Chapter IV: Leading Varieties of Cherries (3)

Elton has been freely recommended and widely cultivated in Europe and America for the past century and probably no cherry has given more general satisfaction. The variety is distinguished by the form, color, flesh and flavor of its fruit. The cherries are oblong-heart-shaped--possibly too much drawn out for best appearance and often too oblique; the color, very well shown in the color-plate, is most attractive and makes up for any defect in shape--a dark red mottled with amber, very bright, clear and glossy; the flesh, a little too soft to ship well, is delicate and most pleasing to the palate; the flavor is peculiarly rich and luscious being hardly surpassed by that of any other cherry. The trees may be as readily told as the fruit, by the unusually dark red color of the petioles of the leaves. The branches are stout and bear the crop thickly placed close to the wood and in prodigious quantities. Unfortunately it has a fault which in America, at least, makes it almost unfit for a commercial plantation. Brown-rot, the scourge of the Sweet Cherry, attacks this variety more aggressively than almost any other sort and for this reason, while its merits can hardly be too highly spoken of, Elton must remain for most part a variety for the home orchard. The tree, perfect in most respects, is a little tender to cold. Leroy, the French pomologist, thinks it does better on Mahaleb than on the Mazzard stock.

This is another cherry from Thomas Andrew Knight, the great English pomologist. Knight fruited it first about 1806, the tree coming from a pit of Yellow Spanish, the paternal parent being White Heart. From the first it took a high place in English and continental pomology as it did also in America upon being brought here in 1823. The variety is everywhere known and grown in America and is for sale by many nurserymen. Elton was one of the fruits to receive attention at the first meeting of the American Pomological Society in 1848, and in 1852 was put on the list of recommended fruits where it still remains.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, very
productive; trunk thick, smooth; branches smooth, reddish-brown
covered with ash-gray, with small lenticels; branchlets long,
brown partly covered with ash-gray, smooth, with inconspicuous,
raised lenticels, intermediate in number and size.

Leaves numerous, five and one-half 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 acute, base abrupt; margin doubly serrate,
with small, dark glands; petiole two inches long, heavily tinged
with red, with a few scattering hairs along the upper surface,
with from two to four reniform or globose, reddish-brown glands on
the stalk.

Buds large, long, pointed, plump, free, arranged singly as
lateral buds and on very short spurs variable in size; leaf-scars
prominent; mid-season in blooming; flowers one and one-half
inches across, white; borne in twos and threes; pedicels one inch
long, slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green, campanulate,
glabrous; calyx-lobes tinged with red, long, broad, acute,
serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish,
entire, nearly sessile, with a shallow notch at the apex;
filaments about one-half inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than
the stamens.

Fruit matures early; about one inch long, three-fourths inch wide,
cordate to conical, somewhat compressed and oblique; cavity rather
abrupt, regular; suture indistinct; apex distinctly pointed; color
dark red with an amber tinge, faintly mottled; dots numerous,
small, light yellow, obscure; stem slender, one and three-fourths
inches long; skin thin, tender, separating from the pulp; flesh
white with a tinge of yellow, with colorless juice, slightly
stringy, tender, very mild, sweet; of good quality; stone free
except along the ventral suture, one-half inch long, long-ovate,
slightly flattened, with smooth surfaces; somewhat ridged along
the ventral suture.

EMPRESS EUGENIE

_Prunus avium_ × _Prunus cerasus_

=1.= _Gard. Mon._ =7=:277. 1865. =2.= Mortillet _Le Cerisier_
=2=:159 fig. 41, 160. 1866. =3.= Mas _Le Verger_ =8=:5, 6, fig. 1.
1866-73. =4.= _Pom. France_ =7=: No. 10, Pl. 10. 1871. =5.= _U. S.
D. A. Rpt._ 383. 1875. =6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 20. 1877. =7.=
Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =5=:348 fig., 349. 1877. =8.= Hogg _Fruit Man._
296, 297. 1884. =9.= Gaucher _Pom. Prak. Obst._ No. 78, Pl. 29.
1894.

_Eugenie._ =10.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 22. 1883.

This old French cherry, for many years largely advertised and widely sold in America, does not thrive in the New World as well as the reports say it does in the Old World. The two faults that condemn it, as it grows here, are that the cherries ripen very unevenly making several pickings necessary and the trees are so small that, though loaded with fruit, the total yield is not large. Lesser faults are that the cherries are not uniform in shape and are borne thickly in close clusters so that when brown-rot is rife this variety suffers greatly. The short stem, too, prevents easy picking. To offset these faults Empress Eugenie has to its credit the reputation of being about the most refreshing and delicious Duke. In a home plantation where the unevenness in ripening can be utilized to prolong the season and where dwarfness may not be undesirable, Empress Eugenie may well find a place.

This cherry appeared in 1845 as a chance seedling on the grounds of M. Varenne at Belleville, near Paris, France. It first fruited about 1850 and four years later the Horticultural Society of Paris placed it, under the name Impératrice Eugenie, on its list of recommended fruits. M. A. Gontier, a nurseryman at Fontenay-aux-Roses introduced it to commerce in 1855. Empress Eugenie soon became quite generally disseminated throughout Europe and was considered nearly as good as May Duke, with which it has occasionally been confused. It must have been brought to America towards the beginning of the last quarter of the Nineteenth Century and here it gradually became widely distributed until today it is found in all the leading cherry plantations and is propagated by a large number of nurserymen throughout the United States. The American Pomological Society added this cherry to its fruit catalog list in 1877 under the name Empress Eugenie. In 1883 this name was shortened to Eugenie under which term it has since appeared in the Society's catalog. In _The Cherries of New York_ we have not adopted the shortened name as, by such a change, all trace is lost of the person after whom the cherry was christened.

Tree small, not very vigorous, upright, becoming round-topped,
very productive; trunk slender, roughish; branches slender, much
roughened, reddish-brown partly covered with ash-gray, with
numerous small lenticels; branchlets with short internodes, brown
slightly covered with ash-gray, smooth except for the numerous
small, conspicuous, much-raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, three and one-half inches long, one and
three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, obovate, thick; upper
surface dark green, slightly rugose; lower surface light green,
thinly pubescent; apex abruptly pointed, base variable in
shape; margin doubly serrate, with small, dark glands; petiole
three-fourths of an inch long, tinged with red, with a few hairs
along the upper surface, glandless or with one or two small,
globose, greenish-yellow or reddish glands, usually at the base of
the blade.

