, roundish, conspicuous glands; blooming season late; flowers small.

Fruit matures the last of June, attached in twos or threes, with from two to eight fruits per cluster; variable in size, roundish, flattened at the extremities; suture prominent; color clear red becoming darker at maturity; skin tough, transparent; stem long, inserted in a deep cavity; flesh nearly white, transparent, with abundant juice which is usually uncolored but sometimes tinged red, very tender, sour, yet agreeable; quality fair; stone small, roundish, compressed.

COE

Prunus avium

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

Coe's Transparent. 2. Horticulturist 2:71, 72 fig. 1847-48. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 211. 1856. 4. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:87 fig., 88. 1866. 5. Cult. & Count. Gent. 36:326. 1871. 6. Thomas Guide Prat. 15, 206. 1876.

Guigne Coé. 7. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:319 fig., 320. 1877.

Coe's Bunte Transparent. 8. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 343. 1889.

Even earlier and certainly better than Cleveland, which we have just discussed, is Coe, long known as Coe's Transparent. This is the first of the light-colored cherries to ripen and is a splendid fruit in quality and appearance. The color-plate shows this variety very well—possibly too well, since one of its defects is variability in color, the variant usually being very light colored and not as attractive as the type. A second defect is that the fruit runs rather small. The tree-characters are in the main very good. The variety can be distinguished, as a rule, by the large, spreading tree and to a lesser extent by its hardiness, vigor, healthfulness and fruitfulness. Coe is worthy of a place in every home plantation, in orchards for local markets and in favored localities as an early cherry for the general market.

Curtis Coe of Middletown, Connecticut, grew this variety early in the Nineteenth Century from a pit of what he supposed to be Ox Heart. The American Pomological Society included Coe in its list of recommended fruits in 1856.

COE

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open, very productive; trunk stocky, shaggy; branches thick, smooth, dark reddish-brown overlaid with ash-gray, with many raised lenticels; branchlets stout, short, brown nearly covered with gray, smooth, glabrous, with numerous small, conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, four and one-fourth inches long, two and one-fourth inches wide, folded upward or flattened, long-elliptical to obovate, thin; upper surface medium green; lower surface light green, thinly pubescent; apex acute, base abrupt; margin coarsely serrate, with small, black glands; petiole one and three-fourths inches long, thick, tinged with red, grooved, hairy, with from one to three large, reniform, greenish-yellow or reddish glands on the stalk.

Buds large, long, conical, plump, free, in clusters on spurs variable in length; leaf-scars very prominent; season of bloom intermediate; flowers one and one-fourth inches across, white; borne in dense clusters, thickly distributed over the tree in twos and threes; pedicels one inch long, slender, glabrous, green; calyx-tube green, broadly campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes tinged with red, broad, obtuse, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish, entire, with a shallow notch at the apex; filaments one-quarter inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures early; nearly one inch in diameter, roundish-cordate, slightly compressed; cavity regular, abrupt; suture indistinct; apex blunt-pointed or slightly depressed; color pale amber faintly mottled with red; dots small, light yellow, inconspicuous; stem slender, one and one-half inches long, adherent to the fruit; skin thin, of medium toughness, separating from the pulp; flesh pale yellow, with colorless juice, tender, meaty, mild, sweet; good to very good in quality; stone semi-free or free, one-half inch long, less than one-half inch wide, roundish, somewhat flattened, blunt, with smooth surfaces; ridged along the ventral suture.

DIKEMAN

Prunus avium

1. Del. Sta. Bul. 35:16, 17 fig. 1897.

Dikeman has some merit as a very late Sweet Cherry but here its usefulness ends. The cherries are too small and the pits too large for this variety to have great worth. The tree is somewhat remarkable for its spreading habit and stout branches. Plant-breeders seeking for a very late sort might well choose Dikeman as a parent.

