Chapter IV: Leading Varieties of Cherries (1)

ABBESSE D'OIGNIES

_Prunus avium_ × _Prunus cerasus_

=1.= Mortillet _Le Cerisier_ =2=:182. 1866. =2.= Leroy _Dict.
Pom._ =5=:161, 162 fig. 1877. =3.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 276, 277.
1884. =4.= _Mich. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 329. 1888. =5.= Budd-Hansen _Am.
Hort. Man._ =2=:284. 1903. =6.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =73=:62 fig. 1907.
=7.= _N. Y. Sta. Bul._ =385=:307, 308, Pl. 1914.

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

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

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

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

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

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

ARCH DUKE

_Prunus avium_ × _Prunus cerasus_

=1.= Parkinson _Par. Ter._ 571. 1629. =2.= Rea _Flora_ 205. 1676.
=3.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2:=135. 1832. =4.= Downing _Fr. Trees
Am._ 189, 190. 1845. =5.= Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 97,
98. 1846. =6.= _Mag. Hort._ =13=:398 fig. 1847. =7.= Elliott _Fr.
Book_ 203. 1854. =8.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 135. 1867. =9.= _Am. Pom.
Soc. Cat._ 12. 1871. =10.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 278, 279. 1884.

_Griotte de Portugal._ =11.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =1=:190,
191, Pl. XIII. 1768. =12.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =5=:297, 298 fig.
1877.

_Portugiesischer Griottier Weichselbaum._ =13.= Kraft _Pom. Aust._
=1=:6, Tab. 16 fig. 1. 1792.

_Herzogskirsche._ =14.= Christ _Handb._ 670. 1797. =15.= Christ
_Wörterb._ 282. 1802. =16.= Truchsess-Heim _Kirschensort._
371-376. 1819.

_Portugiesische Griotte._ =17.= Christ _Handb._ 674. 1797.

_Cerise Royale de Hollande._ =18.= _Ann. Pom. Belge._ =1=:81, Pl.
1853.

_Cerise de Portugal._ =19.= Mortillet _Le Cerisier_ =2=:148 fig.
37, 149, 150. 1866.

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

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

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

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

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

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

BALDWIN

_Prunus cerasus_

=1.= _Kan. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ =23=:81. 1898. =2.= Kan. Hort. Soc.
_Cherry, The_, 15, 16, Pl. 1900. =3.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =73=:63.
1903. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 27. 1909.

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

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

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

BAUMANN MAY

_Prunus avium_

=1.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 168 fig. 60. 1845. =2.= _Am. Pom.
Soc. Cat._ 74. 1862. =3.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 279. 1884.

_Frühe Maiherzkirsche._ =4.= Kraft _Pom. Aust._ =1=:1, Tab. 1.
1792. =5.= Truchsess-Heim _Kirschensort._ 140, 141, 142. 1819.
=6.= _Ill. Handb._ 49 fig., 50. 1860. =7.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._
348, 349. 1889.

_Süsse Maiherzkirsche._ =8.= Christ _Handb._ 662. 1797.

_May Bigarreau._ =9.= Kenrick _Am. Orch._ 234. 1841. =10.= _Mag.
Hort._ =7=:288. 1841. =11.= _Cultivator_ N. S. =4=:280 fig. 1.
1847. =12.= Hovey _Fr. Am._ =1=:55, 56, Pl. 1851.

_Guigne Précoce de Mai._ =13.= Mortillet _Le Cerisier_ =2=:54 fig.
2, 55, 56. 1866. =14.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =11=:51, 52, fig. 26. 1882.

_Bigarreau Baumann._ =15.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =5=:176 fig., 177.
1877.

_Guigne de Mai._ =16.= _Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom._ 102 fig.,
103. 1904.

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

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

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

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

BESSARABIAN

_Prunus cerasus_

=1.= _Ia. Agr. Col. Bul._ 53. 1885. =2.= _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =2=:38.
1888. =3.= _Ibid._ =19=:549. 1892. =4.= _Can. Exp. Farm Bul._
=17=:6. 1892. =5.= _Mich. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 244. 1894. =6.= _U. S.
D. A. Pom. Rpt._ 39, 40. 1895. =7.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 17. 1897.
=8.= _Del. Sta. An. Rpt._ =12=:122, 123 fig. 8, 124. 1900. =9.=
_Wash. Sta. Bul._ =92=:12. 1910.

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

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

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

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

BIGARREAU PÉLISSIER

_Prunus avium_

=1.= _Soc. Nat. Hort. France Pom._ 92 fig., 93. 1904. =2.= _Cat.
Cong. Pom. France_ 30 fig. 1906.