Buds obtuse, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds and on
long or short spurs, in clusters variable in size; leaf-scars
obscure; blooming in mid-season; flowers one and one-fourth inches
across, white; borne in very dense clusters, in threes and fours;
pedicels one inch long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube with a
faint tinge of red, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes with a trace
of red, acute, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals
roundish, entire, with short but distinct claws; apex nearly
entire; filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to
the stamens in length.

Fruit matures in mid-season; three-fourths of an inch in diameter,
roundish-conic to oblate-conic, compressed; cavity narrow; suture
very shallow, indistinct; apex flattened or depressed; color
dark red; dots numerous, small, dark russet, obscure; stem one
and one-fourth inches long, adherent to the fruit; skin tough,
separating from the pulp; flesh pale red, with pinkish juice,
tender, meaty, sprightly, pleasant flavored, tart; of good
quality; stone semi-clinging, small, ovate, flattened, somewhat
oblique, with smooth surfaces.

ENGLISH MORELLO

_Prunus cerasus_

=1.= Parkinson _Par. Ter._ 572. 1629. =2.= Langley _Pomona_ 85.
1729. =3.= Christ _Handb._ 677. 1797. =4.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._
54. 1831. =5.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 197, 198 fig. 1845. =6.=
_Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 74. 1862. =7.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 306, 307.
1884. =8.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 27. 1909.

_Grosse Cerise à Ratafia._ =9.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =1=:189.
1768.

_Grosse Lange Lothkirsche._ =10.= Truchsess-Heim _Kirschensort._
599, 600, 601. 1819. =11.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 326. 1888.
=12.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 356, 357. 1889.

_Large Morello._ =13.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:144. 1832.

_Ratafia Griotte._ =14.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:147. 1832. =15.=
Poiteau _Pom. Franc._ =2=: No. 17, Pl. 1846. =16.= Leroy _Dict.
Pom._ =5=:299, 300 fig., 301. 1877.

_Northern Griotte._ =17.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:146. 1832. 18.
Poiteau _Pom. Franc._ =2=: No. 18, Pl. 1846. =19.= Mortillet _Le
Cerisier_ =2=:188 fig. 189, 190. 1866. =20.= _Pom. France_ =7=:
No. 15, Pl. 15. 1871. =21.= Thomas _Guide Prat._ 18, 195. 1876.
=22.= _Ia. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 331. 1885.

_Colorado Morello._ =23.= Rogers _Cat._ 18. 1900.

English Morello is the best of all its group and is the standard late Sour Cherry in North America, occupying at the close of the season the place held by Montmorency in mid-season for home, market and cannery. It is not a table fruit and can hardly be eaten out of hand until it loses some of its astringency and acidity by thorough ripening. In any way the cherries are prepared by cooking, however, it is one of the best, culinary processes giving the fruits a rich, dark wine color, very attractive in appearance, and a most pleasant, sprightly, aromatic flavor. The fruit is handsome in appearance, bears harvesting and shipping well, is resistant to brown-rot and hangs long on the trees after ripening, often until the last of August if robins can be kept away. Once seen, one may always know the trees. They are small, round-headed, with branches that distinctly droop. To be sufficiently productive an English Morello orchard must be closely set; for, though the trees are vigorous and productive for their size, they are too dwarf to yield heavily. The trees are hardy but not always healthy and are not adapted to as great a diversity of soils as might be wished. The variety distinctly fails in its tree-characters. The demand for English Morello has recently decreased and it is doubtful if it ever regains its popularity of a decade ago. There is a place for a late cherry which English Morello now fills but not sufficiently well.

All of the early pomologists describe a Morello or a Morella but no one of them definitely gives its place of origin. The concensus of opinion is that it originated in either Holland or Germany from whence it was introduced into England and later into France. The early German writers listed a Grosse Lange Lothkirsche which is English Morello. Preceding them, Duhamel described the Grosse Cerise à Ratafia "as one praised for confitures and preserving," which is probably this cherry. Leroy believed English Morello to be the cherry that Mortillet brought to Paris from Holland calling it Griotte du Nord though he thought the variety had been grown in France for many years previous but under another name. It is possible that the term Du Nord originated through its being widely grown as an espalier demanding a northern exposure, rather than as some have thought, because it came from northern Germany. In 1862 English Morello was put on the fruit list of the American Pomological Society where it still remains. Wragg is thought to be identical with this cherry by some and, if not, it differs but little. Northern Griotte and Grosse Lange Lothkirsche, introduced by Budd from Russia, are English Morello. Morris, or Colorado Morello, put out by John Morris of Golden, Colorado, once thought to be distinct, is also English Morello.

Tree small, upright-spreading, with drooping branchlets,
dense-topped, productive; trunk slender, rough; branches slender,
smooth, dark brown overlaid with dark ash-gray, with numerous
small lenticels; branchlets slender, willowy, with short
internodes, brownish, smooth, with numerous conspicuous, small,
slightly raised lenticels.

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

Buds small, short, obtuse, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral
buds; leaf-scars obscure; season of bloom late; flowers one inch
across, white; borne in scattering clusters in twos and threes;
pedicels nearly one inch long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube with
a faint tinge of red, somewhat campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes
with a trace of red, obtuse, serrate, glabrous within and without,
reflexed; petals distinctly veined, roundish, crenate, sessile,
with crenate apex; filaments one-fourth of an inch long; pistil
glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit matures very late; about three-fourths of an inch in
diameter, sometimes running larger, roundish-cordate, slightly
compressed; cavity shallow, narrow, flaring, regular; suture a
shallow groove; apex roundish, with a small depression at the
center; color very dark red becoming almost black; dots numerous,
small, dark russet, conspicuous; stem slender, one inch long,
adhering well to the fruit; skin thin, tender, separating from the
pulp; flesh dark red, with dark colored juice, tender and melting,
sprightly, tart; of good quality; stone free, small, ovate,
slightly flattened and pointed, with smooth surfaces, slightly
tinged with red.

FLORENCE

_Prunus avium_

=1.= Prince _Treat. Hort._ 29. 1828. =2.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 277.
1832. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 187. 1845. =4.= Thomas _Am.
Fruit Cult._ 365. 1849. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 22. 1885.

_Knevett's Late Bigarreau._ =6.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 46. 1831.

_Bigarreau de Florence._ =7.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =5=:204 fig.,
205. 1877.

_Florence Heart._ =8.= Bunyard-Thomas _Fr. Gard._ 43. 1904.