Two very similar cherries, with a variation in the spelling, pass under this name. Late in the Eighteenth Century there appeared a cherry on the Dyckman farm near New York City. Some thought it to be identical with Black Tartarian; others said it was distinct and called it Dyckman. It was never more than of local note. Some few years ago the late S. D. Willard of Geneva introduced the Dikeman cherry from the farm of George B. Dikeman, Oceana County, Michigan. This variety often goes under the name Dykeman but from the information at hand we feel certain that Dikeman is the correct spelling. On our grounds this variety and Black Tartarian, although similar, are two distinct sorts, the Dikeman being later, firmer and a clingstone.

Tree large, vigorous, broadly-spreading, open-topped, productive; trunk and branches thick, smooth; branches reddish-brown covered with ash-gray, with numerous lenticels which are variable in size; branchlets short, brown, partly covered with ash-gray, smooth, glabrous, with inconspicuous, slightly raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, four and one-half inches long, two and one-fourth inches wide, folded upward, obovate to long-elliptical, thin; upper surface medium green, slightly rugose; lower surface light green, faintly pubescent; apex acute, base abrupt; margin coarsely and doubly serrate; petiole about one and one-half inches long, tinged with red, with a few hairs, with from one to four reniform, reddish glands, usually on the stalk.

Buds large, pointed, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds or in clusters variable in size on short spurs; leaf-scars prominent; season of bloom intermediate; flowers white, one and three-eighths inches across; borne in scattering clusters, in ones, twos or threes; pedicels one and one-fourth inches long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube tinged with red, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes with reddish tinge, broad, acute, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish, entire, nearly sessile, with a shallow notch at the apex; filaments one-half inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit matures late; about three-fourths of an inch in diameter, cordate; cavity wide, flaring; suture shallow, indistinct; apex slightly pointed, with a small depression at the center; color purplish-black; dots numerous, small, dark russet, inconspicuous; stem slender, one and one-fourth inches long, adherent to the fruit; skin thin, tender, adherent to the pulp; flesh dark red, with dark colored juice, very meaty, crisp, mild, somewhat aromatic, sweet; of good quality; stone clinging, longer than wide, ovate, flattened, with smooth surfaces, somewhat marked with a reddish tinge.

DOUBLE GLASS

Prunus avium × Prunus cerasus

1. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 440-451, 487-490, 689. 1819. 2. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 3:51, 52. 1858. 3. Ill. Handb. 163 fig., 164. 1860. 4. Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 329. 1888. 5. Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 80. 1890. 6. Can. Exp. Farm Bul. 17:7. 1892. 7. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 2:274. 1903.

Amarelle Double de Verre. 8. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:197-201, fig. 55. 1866.

Great Cornelian. 9. Hogg Fruit Man. 299. 1884.

Glass. 10. Ia. Sta. Bul. 73:70. 1903.

Double Glass is a Duke, a hybrid more nearly resembling the Sweet Cherry than the Sour Cherry. The trees grow remarkably well in nursery and orchard and their behavior so pleased growers when the variety was brought to notice that it became for a time quite the vogue. But the trees turned out to be unproductive and the cherries so mediocre that the variety rapidly passed through its heyday of popularity. The fruits are curiously marked, the suture being so deep as to make them appear double—hence the name. The variety has no value where sweet sorts are hardy but possibly might find a niche somewhere in regions where a more tender Sweet Cherry cannot be grown.

This variety, of ancient and unknown origin, dates back at least to 1792 when Truchsess received it from Christ under the names Grosse Frühkirsche and Englische Erzherzogskirsche, both of which were incorrect, the first because it was not characteristic since the fruit did not ripen early, and the second because it denoted a class of dark-fleshed cherries. In France, Double Glass has long been cultivated under the name Amarelle Double de Verre. The variety was brought to America from Russia in 1883 by Professor J. L. Budd. While grown for a time in the Central States it was never highly regarded and has now nearly passed from cultivation. The following description is a compilation:

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading becoming divergent with age, usually hardy, rather unproductive; branchlets thick, reddish-brown; leaves healthy, small to medium, ovate, with serrated margins; buds large, prominent.