_Pélissiers Knorpelkirsche._ =3.= _Proskauer Obstsort._ 57. 1907.

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

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

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

BING

_Prunus avium_

=1.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._ 262, Pl. 4 fig. a. 1892. =2.= _Wash. Bd.
Hort. Rpt._ 126, 128. 1893. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 24. 1899.
=4.= _W. N. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt._ 112. 1900. =5.= _Ibid._ 26. 1904.
=6.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 192. 1907. =7.= Wickson _Cal. Fruits_
187. 1908. =8.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 26. 1909. =9.= _Wash. Sta.
Bul._ =92=:23. 1910.

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

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

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

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

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

BLACK GUIGNE

_Prunus avium_

=1.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:112. 1832.

_Scheur-Kers._ =2.= Knoop _Fructologie_ =2=:36, 43. 1771.

_Frühe Schwarze Herzkirsche._ =3.= _Christ Wörterb._ 274. 1802.

_Guigne Bigaudelle_. =4.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:113. 1832.

_Coburger Maiherzkirsche._ =5.= _Ill. Handb._ 51 fig., 52. 1860.
=6.= Oberdieck _Obst-Sort._ 377. 1881. =7.= Lauche _Deut. Pom._
=III=:No. 1, Pl. 1882.

_Guigne Noire Commune._ =8.= _Leroy Dict. Pom._ =5=:328, 329 fig.,
330. 1877.

_Noire Hâtive de Cobourg._ =9.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =11=:123, 124,
fig. 62. 1882.

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

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

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

BLACK HAWK

_Prunus avium_

=1.= _Horticulturist_ =6=:360, 361 fig. 1851. =2.= _Am. Pom. Soc.
Rpt._ 45, 235. 1854. =3.= Elliott _Fr. Book_ 190 fig. 1854. =4.=
Hooper _W. Fr. Book_ 258, 270, 271. 1857. =5.= _U. S. D. A. Rpt._
382. 1875.

_Épervier Noir._ =6.= Mas _Pom. Gen._ =11=:41, 42, fig. 21. 1882.

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

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

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

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

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

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

BLACK HEART

_Prunus avium_

=1.= Rea _Flora_ 205. 1676. =2.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:115. 1832.
=3.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 169 fig. 1845. =4.= _Am. Pom. Soc.
Rpt._ 195. 1854. =5.= Thompson _Gard. Ass't_ 526. 1859. =6.= _Am.
Pom. Soc. Cat._ 74. 1862.

_Guignier à Fruit Noir._ =7.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb. Fr._ =1=:158,
159, 160, Pl. 1 fig. 1. 1768.

_Frühe Schwarze Herzkirsche._ =8.= Truchsess-Heim _Kirschensort._
116-119. 1819. =9.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 340, 349. 1889.

_Guigne Noire Ancienne._ =10.= Mortillet _Le Cerisier_ =2=:66 fig.
7, 67, 68. 1866.

_Bigarreau Noir d'Espagne._ =11.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =5=:223 fig.,
224. 1877.

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

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

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

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

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

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

BLACK TARTARIAN

_Prunus avium_

=1.= Truchsess-Heim _Kirschensort._ 130-132. 1819. =2.= _Pom.
Mag._ =1=:44, Pl. 1828. =3.= _Lond. Hort. Soc. Cat._ 55. 1831.
=4.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:113, 114. 1832. =5.= _Proc. Nat. Con.
Fr. Gr._ 52. 1848. =6.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_ =3=:21. 1858.
=7.= _Ill. Handb._ 61 fig., 62. 1860. =8.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._
=5=:228, 229 fig., 230. 1877. =9.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 377, 378.
1889. =10.= _Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 37. 1906.

_Ronald's Large Black Heart._ =11.= Forsyth _Treat. Fr. Trees_ 42,
43. 1803.

_Guigne Noire à Gros Fruit._ =12.= _Cat. Cong. Pom. France_ 36.
1906.

_Tartarian._ =13.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 26. 1909.

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

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

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

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

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

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

BLEEDING HEART

_Prunus avium_

=1.= Rea _Flora_ 205. 1676. =2.= Forsyth _Treat. Fr. Trees_ 42.
1803. =3.= Floy-Lindley _Guide Orch. Gard._ 104. 1846. =4.=
Elliott _Fr. Book_ 215. 1854.

_Gascoigne._ =5.= Parkinson _Par. Ter._ 571, 572. 1629. =6.=
Gerarde _Herball_ 1504. 1636. =7.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 298. 1884.