Florence is a Bigarreau so similar to Yellow Spanish as to be hardly worth planting, since it is, all and all, surpassed by its better-known rival. The fruit hangs on the tree in edible condition an almost phenomenal length of time which has given rise to much divergence of opinion as to its season, some pomologists rating it as early, others as mid-season and still others as late. At Geneva the trees of this variety are not as healthful, vigorous or as fruitful as those of Yellow Spanish, with which it must compete, nor are the cherries quite as fine in appearance or quality.

This variety was found in Florence, Italy, early in the Nineteenth Century by John Houblon, who took it to England from whence it was brought to America. It found a place in 1885 on the fruit list of the American Pomological Society where it remained until 1891, when it was discarded, with quite sufficient reason.

Tree vigorous, upright, open-topped, productive; trunk and
branches thick, smooth; branches reddish-brown partly overspread
with ash-gray, with numerous lenticels; branchlets thick, long,
brown partly covered with ash-gray, smooth, with inconspicuous,
raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, variable in size, averaging four and one-fourth
inches long, two and one-fourth inches wide, folded upward,
long-oval to obovate, thin; upper surface rather dark green,
rugose; lower surface dull light green, thinly pubescent; apex
acute, base abrupt; margin coarsely and doubly serrate, glandular;
petiole one and three-fourths inches long, thick, pubescent, dull
red, with from two to four large, reniform, reddish glands on the
stalk.

Buds pointed, plump, free, arranged as lateral buds and grouped
in large clusters on numerous short spurs; season of bloom
intermediate; flowers one and one-fourth inches across, white;
borne in dense clusters in twos and threes; pedicels three-fourths
of an inch long, slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube green,
obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes greenish, acute, glabrous within
and without, reflexed; petals broad-obovate to oval, entire, with
very short, blunt claws, distinctly notched at the apex; filaments
nearly one-half inch long; pistil glabrous, usually shorter than
the stamens.

Fruit matures early; one inch in diameter, cordate, compressed;
cavity deep, wide; suture very shallow; apex somewhat pointed;
color reddish over an amber background, marked with indistinct,
whitish spots and streaks; dots numerous, small, whitish,
inconspicuous; stem one and one-half inches long, adherent to the
fruit; skin thin, separating from the pulp; flesh yellowish-white,
with colorless juice, tender, meaty, crisp, sprightly, sweet; of
very good quality; stone clinging, cordate, flattened, blunt, with
roughish surfaces; enlarged along the ventral suture.

GEORGE GLASS

_Prunus cerasus_

=1.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 328, 329. 1888. =2.= _Ia. Hort.
Soc. Rpt._ 79. 1890. =3.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 245. 1894.
=4.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =31=:341. 1895. =5.= _Del. Sta. An. Rpt._
=12=:125. 1900. =6.= Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:276, 277.
1903. =7.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =73=:70. 1903.

George Glass has been widely heralded as a desirable variety in the Middle West but in New York, where it has passed through a rather lengthy probationary period, practically all who have tried it are ready to declare it worthless. It is of the Amarelle group and cannot compete with the many good varieties of its kinship, as the Early Richmond or the several Montmorencies. Its season is between Early Richmond and Montmorency. As compared with the last-named variety, the standard Sour Cherry, the fruit of George Glass is smaller, sourer, less attractive in appearance and the trees are far less fruitful. Possibly the trees are more hardy, this character commending it for the colder parts of the Mississippi Valley.

The origin of this variety is uncertain but it is supposed to have been introduced into Iowa by immigrants from northeastern Germany. In American collections it has often been confused with Brusseler Braune and Bessarabian and by some is declared to be identical with the latter sort. It is supposed to be a cross between a Duke and a Morello cherry.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, rather open, hardy,
appears unproductive; trunk thick; branches thick, roughened,
with numerous conspicuous, raised lenticels; leaves numerous,
four inches long, two inches wide, obovate, thick, stiff, dark
green; petiole three-fourths of an inch long, tinged with red,
with a few hairs along the upper surface, with one or two small,
globose, reddish-orange glands, usually at the base of the blade;
buds intermediate in size and length; leaf-scars prominent; season
of bloom intermediate; flowers one and one-fourth inches across;
borne in dense clusters.

Fruit matures in mid-season; three-fourths of an inch long,
one inch wide, oblate, compressed; cavity deep; color light
red changing to dark red; stem one and one-eighth inches long,
adherent to the fruit; skin separating from the pulp; flesh
yellowish-white, with abundant colorless juice, stringy, tender
and melting, rather mild for a sour cherry; good to very good in
quality; stone free, roundish or slightly oblate, plump, blunt,
with smooth surfaces; ventral suture prominent.

HEART-SHAPED WEICHSEL

_Prunus cerasus_

=1.= Truchsess-Heim _Kirschensort_. 573-577. 1819. =2.= Dochnahl
_Führ. Obstkunde_ =3=:60, 61. 1858. =3.= _Mich. Hort. Soc. Rpt._
328. 1888. =4.= _Wash. Sta. Bul._ =92=:17. 1910.

_Herzförmige Sauerkirsche_. =5.= Christ _Wörterb._ 288. 1802.

_Heart-Shaped Griotte_. =6.= Prince _Pom. Man._. =2=:149. 1832.
=7.= Mas _Le Verger_ =8=:103, 104, fig. 50. 1866-73.

This Sour Cherry, of the Morello group, is too poor in quality to recommend it for any purpose. The fruit is scarcely edible until dead ripe and even then is too puckering to eat out of hand with relish. The cherries are very attractive, being large for the kind, heart-shaped, of a handsome, clear, glossy dark purple color and very uniform in all characters. The tree is conspicuous because of its symmetrical shape, large size, round head and its many branches and branchlets. The leaves are characteristically small, as are the flowers, which are further distinguished by very narrow petals. The tree is hardy and productive and quite worth a place on a lawn as an ornamental if not in the garden for its fruit. The variety has several characters to commend it to plant-breeders.

This variety came to light in written records in the early part of the Nineteenth Century in German fruit-books under the name Saure Herzkirsche or Herzkirschweichsel and was highly recommended for its fine flavor. Professor J. L. Budd of Iowa, in one of his European trips, was impressed with its symmetrical habit of growth and its abundant foliage where he found it growing in eastern Europe as a lawn tree. He included it among his importations but it has not proved valuable in the New World.

Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped,
unproductive; branches rather slender, smooth except for the
large, conspicuous lenticels; branchlets slender, long; leaves
numerous, two and three-fourths inches long, one and three-eighths
inches wide, obovate to oval, thin, dark green, smooth; petiole
over one-half inch long, tinged with red, with from one to three
small, globose, greenish-yellow or brownish glands at the base of
the blade; buds intermediate in size and length, usually obtuse;
season of bloom late; flowers one inch across; borne in scattered
clusters; filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil slightly shorter
than the stamens, often defective.