Fruit matures the latter part of June; usually large, roundish-oblate, with a very deep suture; color light red becoming much darker at maturity; stem long, thick; skin thin, tough, translucent; flesh yellowish, with abundant uncolored juice, firm, tender, sprightly; good in quality; stone medium in size, roundish.

DOUBLE NATTE

Prunus cerasus

1. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 538, 539. 1819. 2. Hogg Fruit Man. 292. 1884. 3. Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 327. 1888. 4.Ia. Sta. Bul. 73:67. 1903.

Cerise van der Nat. 5. Knoop Fructologie 2:41. 1771.

Kirsche von der Natte. 6. Krünitz Enc. 69, 70. 1790. 7. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 539-542. 1819. 8. Ill. Handb. 509 fig., 510. 1861.

Budd's importations of Russian cherries, to which reference is so often made in this text, brought forth almost universal praise for any and all of the foreign sorts. Cultural tests soon demonstrated, however, that most of the varieties were comparatively worthless; Double Natte is one of these. It is a very mediocre cherry of the Morello group in nowise equal to English Morello except when earliness is a prime requisite, this sort being one of the earliest of the Morellos. In flavor it is equal to English Morello but is no better. At Geneva the trees are seldom very fruitful. From the eulogistic reports of its behavior in the Middle West it would seem that it was better adapted to Iowa, for instance, than for New York.

This variety was first mentioned by Knoop, the Dutch pomologist, in 1771—origin not given. Some years ago Professor J. L. Budd also imported from Russia a cherry under the name Riga No. 18. This cherry has been grown as a separate variety under the name Riga but the descriptions of it are all identical with those of Double Natte and there can be no doubt but that they are one and the same.

DOUBLE NATTE

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, somewhat vasiform, productive; trunk and branches smooth; branches brown nearly covered with ash-gray, with a few large lenticels; branchlets long, with short internodes, brown partly covered with ash-gray, smooth, with a few very large, raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, three and three-eighths inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, short-obovate, thick, stiff; upper surface glossy, slightly rugose; lower surface pale green, thinly pubescent; apex sharp-pointed, tapering toward the base; margin coarsely serrate, glandular; petiole thick, dull red, grooved on the upper surface, nearly one inch long, glandless or with one or two small glands at the base of the blade.

Buds conical or pointed, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds and in small clusters on spurs; leaf-scars inconspicuous; season of bloom intermediate; flowers white, one and one-fourth inches across; borne in scattering clusters in twos and threes; pedicels one inch long, slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube with a faint reddish tinge, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes tinged red, long, acute, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals obovate, entire, tapering to short, narrow claws, with a broad but shallow notch at the apex; filaments about one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit matures early; three-fourths of an inch in diameter, cordate to conical, compressed; cavity somewhat abrupt, regular; suture deep, distinct, often extending entirely around the fruit; apex depressed; color dark red; dots numerous, small, brownish, obscure; stem slender, one and three-fourths inches long, adheres strongly to the fruit; skin thin, tough, separating readily from the pulp; flesh dark red, with reddish juice, tender and melting, sprightly, sour; good to very good in quality; stone nearly free, longer than wide, nearly round, slightly flattened, with smooth surfaces; somewhat ridged along the ventral suture.

DOWNER

Prunus avium

1. Kenrick Am. Orch. 218. 1835. 2. Hovey Fr. Am. 2:93, 94, Pl. 1851.

Downer's Red Heart. 3. Kenrick Am. Orch. 276. 1832.

Downer's Late. 4. Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr. 52. 1848. 5. Ann. Pom. Belge 2:65, Pl. 1854.

Guigne Tardive de Downer. 6. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:95 fig., 96, 97. 1866.

Downer is a Sweet Cherry, one of the so-called "Hearts" much prized by those who know it as a late cherry delicately and richly flavored. Possibly it is the best of the late Sweet Cherries. Several defects keep it from being of any considerable worth; it thrives only in the choicest soils; the trees are often unhealthy as well as lacking in vigor; the flesh is thin and the stone is large; and, though the cherries set abundantly, the yield is small because the fruits are small. So, while the variety is almost indispensable in a home orchard, ripening after almost all of the dessert cherries have gone, Downer has small place in a commercial plantation. It should be said further in its favor, however, as a commercial fruit, that it stands harvesting and shipping very well.

