Chapter IV: Leading Varieties of Cherries (2)

_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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Early Richmond is the old Kentish of English writers, confused more or less with the different Montmorencies. Whether or not this variety was introduced into Kent, England, by the Romans and became thus early the Kentish or whether it came from Flanders or Holland where it was called Cerise de Volger, is not now certain. Probably, however, it is one of the many seedlings of the Cerise Commune, as are the Montmorencies, and was first known as Cerisier Hâtif. Early in the Sixteenth Century the gardener of Henry VIII made extensive plantings in Kent with trees supposed to have come from Flanders, and Parkinson, in 1629, mentions a variety as Flanders which was probably this cherry. The variety, soon known by many English writers as Kentish, was confused by the French who seem to have had two Kentish cherries. In English nurseries Kentish was soon confused with Montmorency. In this way the terms Kentish, Flanders, Flemish and Montmorency came into use for this sort. It was early brought to America where it became known as Early Richmond but even here it has several names. The belief that it originated at Richmond, Virginia, was due to the fact that William Prince secured his first trees from that source. By whom the variety was introduced into this country is unknown, although Thacher speaks of it as early as 1822. In the South it became known as Virginia May, while in the West it has been called Early May. The variety appeared on the fruit list of the American Pomological Society as Kentish in 1862 but in 1871 the name was changed to Early Richmond. It is listed by all prominent nurseries in this country as Richmond or Early Richmond while in England it is still known as Kentish. The French cherry, often spoken of as "the common French cherry," introduced into the lower St. Lawrence region, is very similar to Early Richmond. This strain, propagated from seed or sprouts, seems to be somewhat hardier than Early Richmond and varies slightly from it in size and quality.

Tree of medium size, vigorous, upright-spreading, dense,
round-topped, productive; trunk and branches smooth; branches
reddish-brown lightly overspread with dull gray, with numerous
lenticels; branchlets slender, long, grayish, smooth, with
numerous small, inconspicuous lenticels.

Leaves numerous, three and one-half inches long, one and
three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, obovate, thick;
upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface pale green;
apex variable in shape, base abrupt; margin finely and doubly
serrate, glandular; petiole glandless or with one or two globose,
greenish-yellow glands at the base of the blade.

Buds small, short, obtuse, very plump, free, arranged singly and
in clusters on very short spurs; blooms appearing in mid-season;
flowers one and one-fourth inches across, white; borne in
scattering clusters, usually in twos and threes; pedicels
five-eighths inch long, glabrous; calyx-tube green or faintly
tinged with red, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes with a trace of
red, obtuse, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed;
petals roundish, entire, sessile, with a shallow, wide notch at
the apex; filaments over one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous,
equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures early; three-fourths inch in diameter,
roundish-oblate, compressed; cavity abrupt, regular; suture
indistinct; apex roundish or flattened, with a slight depression
at the center; color light red changing to dark red; dots
numerous, small, russet, inconspicuous; stem slender, one inch
long, adherent to the fruit; skin thin, rather tough, separating
from the pulp; flesh pale yellow, with light pinkish juice,
stringy, tender and melting, sprightly, pleasant flavored; good to
very good in quality; stone free, small, roundish-ovate, slightly
pointed, with smooth surfaces; somewhat roughened along the
ventral suture.

ELKHORN

_Prunus avium_

=1.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:117. 1832. =2.= Elliott _Fr. Book_
213. 1854. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 24. 1899.

_John Tradescantes Cherrie._ =4.= Parkinson _Par. Ter._ 574. 1629.

_Hertogs-Kers._ =5.= Knoop _Fructologie_ =2=:36, 40. 1771.

_Grosse Schwarze Knorpelkirsche._ =6.= Truchsess-Heim
_Kirschensort._ 180-192. 1819. =7.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_
=3=:36. 1858. =8.= _Ill. Handb._ 89 fig., 90. 1860. =9.= Lauche
_Deut. Pom._ =III=: No. 6, Pl. 1882. =10.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._
357, 358. 1889.

_Tradescant's Black Heart._ =11.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 188
fig., 189. 1845. =12.= Thompson _Gard. Ass't_ 526. 1859. =13.=
_Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 74. 1862.

_Gros Bigarreau Noir._ =14.= Mortillet _Le Cerisier_ =2=:108-111,
fig. 24. 1866. =15.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =5=:224, 225 fig., 226.
1877.