Fruit matures in mid-season; about three-fourths of an inch in
diameter, roundish-conic, slightly compressed; color very dark,
dull red; stem slender, one and one-fourth inches long, adhering
to the fruit; skin thin, tough; flesh very dark red, with dark
wine-colored juice, tender, rather meaty, very astringent, sour;
of poor quality; stone nearly free, small, ovate, flattened,
pointed, with roughish and colored surfaces.

HILDESHEIM

_Prunus avium_

=1.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:131. 1832. =2.= Elliott _Fr. Book_
196. 1854.

_Guignier à Fruit Rouge Tardif._ =3.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._
=1=:162. 1768.

_Agathe._ =4.= Knoop _Fructologie_ =2=:37. 1771.

_Doppelttragende Kleine Rothe Spätkirsche._ =5.= Truchsess-Heim
_Kirschensort_. 281, 282, 283. 1819.

_Hildesheimer Ganz Späte Knorpelkirsche._ =6.= Truchsess-Heim
_Kirschensort_. 321, 322, 323. 1819.

_Late Red Guigne._ =7.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:113. 1832.

_Bigarreau Tardif de Hildesheim._ =8.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._
184. 1845.

_Merveille de September._ =9.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 210. 1854.

_Belle Agathe de Novembre._ =10.= _Ann. Pom. Belge_ =3=:9, Pl.
1855.

_Hildesheimer Späte Knorpelkirsche._ =11.= _Ill. Handb._ 139 fig.,
140. 1860.

_Kratos Knorpelkirsche._ =12.= _Ill. Handb._ 59 fig., 60. 1867.

_Schöne Agathe._ =13.= _Ill. Handb._ 63 fig., 64. 1867.

_Bigarreau de Fer._ =14.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =5=:199, 200 fig.
1877.

_Belle Agathe._ =15.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =11=:99, 100, fig. 50. 1882.

_Bigarreau de Hildesheim._ =16.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 282. 1884.

This variety, one of the oldest, has been called by a great number of names by European writers. The cherry mentioned by Duhamel, in 1768, as a late Guigne with red fruit, otherwise known as Guigne de Fer, can be no other than Hildesheim. The exact origin of the variety has never been known, though it is supposed to have sprung up in the neighborhood of Hildesheim, Prussia. It was brought to America early in the Nineteenth Century, probably by William Prince. With it came some of the numerous foreign names. It seems certain that Late Red Guigne mentioned by Prince was Hildesheim. Ripening late and being small and of rather undesirable texture, Hildesheim did not meet with much favor in America, never being widely disseminated, and has long since passed from cultivation. This variety, under the name Belle Agathe, was propagated in Belgium by M. Thiery about 1852 and for some time was supposed to be a separate sort. The following description is compiled:

Tree very large, vigorous, upright, hardy, an annual bearer,
unproductive while young producing good crops later; branches
thick, large, long, straight; leaves numerous, of medium size,
oval or elongated-oval, acuminate; margin finely and regularly
serrate; petiole slender, rather short, tinged red, with large,
flattened glands; blooming season early.

Fruit matures very late, usually attached in fives but sometimes
in threes and fours; small to medium, roundish-cordate, flattened
on one side, somewhat irregular; color yellowish, mottled and
marbled with dark red; stem two inches long, slender, somewhat
curved; skin thick; flesh pale yellow, slightly tinged with red at
the pit, firm, somewhat stringy, rather dry, with uncolored juice,
pleasant flavored, sweet; quality good; stone medium to large,
with reddish surface, long, compressed.

IDA

_Prunus avium_

=1.= _Gard. Mon._ =20=:270, 271. 1878. =2.= Downing _Fr. Trees
Am._ 3rd App. 162. 1881. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 26. 1909.

Ida is a handsome, large, light red cherry resembling Napoleon in shape and Rockport in color, but differing from both in having soft flesh which places it among the Hearts rather than the Bigarreaus. Because of beauty of the fruit, earliness and good tree-characters, Ida promises to become a rather general favorite in home orchards though it falls short of several others of its near of kin in flavor and flesh-characters. It can never take a high place among commercial kinds because the cherries are too soft to handle well, show bruises plainly, are somewhat susceptible to brown-rot and come when better cherries are plentiful. The trees are vigorous, hardy and bear full crops regularly and in various environments. The variety is readily told by the upright habit of growth and by the large lenticels on trunk and branches. Ida has been very well tried as a commercial variety in this State but in the ups and downs of the industry has not held its own with other sorts and can be recommended only for home plantations.

E. H. Cocklin of Shepherdstown, Pennsylvania, grew this variety as a seedling of Cocklin's Favorite, another of his cherries. The cherry was named after his daughter, Ida. It seems to have proved worthy of general culture, as it is now listed by many nurserymen. The American Pomological Society placed Ida on its fruit list in 1909.

Tree large, vigorous, upright, open-topped, somewhat vasiform,
very productive; trunk stout; branches very stocky, smooth, light
ash-gray over brown, with large, much-raised lenticels; branchlets
very stout, short, brown partly covered with ash-gray, roughish,
with a few raised lenticels.

Leaves five and one-half inches long, two and one-half inches
wide, folded upward, elliptical to obovate, thin; upper surface
dark green, smooth; lower surface light green, pubescent along
the midrib and larger veins; apex taper-pointed, base acute;
margin doubly crenate, with small, black glands; petiole two and
one-fourth inches long, thick, tinged with red, somewhat hairy
along the grooved upper surface, usually with two large, reniform,
reddish glands on the stalk.

Buds large, long, pointed, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral
buds and in dense clusters on numerous short spurs, also with
many small, round, lateral leaf-buds on the secondary growth;
leaf-scars not prominent; blooming in mid-season; flowers white,
one and one-fourth inches across; borne in clusters usually
in twos; pedicels three-fourths of an inch long, glabrous,
greenish; calyx-tube green, whitish within, campanulate, glabrous;
calyx-lobes with a tinge of red, acute, reflexed; petals roundish,
entire, dentate at the apex, nearly sessile; filaments nearly
one-half inch long; pistil glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit matures early; three-fourths of an inch in diameter,
cordate, slightly compressed; cavity deep, flaring, regular;
suture a distinct line; apex variable in shape; color amber
overspread with light red, mottled; dots numerous, rather large,
yellowish, somewhat conspicuous; stem one and one-half inches
long; skin thin, separating readily from the pulp; flesh whitish,
with colorless juice, tender and melting, mild, sweet; of good
quality; stone free or semi-free, roundish, slightly flattened,
blunt, with smooth surfaces; with distinct ridges along the
ventral suture.