Downer takes the name of Samuel Downer, Dorchester, Massachusetts, who grew it some time before 1832 when it first found a place in pomological works. It was included by the American Pomological Society in its schedule of fruits in 1848 as Downer's Late. It now appears as Downer with Downer's Late Red as a synonym in accordance with the rules of the Society.

DOWNER

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense-topped, productive; trunk thick, with shaggy bark; branches thick, roughened, dark brown overspread with dark gray, with numerous large lenticels; branchlets slender, long, brown partly covered with ash-gray, smooth, with inconspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, three inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, obovate, rather stiff; upper surface dark green; lower surface light green, hairy along the veins; apex acute, base abrupt; margin doubly serrate, glandular; petiole one inch long, thick, dark red, grooved, glandless or with from one to three large, globose or reniform glands on the stalk.

Buds small, except the terminals which are large, pointed, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds, or in small clusters on short spurs; leaf-scars prominent; flowers white, one and one-fourth inches across; borne in thin clusters in ones and in twos; pedicels variable in length often one inch long, glabrous; calyx-tube faintly tinged with red, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes tinged with red, acuminate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish, entire, somewhat sessile, with a shallow notch at the apex; pistil glabrous, nearly equal to the stamens in length, often defective.

Fruit matures among the latest; three-fourths of an inch in diameter, roundish-cordate, slightly compressed; cavity very shallow, flaring; suture obscure; apex variable in shape usually somewhat pointed; color light to dark red frequently showing an amber background on the shaded side; dots numerous, small, russet, inconspicuous; stem one and three-fourths inches long, adherent to the fruit; skin tough, separating from the pulp; flesh pale yellow, with colorless juice, somewhat stringy, tender, with soft flesh, mild and pleasant, sweet when fully ripe; good to very good in quality; stone large, free, ovate, flattened, with smooth surfaces; somewhat ridged along the ventral suture.

DYEHOUSE

Prunus cerasus

1. Horticulturist 25:176, 177. 1870. 2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 3rd App. 161. 1881. 3. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 17. 1897.

Dyehouse is conspicuous among cherries for its earliness and for the beauty of its fruit. Early Richmond is the standard early cherry yet Dyehouse is a week earlier, just as attractive in appearance and equally well flavored. It is near of kin to Early Richmond but the two may be distinguished by the difference in time of ripening and by its brighter, clearer color, greater opaqueness, more highly colored juice and slightly smaller size. Possibly this cherry would supersede the better-known Early Richmond were it not for the defect in size and for the further faults of being less productive and more capricious to environment, as it fails to thrive in localities where the older sort is quite at home. It is a worthy rival of Early Richmond, however, and ought to be grown both for home and commercial purposes far more than it is.

To H. T. Harris of Stamford, Kentucky, belongs the honor of introducing this well-known cherry. Although its parentage is unknown, it is almost certain that a Mr. Dyehouse, Lincoln County, Kentucky, raised the tree from a pit sixty or more years ago. At the time of its introduction its characteristics were not clearly drawn and many believed it to be the Early Richmond. In time, however, differences were shown, as we have set forth in the preceding paragraph. It was added to the fruit list of the American Pomological Society in 1897.

DYEHOUSE

Tree small, vigorous, spreading, with drooping branchlets, dense, round-topped, productive; trunk and branches slightly roughened; branches reddish-brown covered with dark ash-gray, with large, elongated, raised lenticels; branchlets slender, willowy, variable in length, brown overspread with ash-gray, smooth, with a few small, inconspicuous lenticels.