_St. Margaret's Cherry._ =16.= _Flor. & Pom._ 105, Pl. 542. 1881.

Elkhorn has served its day and is now being rapidly superseded by other cherries of the Bigarreau group to which it belongs. It was valued by the old pomologists because of the large size of the fruit, the firm flesh, late ripening, rich flavor, and because it hangs well on the tree long after maturity. But it fails in competition with other Bigarreaus in bearing cherries quite variable in size, in the diminishing size of the fruit as the trees attain age and more than all else in being but moderately productive. The bark of the trunk and main branches is so heavily overspread with gray as to make this a distinguishing mark. The fruit, too, is distinct in appearance by reason of the irregular surface of the skin. The variety possesses no characters, as it usually grows, to make it worth planting either for home or market.

The history of this old cherry was almost hopelessly confused by the early horticulturists by the vast number of names they used for it, many of which belonged to other varieties. Elkhorn is supposed to have been raised by John Tradescant, gardener to Charles I of England, under the name Tradescant's Black Heart. Of this cherry, John Parkinson in 1629 says: "John Tradescantes Cherrie is most usually sold by our Nursery Gardiners, for the Archdukes cherrie, because they have more plenty thereof, and will better be increased, and because it is so faire and good a cherrie that it may be obtruded without much discontent: it is a reasonably good bearer, a faire great berrie, deepe coloured, and a little pointed." It is not known when or how Elkhorn got to America. The first cherry-grower in this country to mention it was William Prince, in 1832, who says that his father noticed the variety growing in a garden next to a hotel in Maryland about 1797 and brought cions of it to New York afterwards propagating and selling it under the name Elkhorn given to the cherry by the hotel proprietor. Elkhorn was at one time very popular and well disseminated throughout the United States and is sold now by a large number of nurserymen either under the name Tradescant's Black Heart or as Elkhorn. In 1862, the American Pomological Society listed in its fruit catalog Tradescant's Black Heart but dropped it in 1877. In 1899 this Society placed the variety in its catalog under the name Elkhorn and it still remains on its list of recommended fruits. From its history it is apparent that this cherry is rightly called Tradescant or Black Heart or by some combination of these terms but Elkhorn has been adopted by the American Pomological Society, is everywhere in common use on this continent and is so distinctive that we choose for this text the newer name.

Tree large, very vigorous, upright, open-topped, moderately
productive; trunk stocky, smooth; branches stout, smooth, with
numerous small lenticels, reddish-brown heavily overspread with
ash-gray; branchlets thick.

Leaves numerous, three and three-fourths inches long, two and
one-fourth inches wide, short-oval to obovate, thin; upper surface
medium green, roughish; lower surface dull, light green, lightly
pubescent; apex acute; margin coarsely serrate, glandular; petiole
with from one to three raised glands of medium size, variable in
shape, usually on the stalk.

Fruit matures in late mid-season; three-fourths of an inch in
diameter, cordate to conical, slightly compressed; cavity deep,
wide, flaring; suture indistinct; apex roundish or pointed,
with a slight depression at the center; color purplish-black;
dots numerous, small, dark russet, inconspicuous; stem one and
three-eighths inches long, adhering to the fruit; skin thin,
tender, adhering somewhat to the pulp; flesh a characteristically
dark purplish-red, with very dark colored juice, meaty, firm,
crisp, mild, sweet; of good quality; stone semi-free, ovate,
flattened, slightly pointed, with smooth surfaces, tinged with red.

ELTON

_Prunus avium_

=1.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 49. 1831. =2.= Prince _Pom. Man._
=2=:121, 122. 1832. =3.= _Pom. Mag._ =2=:92, Pl 1839. =4.= Downing
_Fr. Trees Am._ 186 fig. 77. 1845. =5.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr. Gr._
52. 1848. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 75. 1850. =7.= _Am. Pom.
Soc. Cat._ 54. 1852. =8.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 194 fig. 1854. =9.=
Thompson _Gard. Ass't_ 528. 1859. =10.= _Ill. Handb._ 105 fig.,
106. 1860. =11.= Mortillet _Le Cerisier_ =2=:91 fig. 17, 92, 93.
1866. =12.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 463 fig. 1869. =13.= Leroy
_Dict. Pom._ =5=:196, 197 fig. 1877.

_Flesh Coloured Bigarreau._ =14.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:128.
1832. =15.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 182 fig. 74. 1845. =16.= Leroy
_Dict. Pom._ =5=:192, 193 fig. 1877.