JEFFREY DUKE

_Prunus avium × Prunus cerasus_

=1.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 52. 1831. =2.= _Mag. Hort._ =9=:204.
1843. =3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 190, 191. 1845. =4.= _Am. Pom.
Soc. Cat._ 74. 1862. =5.= _Mas Pom. Gen._ =11=:119, 120, fig. 60.
1882. =6.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 302. 1884.

_Royale._ =7.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =1=:193, 194, Pl. XV.
1768. =8.= Truchsess-Heim _Kirschensort_. 482-484. 1819. =9.=
Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =5=:386, 387 fig., 388. 1877.

_Königliche Süssweichsel._ =10.= Truchsess-Heim _Kirschensort_.
427-429. 1819. =11.= _Ill. Handb._ 73 fig., 74. 1867.

_Jeffrey's Royal._ =12.= Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 99. 1846.

_Royale Hâtive._ =13.= Mortillet _Le Cerisier_ =2=:134-138, fig.
32. 1866.

This old variety, which has almost passed from cultivation, may have had its origin in France about the middle of the Eighteenth Century, though more likely it originated in England much earlier. Leroy mentions a Royale cherry which was introduced from England to France about 1730 and was first grown by M. le Normand in the garden of Louis XV. The name Royale was first used by the French about 1735 from the fact that it was grown in the royal gardens and since that time this name has clung to the variety in most of the French plantations. According to English writers, the variety was brought to notice in England by Jeffrey, proprietor of the Brompton Nursery at Brompton Park, England, and from that time it was known as Jeffrey's Duke. English pomologists maintain that Jeffrey renamed the old Cherry Duke of England, giving it his name. Jeffrey Duke appeared on the American Pomological Society's fruit catalog list in 1862 but was dropped in 1871. It is doubtful if the variety can now be found in America. The following description is compiled from the authors given in the references:

Tree large, vigorous, very upright, unusually compact,
slow-growing, productive; branches very numerous, stocky,
straight, thickly set with fruit-spurs; internodes short;
branchlets very short; buds closely set; leaves numerous, medium
in size, oval or obovate, acuminate; margin finely and irregularly
serrate; petiole short, slender, with small, flattened or globose
glands; blooming season late; flowers small, very open.

Fruit matures in mid-season, usually attached in pairs; medium
in size, roundish, slightly flattened at the apex and base;
suture a well-marked line; color lively red becoming dark red
or almost black when fully ripe; stem slender, inserted in a
moderately broad, deep cavity; skin thin; flesh firm but tender,
yellowish-amber, with abundant colored juice, slightly stringy,
highly flavored; good in quality; stone small, roundish, tinged
with red.

KING AMARELLE

_Prunus cerasus_

=1.= _Christ Wörterb._ 293. 1802. =2.= Truchsess-Heim
_Kirschensort_. 610-615. 1819. =3.= Liegel _Syst. Anleit._ 174.
1825. =4.= _Ill. Handb._ 533 fig., 534. 1861. =5.= Lauche _Deut.
Pom._ =III=: No. 23, Pl. 1882. =6.= _Am. Gard._ =9=:264. 1888.
=7.= _Can. Exp. Farm Bul._ 2nd Ser. =3=:62. 1900. 8. _Ia. Sta.
Bul._ =73=:72. 1903. =9.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 27. 1909.

_King's Cherry._ =10.= Rea _Flora_ 205. 1676.

King Amarelle is an old European cherry that has taken on new life in America. It is of the Early Richmond type, differing from this standard Amarelle in bearing fruit a little earlier, lighter in color and with a longer stem. The fault which all but condemns the variety as a commercial cherry is the small size of the fruit, the cherries running smaller than those of Early Richmond which, in its turn, is rather too small. The tree is very like that of Early Richmond--quite as vigorous and productive, the same in size and shape and, if anything, a little more hardy. The variety is told from afar in blossoming-time by the peculiar distribution of the flower-clusters, which are numerous and dense but always separated by several inches or a foot of bare wood. King Amarelle can never displace Early Richmond but might be tried where a somewhat hardier cherry is wanted or it might be planted as a substitute where the better-known sort fails.

This variety, of old and uncertain origin, sprang up in France about the same time as the Montmorencies and became confused with them. In both fruit and tree-characters, however, King Amarelle is very different from the Montmorencies, being more like Early May but ripening later and making a larger tree. The cultivation of King Amarelle never became extended in Europe because of the inferior quality of the fruit and poor tree-characters. Professor J. L. Budd brought the variety to America from Russia about 1883. The Royal Amarelle, grown on the Canadian Experiment Station grounds in 1900, is undoubtedly King Amarelle. The American Pomological Society placed it on its list of recommended fruits in 1909.

Tree of medium size and vigor, upright-spreading, open-topped,
very productive; trunk roughish; branches rather slender, smooth,
reddish-brown overlaid with dark ash-gray; branchlets slender,
of medium length, with short internodes, brown partly covered
with ash-gray, smooth, with numerous conspicuous, small, raised
lenticels.

Leaves three and one-half inches long, one and one-half inches
wide, folded upward, obovate, somewhat glossy, thick; upper
surface dark green, rugose; lower surface light green, with a
few scattering hairs; apex acute, base abrupt; margin finely and
doubly serrate, with small, dark glands; petiole one inch long,
somewhat slender, lightly tinged with red, with a few hairs on the
grooved upper surface and with from one to three small, globose,
greenish-yellow glands at the base of the blade.

Buds small, short, obtuse, very free, arranged singly as lateral
buds and in clusters on few, short spurs; leaf-scars prominent;
season of bloom intermediate; flowers white, one and one-fourth
inches across; borne in dense clusters usually in threes; pedicels
over one-half inch long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube with
a tinge of red, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes faintly tinged
with red, acute, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed;
petals somewhat obovate, entire, with an entire apex; filaments
one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in
length.

Fruit matures early; three-fourths inch in diameter,
roundish-oblate, compressed; cavity regular, somewhat abrupt;
suture indistinct; apex roundish or flattened; color bright red;
dots numerous, small, light russet, rather conspicuous; stem one
inch long, adhering to the fruit; skin thin, tender, separating
from the pulp; flesh pale yellow, with colorless juice, tender and
melting, sprightly; fair to good in quality; stone free, ovate,
somewhat flattened, pointed, with smooth surfaces, faintly tinged
with red; ridged along the ventral suture.