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

Buds small, short, obtuse, plump, free, arranged singly and in clusters on short spurs; leaf-scars prominent; season of bloom intermediate; flowers one inch across, white; borne in dense but well-distributed clusters, usually at the ends of spur-like branches, in twos, threes or fours; pedicels one and one-half inches long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes tinged with red, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish-obovate, entire, almost sessile, with entire apex; filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, nearly equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures early; more than one-half inch in diameter, oblate, slightly compressed; cavity of medium depth, narrow, abrupt, regular; suture indistinct; apex flattened, with a small depression at the center; color dark red; dots numerous, small, obscure; stem one inch long, adhering to the pulp; skin thin, tough; flesh light yellowish-white, with pinkish juice, tender, sprightly, tart; of very good quality; stone nearly free, ovate, slightly flattened, with smooth surfaces; somewhat ridged along the ventral suture.

EAGLE

Prunus avium

1. Mich. Sta. Bul. 104:84. 1894. 2. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 17. 1897.

Black Eagle. 3. Prince Treat. Hort. 31. 1828. 4. Pom. Mag. 3:127, Pl. 127. 1830. 5. Kenrick Am. Orch. 274, 275. 1832. 6. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 170 fig. 62. 1845. 7. Floy-Lindley Guide Orch. Gard. 102. 1846. 8. Mag. Hort. 14:386, 387 fig. 37. 1848. 9. Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr. 52. 1848. 10. Hovey Fr. Am. 1:85, Pl. 1851. 11. Horticulturist N. S. 4:287. 1854. 12. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 108, 186. 1856. 13. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:77-79, fig. 12. 1866. 14. Mas Pom. Gen. 11:83, 84, fig. 42. 1882. 15. Hogg Fruit Man. 285, 286. 1884. 16. Cornell Sta. Bul. 98:491 fig. 86. 1895.

We hesitatingly follow the American Pomological Society in calling this variety Eagle when it has so long been known as Black Eagle, the name given it by the great pomologist, Knight. Were this choicely good cherry larger in size, it would still be a prime favorite with growers for in many respects it is one of the best varieties of its species. Its flavor is excellent; the trees are usually fruitful; it ripens at a good time in the cherry season, just after Black Tartarian; the cherries are less liable to crack than many of its rivals; and the trees are as hardy, healthy and vigorous as those of any Sweet Cherry. Some complain that the trees do not bear well at first but are productive only with age. But, after all, it is its high quality that gives Eagle so much merit that it ought not to be forgotten—makes it worth a place in every home orchard and commends it highly to commercial growers of cherries who want a finely finished product for either local or general market. The fruit-stems of this variety are characteristically long.

Eagle was grown about 1806 by Sir Thomas Andrew Knight at Downton Castle, Wiltshire, England, by fertilizing the Bigarreau of the old writers, our Yellow Spanish, with pollen of the May Duke. The correctness of the parentage as given has been questioned because of its inherited characteristics. But if the May Duke is a hybrid between a Sweet and a Sour, a pure Sweet offspring is not an impossibility. In 1823, Honorable John Lowell of Massachusetts received Eagle from Knight. Prince mentioned this cherry in his Treatise of Horticulture, 1828, but the exact date of its introduction into New York is unknown. In 1848 it was placed on the list of fruits adopted by the National Convention of Fruit Growers and since then it has been retained on the fruit list of the American Pomological Society.

EAGLE

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense, unproductive at first but improving with age; trunk and branches thick, smooth; branches reddish-brown partly covered with ash-gray, with numerous small lenticels; branchlets thick, brownish partly covered with light ash-gray, the surface slightly ribbed and with small, raised, inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaves numerous, five inches long, two and one-half inches wide, folded upward, long, obovate to elliptical, thin; upper surface dark green, rugose; lower surface light green, thinly pubescent; apex variable in shape; margin coarsely and doubly serrate, with dark glands; petiole nearly two inches long, tinged with red, with a few hairs, with from two to four reniform, brownish glands usually on the stalk.