_Red Heart._ =8.= Rea _Flora_ 206. 1676. =9.= Brookshaw _Hort.
Reposit._ =2:=183, Pl. 96 fig. 1. 1823.

_Blutherzkirsche._ =10.= Truchsess-Heim _Kirschensort._ 224, 225,
226. 1819.

_Gascoigne's Heart._ =11.= Downing _Fr. Trees Am._ 174. 1845.

_Blutrothe Molkenkirsche._ =12.= Dochnahl _Führ. Obstkunde_
=3:=29. 1858.

_Guigne Rouge Hâtive._ =13.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =5:=338 fig., 339.
1877.

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

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

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

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

BOURGUEIL

_Prunus cerasus_

_Cerise de Bourgueil._ =1.= Mortillet _Le Cerisier_ =2=:205. 1866.

_Montmorency de Bourgueil._ =2.= Mas _Le Verger_ =8=:123, 124,
fig. 60. 1866-73. =3.= Leroy _Dict. Pom._ =5:=364, 365 fig. 1877.

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

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

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

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

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

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

BRUSSELER BRAUNE

_Prunus cerasus_

1. Christ _Handb._ 676. 1797. 2. Christ _Wörterb._ 288. 1802. 3.
Truchsess-Heim _Kirschensort._ 533-536. 1819. 4. Dochnahl _Führ.
Obstkunde_ =3=:63, 64. 1858. 5. Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 333, 341.
1889. 6. _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 24. 1899. 7. _Del. Sta. An. Rpt._
=12=:124, 125, fig. 8. 1900.

_Brüsselsche Bruyn_. 8. Krünitz _Enc._ 75, 76. 1790.

_Zweite Grösser Herzkirschweichsel._ 9. Kraft _Pom. Aust._ =1=:9,
Tab. 22 fig. 1. 1792.

_Ratafia._ 10. Hogg _Fruit Man._ 309, 310. 1884.

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

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

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

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

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

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

BUNTE AMARELLE

_Prunus cerasus_

1. Truchsess-Heim _Kirschensort_. 652-655. 1819. 2. _Ia. Hort.
Soc. Rpt._ 330. 1885. 3. _Ia. Sta. Bul._ =2=:40. 1888. 4.
Budd-Hansen _Am. Hort. Man._ =2=:272. 1903.

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

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

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

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

CALIFORNIA ADVANCE

_Prunus avium_

1. Wickson _Cal. Fruits_ 289, 292. 1889. 2. _Wash. Sta. Bul_.
=92=:25. 1910.

_Advance_. 3. _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt_. 130. 1897.

_Ulatis_. 4. _Mich. Sta. Bul_. =177=:32. 1899.

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

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

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

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

CARNATION

_Prunus cerasus_

=1.= Rea _Flora_ 205. 1676. =2.= Langley _Pomona_ 86, Pl. 16 fig.
3. 1729. =3.= Forsyth _Treat. Fr. Trees_ 42. 1803. =4.= Coxe
_Cult. Fr. Trees_ 251. 1817. =5.= Prince _Pom. Man._ =2=:138, 139.
1832. =6.= Downing

_Fr. Trees Am._ 194 fig. 83. 1845. =7.= Thompson _Gard. Ass't_
529. 1859. =8.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 74. 1862. =9.= Mas _Le
Verger_ =8=:91, 92, fig. 44. 1866-73. =10.= Hogg _Fruit Man._ 289.
1884.

_Cerise d'Orange._ =11.= Knoop _Fructologie_ =2=:36, 41. 1771.

_Rothe Oranienkirsche._ =12.= Krünitz _Enc._ 55, 56. 1790. =13.=
Truchsess-Heim _Kirschensort._ 456-463. 1819. =14.= _Ill. Handb._
175 fig., 176. 1860.

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

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

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

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

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

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

CENTENNIAL

_Prunus avium_

=1.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt._ 17, 159. 1885. =2.= Wickson _Cal.
Fruits_ 289. 1889. =3.= _Am. Pom. Soc. Cat._ 24. 1899.

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

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

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

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

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

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

CHOISY

_Prunus avium_ × _Prunus cerasus_

_Cerisier à Fruit Ambré, à Fruit Blanc._ =1.= Duhamel _Trait. Arb.
Fr._ =1=:185, 186, 187, Pl. XI. 1768.

_Schöne von Choisy._ =2.= Truchsess-Heim _Kirschensort._ 452-455.
1819. =3.= Mathieu _Nom. Pom._ 333, 334, 376. 1889.