KIRTLAND

_Prunus avium_

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Sp. Rpt._ 22. 1904-05.

_Kirtland's Mary._ =2.= _Horticulturist_ =2=:123, 124 fig. 21.
1847-48. =3.= Thomas _Am. Fruit Cult._ 365. 1849. =4.= Cole _Am.
Fr. Book_ 231. 1849. =5.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 39. 1852. =6.=
_Ibid._ 235. 1854. =7.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 198 fig. 1854. =8.=
Hooper _W. Fr. Book_ 262, 263. 1857. =9.= Mas _Le Verger_ =8=:55,
56, fig. 26. 1866-73.

_Mary._ =10.= _Hogg Fruit Man._ 69, 86, 87. 1866.

In the collection of cherries at this Station, Kirtland stands among the best of the Bigarreaus in quality of fruit--in fact is hardly surpassed in richness and delicacy of flavor. The fruit, too, as may be seen from the color-plate, is handsome, the cherries resembling the well-known Napoleon but being a little darker in color. The flesh is firm and meaty and stands handling well and also resists the brown-rot as well as any other cherry. With these splendid qualities of fruit, Kirtland would long ago have been one of the standard commercial cherries were its tree-characters better. Wherever tried, the complaint comes that the trees lack vigor and can be grown successfully only on choice cherry soils and under the best of care. With these faults the variety can be recommended only for home orchards and for local markets where there is demand for a very early Bigarreau, since this variety ripens before most other cherries of its kind.

Kirtland was grown in 1842 by Professor J. P. Kirtland of Cleveland, Ohio, and ranks foremost in quality and appearance of all the seedlings raised by this well-known cherry-breeder. The American Pomological Society, in 1852, mentioned this sort as deserving of further trial and, in 1854, listed it among the varieties of promising fruits. Elliott, in his _Fruit Book_, noted this cherry under the name Kirtland's Mary, in honor of Professor Kirtland's daughter, and classed it as a variety worthy of general cultivation. Hogg, in 1866, dropped the name Kirtland and listed it as Mary, while in the _American Pomological Society's Special Report_ for 1905 it is called Kirtland. According to the rules of pomological nomenclature, Hogg was correct in holding the name Mary but, since there is another Mary and no worthy sort bearing the name of so eminent a horticulturist as Professor Kirtland, this Station follows the American Pomological Society in the use of Kirtland.

Tree small, rather weak, upright-spreading, open-topped,
productive; trunk and branches slender, smooth; branches
reddish-brown partly overspread with ash-gray, with numerous
lenticels; branchlets thick, brown almost entirely overspread with
ash-gray, smooth except for the longitudinal, conspicuous, raised
lenticels.

Leaves five inches long, two and one-fourth inches wide, folded
upward, elliptical to obovate, thin; upper surface medium green,
somewhat glossy, smooth; lower surface light green, thinly
pubescent; apex acute, base abrupt; margin doubly serrate, with
small, dark glands; petiole one and three-fourths inches long,
slender, tinged with red, lightly pubescent along the upper side,
with two or three reniform, reddish glands on the stalk.

Buds pointed, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds or
on numerous, very short spurs in clusters variable in size;
leaf-scars prominent; blooming in mid-season; flowers white, one
and one-fourth inches across; borne in dense clusters; pedicels
one inch long, pubescent, reddish-green; calyx-tube tinged with
red, light green within, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes
reddish, obtuse, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals
roundish-oval, entire, with short, broad claws and a notched
apex; filaments in four series, the longest one-half inch; pistil
glabrous, shorter than the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; three-fourths of an inch in diameter,
cordate, compressed; cavity wide, flaring; suture a more or less
distinct line; apex roundish or pointed, with a small depression
at the center; color amber overspread with bright red; dots
numerous, small, grayish, conspicuous; stem one and three-fourths
inches long, adhering to the fruit; skin tough; flesh whitish,
with colorless juice, tender, meaty, with a pleasant and
refreshing flavor; very good to best in quality; stone free,
small, roundish-ovate, with smooth surfaces; ridged along the
ventral suture.

KNIGHT

_Prunus avium_

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 26. 1909.

_Knight's Early Black._ =2.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 52. 1831.
=3.= _Prince Pom. Man._ =2=:120. 1832. =4.= _Proc. Nat. Con. Fr._
Gr. 52. 1848. =5.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde._ =3=:19. 1858.
=6.= Mortillet _Le Cerisier_ =2=:83. 1866. =7.= _Mas Pom. Gen._
=11=:85, 86, fig. 43. 1882.

_Knights Frühe Herzkirsche._ =8.= _Ill. Handb._ 3 fig., =4.=
1867.

This old English variety has long been popular in America, where it is generally known as Knight's Early Black, this name having been shortened by the American Pomological Society to Knight. Possibly Knight is to be found in dooryards and home gardens in Eastern United States as often as any other Sweet Cherry with the exception of Black Tartarian. The characters which give it popularity are excellent quality, handsome appearance because of its glossy, dark purple color and uniformity in color, shape and size, and its earliness, it being the earliest good Sweet Cherry. Unfortunately, even in the best soil and under the most painstaking treatment, the cherries run small, a defect for American markets. The small size also leads to comparatively low yields even though the fruits are often borne in prodigious numbers. Knight, in size, color and flavor, is much like Black Tartarian but the cherries are smaller and ripen earlier. As the trees grow on the grounds of this Station they are about all that could be desired in a Sweet Cherry. The trees are characteristically marked by smooth bark which is dotted with large lenticels. There are now better sweet varieties than Knight for most purposes but still this old variety has too many merits, especially for home grounds, to be wholly forgotten.

Knight comes from a seed of May Duke crossed with Yellow Spanish by T. A. Knight, Downton Castle, Wiltshire, England, about 1810. The new variety sprang into prominence almost immediately, being mentioned by French, German and English writers. Knight is still one of the well-recognized sorts in Europe and America and has appeared continuously on the fruit list of the American Pomological Society since 1848. Mathieu has included several synonyms under this head which we question as we believe they belong to the Guigne Noir Hâtive, a distinct variety though very similar.

Tree of medium size, upright-spreading, open-topped, very
productive; trunk stocky, variable in smoothness; branches smooth,
light reddish-brown nearly overspread with ash-gray, with small
lenticels; branchlets thick, brown lightly covered with ash-gray,
variable in smoothness, with small, raised, inconspicuous
lenticels.