Buds large, conical or pointed, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds and in clusters on spurs of medium length; leaf-scars prominent; season of bloom medium; flowers white, one and one-eighth inches across; borne in scattered clusters in twos and threes; pedicels one inch long, slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green faintly tinged with red, campanulate; calyx-lobes with a trace of red, obtuse, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals irregular-oval, crenate, with short, blunt claws and with a crenate apex; anthers yellowish; filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures in mid-season; nearly one inch in diameter, oblate, somewhat cordate, compressed; cavity regular, flaring; suture a faint groove; apex pointed or slightly depressed; color dark red almost black; dots small, russet, medium in number, obscure; stem slender, two inches long; skin thin, tender; flesh dark red, with wine-colored juice, meaty, tender, crisp, pleasant flavored, mild, sweet; very good to best in quality; stone free except along the ventral suture, rather small, ovate, slightly flattened, blunt, with smooth surfaces; ridged along the ventral suture.

EARLY MAY

Prunus fruticosa

1. Langley Pomona 86, Pl. 17 fig. 2. 1729. 2. Prince Pom. Man. 2:131. 1832. 3. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 479. 1869. 4. Hogg Fruit Man. 295. 1884.

May. 5. Parkinson Par. Ter. 571. 1629.

Cerisier Nain à Fruit Rond Précoce. 6. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 1:168, 169, 170, Pl. III. 1768.

Frühe Zwergweichsel. 7. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 492-498. 1819. 8. Mathieu Nom. Pom. 349, 350, 372. 1889.

Amarell-Weichsel. 9. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 3:57, 58. 1858.

Précoce de Montreuil. 10. Mas Le Verger 8:141, 142, fig. 69. 1866-73.

Griottier Nain Précoce. 11. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:293 fig., 294. 1877.

As the only cultivated representative of the European Dwarf Cherry, Early May should be of especial interest to cherry-growers. It is a true dwarf variety, the trees seldom attaining a height of more than six or seven feet. Both tree and branches are very flexible so that Early May is well adapted to the wall-training of European countries. It has further value in its earliness, being the earliest of all cherries. It is doubtful whether the variety can now be obtained in America but it ought to be reintroduced both for the fruit and because it is a handsome ornamental. Early May has several characters to recommend it to plant-breeders. The description herewith given is compiled from European fruit-books.

Pliny in his Natural History mentions the Macedonian and the Chamaecerasus cherries, both of which we now believe to have been Prunus fruticosa, the European Dwarf Cherry. Early May, according to European botanists, is a variety of this dwarf species and may be the identical cherry that Pliny described. Following Pliny it was mentioned by Estienne, a Frenchman, in 1540, by Knoop, the Dutch pomologist, in 1771, by Parkinson, the English herbalist, in 1629, and, as the references show, by most pomologists since. The names May and Early May have been applied to several varieties, and especially in the West to the Early Richmond but all are distinct and ought not to be confused with this, the true variety.

Tree very small, rather weak; branches numerous, slender, somewhat curved, flexible, branchlets slender, pendant; leaves abundant, very small, obovate or oblong, acuminate; margin irregularly and deeply serrate; petiole short, slender, without glands; blooming season very early; flowers small; petals oval.

Fruit matures very early, usually attached in pairs; small, roundish, slightly flattened; suture indistinct; color bright red becoming dark red at full maturity; stem one inch long, slender, set in a small, regular cavity; skin thin; flesh yellowish-white, sometimes tinged red under the skin, tender, juicy, brisk but pleasant subacid; quality fair; stone very small, roundish.

EARLY MORELLO

Prunus cerasus

1. Del. Sta. An. Rpt. 12:118. 1900. 2. Budd-Hansen Am. Hort. Man. 2:275. 1903.

Orel No. 23. 3. Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt. 327. 1888. 4. Ia. Sta. Bul. 73:68, 77 fig. 17. 1903.

This, which we think is the true Early Morello, is worthy an extended description in The Cherries of New York chiefly because there are several cherries of this name. The confusion results in much vexation to cherry-growers in the West where, only, these cherries have been planted. The full description should make clear at least the character of the variety which is being grown at this Station as Early Morello. About all that can be said of the variety as it grows here is that the trees are hardy, healthy, vigorous, fruitful and regular in bearing. The cherries show the variety to be of the Amarelle group but are such as to make it far inferior to Montmorency and other well-known Amarelles. The name is misleading, as the variety has little in common, in tree or fruit, with the true Morellos.