Leaves numerous, five and one-half inches long, two and one-half
inches wide, folded upward, obovate to long-oval, thin; upper
surface dark green, rugose; lower surface light green, thinly
pubescent; apex and base variable in shape; margin doubly serrate,
with small, dark glands; petiole two inches long, slender, tinged
with red, with a shallow groove and with few hairs, with two or
three large, reniform, reddish glands, usually on the stalk.

Buds long, conical or pointed, plump, free, arranged singly as
lateral buds and in small clusters on spurs variable in length;
leaf-scars prominent; season of bloom intermediate; flowers white,
one and one-fourth inches across; borne in dense clusters, usually
in twos; pedicels one inch long, slender, glabrous; calyx-tube
green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes lightly tinged with red,
long, acute, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals oval,
entire, deeply notched at the apex; filaments nearly one-half inch
long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures early; three-fourths of an inch in diameter, cordate
to conical; cavity wide, rather abrupt; suture indistinct; apex
flattened, with a small depression at the center; color dark
reddish-black, obscurely mottled; dots numerous, small, russet,
obscure; stem slender, one and one-half inches long, adhering well
to the fruit; skin thin, tender, separating from the pulp; flesh
dark red, with dark colored juice, tender, meaty, mild, sweet; of
good quality; stone free except along the ventral suture, small,
roundish-ovate, with smooth surfaces.

LAMBERT

_Prunus avium_

=1.= _U. S. D. A. Pom. Rpt._ 24. 1894. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._
24. 1899. =3.= _U. S. D. A. Yearbook_ 307-309, Pl. 31. 1907.

Nowhere else in America, possibly nowhere else in the world, can the Sweet Cherry be grown as well as in Oregon and Washington. From these States, more particularly Oregon, several meritorious cherries have been added to pomology. One of the best of these is Lambert, now a standard sort in its native State but still on probation in Eastern America. Lambert is a Bigarreau, a seedling of Napoleon by Black Heart, and a worthy rival of its parents in most respects and superior in some. In appearance, Lambert is more like its male than its female parent, having much the same shape and color, but it is larger, more rotund, smoother, clearer and brighter--one of the handsomest of the dark-colored Sweets. The flesh and flavor leave little to be desired; the flesh is purplish-red marbled with lighter red, firm, meaty and juicy, with a sweet, rich flavor that at the first taste one marks very good. The tree is strong, vigorous, healthy and usually fruitful and regular in bearing. The fruit sets in great, loose clusters--often a dozen or more cherries to the fruit-spur. The leaves are remarkably large and dark green, the foliage betokening the vigor of the variety. Lambert is well worthy thorough testing for either home or market wherever the Sweet Cherry can be grown.

Lambert originated as a seedling under a Napoleon tree which was planted by the late Henderson Lewelling[80] about 1848 in the orchard of J. H. Lambert, Milwaukee, Oregon. This seedling, supposed to have been a cross between Napoleon and Black Heart, was grafted to May Duke and later transplanted. About 1880, the top died and a sprout from the seedling stock formed a new top. Mr. Lambert gave the new variety his name and in 1895 turned over his stock to the Oregon Horticultural Society with the exclusive right to propagate. The variety was placed on the fruit list of the American Pomological Society in 1899 where it still remains.

Tree medium to large in size and vigor, upright-spreading, very
productive; branches smooth, dull reddish-brown, with numerous
small lenticels; branchlets thick, long, dark reddish-brown nearly
covered with ash-gray, smooth, glabrous, with a few inconspicuous
lenticels.

Leaves four and one-fourth inches long, two and one-half inches
wide, folded upward, oval to obovate, thin; upper surface medium
green, smooth; lower surface light green, lightly pubescent; apex
acute, base abrupt; margin doubly serrate, glandular; petiole one
and one-half inches long, dull red, glandless, or with from one to
three rather small, globose, reddish glands on the stalk.

Buds large, pointed or conical, free, arranged singly as
lateral buds or in small clusters on short spurs; leaf-scars
prominent; season of bloom intermediate, short; flowers one and
one-fourth inches across, white; borne usually in twos; pedicels
three-fourths of an inch long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube
green, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes long, broad, obtuse,
finely serrate; petals roundish, entire, with short claws and with
dentate apex; filaments one-half inch long; pistil glabrous, equal
to the stamens in length.

Fruit matures in mid-season; one inch in diameter,
roundish-cordate, compressed; cavity rather deep, slightly
flaring; suture shallow, often a mere line; apex roundish,
depressed at the center; color very dark red changing to
reddish-black; dots numerous, small, russet, obscure; stem tinged
with red, slender, one and one-fourth inches long, adherent to
the fruit; skin thin, adhering to the pulp; flesh dark red, with
scant dark red juice, meaty, firm, pleasant flavored, sweet; of
very good quality; stone clinging, large, wide, ovate, flattened,
blunt, oblique, with smooth surfaces; prominently ridged along the
ventral suture.

[80] Little is known of the early life of Seth and Henderson
Lewelling. They were of Welsh ancestry and both were born in
Salem, North Carolina, Henderson on the 25th of April, 1809, and
Seth on the 6th day of March, 1819. Henderson died in California
December 28th, 1878, while Seth died in Milwaukee, continued:
Oregon, February 21st, 1897. When the boys were still very young
their parents moved from North Carolina to Ohio and founded the
town of Salem in Ross County; later they moved to Indiana where
their father established a nursery and became one of the pioneer
fruit-growers of what was then the West and here again they
founded a town of Salem. We next hear of Henderson Lewelling
in Salem, Henry County, Iowa, the town of his naming, with the
statement that in 1837 he planted a small nursery of 35 varieties
of apples and some peach, plum and cherry trees.

The history of the Lewellings now becomes more definite for we
have it from Seth Lewelling[81] (we spell the name as does he
and not "Luelling" as do many in writing of him) that in March,
1847, Henderson Lewelling planted an assortment of apples, pears,
peaches, plums and cherries and loaded them into two wagons and
started to Oregon. This traveling nursery was on the road from
March to November and one can imagine the labor of watering and
caring for the trees in this trip across mountains and plains.
Henderson Lewelling formed a partnership with William Meek under
the firm name of Meek & Lewelling, Milwaukee, Oregon. Seth joined
his brother in the fall of 1850 bringing with him from the East
a considerable quantity of fruit seed. For the next few years
their nursery operations were on a large scale, over 100,000
grafts being planted in 1853. From time to time they made new
importations of plants and fruit seeds from the East. Seth says
that his brother quit the business and moved to California in
1853 and we hear no more of him until his death in 1878. In 1857,
the partnership between Meek and Seth Lewelling was dissolved
leaving the latter the owner of the Milwaukee nurseries. It was
in 1860 that Seth Lewelling raised his first seedling cherry,
the Republican, called by him Black Republican, which was sold
to George Walling of Oswego and Mr. Hanson of East Portland,
the proceeds bringing Lewelling $500. Mr. Lewelling counts the
Republican and Bing cherries and the Golden Prune as his most
notable contributions to pomology.

The Lewellings are types of fruit-breeders who have done noble
work for pomology in the settlement of all our states--men of
for indomitable courage and will who have bred and grown fruits
throughout their lives in spite of every adversity. Few other men
labored longer and more devotedly to improve the cherry than Seth
Lewelling.

[81] _Oregon St. Bd. Hort. An. Rpt._ =2=:242. 1893.

LARGE MONTMORENCY

_Prunus cerasus_

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 22. 1885. =2.= _Ibid._ 25. 1899. =3.=
_Del. Sta. An. Rpt._ =12=:110, 114. 1900. =4.= _Am. Gard._
=22=:266, 267. 1901.

_Flemish._ =5.= Bradley _Gard._ 211. 1739. =6.= _Lond. Hort. Soc.
Cat._ 49. 1831. =7.= Thompson _Gard. Ass't_ 530. 1859.

_Grosse Glaskirsche von Montmorency._ =8.= Truchsess-Heim
_Kirschensort_. 465-470. 1819. =8.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_
=3=:54, 55. 1858. =10.= _Ill. Handb._ 165 fig., 166. 1860.

_Short Stem Montmorency._ =11.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:139, 140.
1832. =12.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =73=:75. 1903.

_Grosser Gobet._ =13.= _Ill. Handb._ 543 fig., 544. 1861.

_Montmorency._ =14.= Mortillet _Le Cerisier_ =2=:195 fig. 54, 196,
197. 1866.

As its synonyms show, Large Montmorency has been grown under various names in Europe and America--a testimony to its merits. Were it not that the true Montmorency is so much more fruitful than this larger-fruited offshoot of the same race of Amarelle cherries, Large Montmorency would be a leading commercial Sour Cherry, for it is equal to the smaller-fruited strain in all other characters with the advantage of size. The relationship between this and the other Montmorencies is apparent but Large Montmorency is easily distinguished by several marked characters from the common Montmorency, known by all, with which it is most often confused. Its fruits are more often borne singly, are larger, have a shorter, thicker stem, are more oblate and ripen a little earlier. The trees are more upright, with stouter branches and are far less fruitful. The flesh-characters of the two kinds are much the same--excellent in both, the flavor being particularly refreshing to those who like the acidity of the Sour Cherry. Large Montmorency has been tried and found so wanting in productiveness that it can rarely be recommended as a commercial variety but it is much too good a fruit to be wholly lost and should be grown by connoisseurs who want a large, finely flavored Sour Cherry.

This variety has been much confused with other cherries, particularly Montmorency, Early Richmond and Short Stem Montmorency. Bradley, in 1739, mentioned a Flemish cherry which undoubtedly was the Large Montmorency of today, for the name Flemish has rather commonly been applied to this sort since Bradley's time. There is no doubt but that Large Montmorency sprang up about the same time as the true Montmorency, in the Montmorency Valley in France. It may have been a seedling of the Cerise Hâtive, afterwards known as Early Richmond, though some writers are of the opinion that the Montmorencies and Cerise Hâtive were all seedlings of the old Cerise Commune. At any rate, there have come to be at least three distinct types of Montmorency: the true Montmorency with long stems and moderate-sized fruit, called Montmorency à Longue Queue or, in America, Montmorency Ordinaire; the Large Montmorency with its large fruit and shorter, thicker stems, commonly known by the French and German writers as Montmorency à Gros Fruit, Gros Gobet, Grosse Glaskirsche von Montmorency and sometimes as Montmorency à Courte Queue; and the Short-Stem Montmorency, often called Montmorency à Courte Queue and sometimes Gros Gobet. Large Montmorency has often been sold for Montmorency, or for Early Richmond, hence the three varieties are more or less confused. Large Montmorency probably came to America about the same time as Montmorency and Early Richmond, early in the Nineteenth Century. In 1875, Ellwanger & Barry, Rochester, New York, disseminated this sort quite extensively but later it proved too unproductive for commercial use. It was soon replaced by the true Montmorency but often the names were interchanged and large forms of the Montmorency were thought to be this variety. The unproductiveness of this cherry has been consistently mentioned by nearly every writer from Duhamel's time to the present. Large Montmorency was added to the American Pomological Society's catalog list of fruits in 1885 as Montmorency Large but in 1899 this name was changed to Large Montmorency.

Tree rather large, vigorous, upright, vasiform, unproductive;
trunk thick, roughened; branches stocky, nearly smooth,
reddish-brown overspread with dark ash-gray, with numerous
large, raised, conspicuous lenticels; branchlets thick, short,
brown tinged with bronze, smooth except for the large, numerous
yellowish, conspicuous, raised lenticels.

Leaves numerous, three and one-half inches long, one and
three-fourths inches wide, folded upward, broad-oval to obovate,
thick, stiff; upper surface dark green, slightly rugose; apex
acute, base variable in shape; margin serrate, glandular; petiole
one inch long, tinged with dull red, glandless or with from one to
three globose, yellow or brownish glands, usually at the base of
the blade.

Buds usually pointed, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds
and in small clusters on short spurs; leaf-scars prominent; season
of bloom intermediate; flowers white, one inch across; borne in
scattering clusters, usually in threes; pedicels five-eighths
inch long, glabrous, green; calyx-tube tinged with red, obconic,
glabrous; calyx-lobes with a trace of red, long, broad, acute,
serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals obovate,
entire or slightly crenate, sessile, with a crenate apex;
filaments one-fourth inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to or
longer than the stamens, often defective.

Fruit matures in mid-season; three-fourths of an inch in diameter,
oblate, compressed; cavity wide, flaring; suture shallow; apex
flattened or depressed; color dark red; dots numerous, small,
russet, somewhat conspicuous; stem thick, one inch long, adhering
fairly well to the fruit; skin thick, separating from the pulp;
flesh whitish, showing distinctly the fibers in the pulp, with
abundant colorless or slightly tinged juice, tender and melting,
sprightly, pleasant flavored, tart; of very good quality; stone
free, roundish, plump, with smooth surfaces, tinged with red.