The cherry described here as Early Morello was introduced by Professor J. L. Budd from Orel, Russia, as Orel No. 23. It has proved very productive and hardy throughout the West and resembles Early Richmond, though smaller, a trifle darker, less acid and a week later. A dark-fleshed variety from Erfurt, Prussia, was sent out from Rosedale, Kansas, where it is known as Early Morello. This, and one by D. U. Reed, Blue Springs, Nebraska, appear to be very similar to the Northwest, or Wier No. 29.

Tree of medium size and vigor, upright-spreading, very productive; trunk rather thick, shaggy; branches with numerous large lenticels; branchlets slender, short; leaves two and three-fourths inches long, one and one-half inches wide, thick, stiff, dark green, rather glossy, smooth; margin finely and doubly serrate, with small, dark glands; petiole glandless or with from one to three small, globose, brown or yellowish glands variable in position; buds small, short, obtuse, in small clusters at the ends of slender, branchlike spurs; leaf-scars prominent; season of bloom late; flowers one inch across; pistil equal to or slightly longer than the stamens, sometimes defective.

Fruit matures in mid-season; about three-fourths of an inch in diameter, oblate, compressed; color attractive dark red; stem one inch long, adhering to the fruit; skin thin, tender, separating from the pulp; flesh light yellow, with pinkish juice, tender and melting, sprightly, tart; of very good quality; stone free, ovate, flattened, slightly pointed, with smooth surfaces, somewhat tinged with red.

EARLY PURPLE

Prunus avium

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

Purple Cherry. 2. Ray Hist. Plant. 1540. 1688.

Early Purple Guigne. 3. Cultivator N. S. 4:280 fig. 2. 1847. 4. Hovey Fr. Am. 1:93, 94, Pl. 1851. 5. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt. 55. 1852. 6. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 211. 1856. 7. Mas Le Verger 8:129, 130, fig. 63. 1866-73. 8. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:57 fig. 3, 58, 59. 1866. 9. Horticulturist 25:71 fig. 1870. 10. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:334, 335 fig., 336. 1877. 11. Hogg Fruit Man. 295. 1884. 12. Guide Prat. 6, 193. 1895.

Purple Guigne. 13. Elliott Fr. Book 195 fig. 1854.

Early Purple is a valuable cherry on account of its earliness, its attractive color and high quality. The trees bear well and regularly after having become established in the orchard. The variety has the reputation of being a poor grower in the nursery and as a young tree in the orchard but with age it takes on vigor and at all times is as healthy as those of any Sweet Cherry. More than most cherries, this variety responds to good care and a choice cherry soil—a warm, free-working loam being best. A rather unusual and serious defect of this variety is that the fruit-spurs are easily broken during picking and the crop of the next season thereby cut short. Another fault is that it is the favorite food of the robin where this, the worst of all cherry pests, abounds. The cherries of this variety do not attain their rich purple color until full maturity is reached. Hogg, the English pomologist, maintains that Early Purple does better on the Mahaleb than on the Mazzard stock. No home collection should be without this variety and it can often be profitably grown as an early cherry for the local market.

Early Purple is the Early Purple Guigne of most fruit-books, the name having been shortened by the American Pomological Society, though, since the variety goes back to the Early Purple of Ray in 1688, the name here used has the right of precedence. As to what the origin and history of the variety were before Ray mentioned it, we can find no record. Early Purple was brought to America over a hundred years ago. According to Elliott, eastern growers received it directly from England, while in the West it was brought over by a party of German emigrants, under the name "German May Duke" and as such it is still much grown in localities in the Central West. In 1852, the American Pomological Society listed Early Purple as one of the promising new fruits and later, in 1856, it was given a place, which it has since retained, on the Society's catalog of fruits recommended for general cultivation.

EARLY PURPLE

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, very productive; trunk thick, smooth; branches smooth, reddish-brown partly covered with ash-gray, with large lenticels; branchlets short, brown partly covered with ash-gray, roughened, with a few small, inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaves numerous, four inches long, one and three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, oval to obovate, thin; upper surface dark green, rugose; lower surface light green, very lightly pubescent; apex and base acute; margin finely serrate, with small, dark colored glands; petiole one and three-fourths inches long, slender, tinged with red, with few hairs, with two or three small, globose, reddish glands on the stalk.

Buds variable in size and shape, rather long, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds and in small clusters on spurs variable in length; season of bloom early; flowers white, one and one-fourth inches across; borne in scattering clusters, usually in twos; pedicels characteristically long, often one and one-fourth inches, slender, glabrous; calyx-tube with a faint tinge of red, campanulate; calyx-lobes tinged with red, long, acute, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals broadly oval, serrate, with short, blunt claws and a shallow, notched apex; filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit matures very early; one inch in diameter, cordate, slightly compressed; cavity regular; suture a faint line; apex pointed; color purplish-black; dots numerous, small, grayish, obscure; stem tinged with red, slender, nearly two inches long, adhering to the fruit; skin thin, tender, separating readily from the pulp; flesh dark reddish-purple, with dark colored juice, tender, melting, mild, sweet; of very good quality; stone free except along the ventral suture, rather large, broadly oval, compressed near the apex, with smooth surfaces.

EARLY RICHMOND

Prunus cerasus

1. Thacher Am. Orch. 217. 1822. 2. Prince Pom. Man. 2:142. 1832. 3. Elliott Fr. Book 194, 195 fig. 1854. 4. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 12. 1871. 5. Del. Sta. An. Rpt. 12:115 fig., 116. 1900.

Flanders. 6. Parkinson Par. Ter. 571. 1629.

Kentish. 7. Miller Gard. Kal. 154. 1734. 8. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 660, 661. 1819. 9. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 196 fig., 197. 1845. 10. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat. 74. 1862. 11. Mas Le Verger 8:25, 26, fig. 11. 1866-73.

Cerisier Hâtif. 12. Duhamel Trait. Arb. Fr. 1:170, 171, Pl. IV. 1768. 13. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 657, 658, 691. 1819. 14. Poiteau Pom. Franc. 2: No. 13, Pl. 1846. 15. Leroy Dict. Pom. 5:343, 344 fig., 345. 1877.

Cerise de Volger. 16. Knoop Fructologie 2:36, 43. 1771.

Frühzeitige Amarelle. 17. Truchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 616-618. 1819. 18. Dochnahl Führ. Obstkunde 3:70. 1858.

Early Griotte. 19. Prince Pom. Man. 2:131, 132. 1832.

French. 20. Quebec Pom. & Fr. Gr. Soc. Rpt. 122, 123. 1906.

Early Richmond has long been the leading Sour Cherry of its season—the first of its kind in the markets. It is not a remarkable variety in its fruit-characters, the cherries being but medium in size, mediocre in quality and not handsomer than other Amarelles with which it belongs. It is, however, a very good culinary fruit and when well ripened may be eaten out of hand with relish by those who like the refreshing acidity of a Sour Cherry. Though not in nearly as great demand for canning as Montmorency it still makes a very good canned product, being used more than it otherwise would be to prolong the canning season because of its earliness. Before cherries were largely canned for the markets, Early Richmond was much used in making dried cherries, the product, rightly cured, making a delicious sweetmeat which would keep for several months. The cherries are remarkable for the tenacity with which the stone clings to the stem. It is the tree in which the Early Richmond particularly surpasses. It thrives in varied soils and climates from the St. Lawrence to the Carolinas and from the Atlantic to the Pacific—possibly the most cosmopolitan of all cherries—and everywhere vigorous, healthy and fruitful. For the many purposes for which it may be used and because of the characters of the tree, Early Richmond is indispensable in every home and commercial orchard for an early cherry. After Montmorency it is more largely grown than any other cherry, Sweet or Sour, in New York.