The Cultivated Native Plums and Cherries. 105 



" Utah. Hybrid Cherry, red. — This is a dwarf variety, e\ideutly 

 belonging to the Chickasaw class, and while it has some m^^rit 

 as a novelty, it is not nearly equal to the above." 



Saniuel Miller, of Blutfton, Mo., informs me that he obtained 

 the Utah Hybrid cherry over ten years ago from Nebraska. The 

 Phoenix Nursery Company, of Bloomington, 111., "have been 

 propagating it for many years" to supply the spontaneous demand 

 for it, but the company writes me that it " can not recommend 

 it," and that " the fruit is rather small, of dark purplish red 

 color, and is merely a skin drawn over a pit." The plant sold hy 

 the Phoenix company is a slender under-shrub, with elliptic-lanc.;- 

 olate prominently nerved and pointed leaves, which are sharply 

 serrate throughout, and which can not be referred to any forjn 

 of Prunus pmnila with which I am acquainted. The tree grown 

 by Mr. KeiT has the half -weeping habit of a Morello cherry, and 

 the leaves are also very like those of the Morello. The Howers are 

 borne in short-stalked umbels upon wand-like twigs, and they 

 suggest, as do also the leaves, an approach to Prunus maritiuui, 

 the beach plum. The original Utah Hybrid, which Mr, Kerr 

 planted, he tells me, had fruit about the size of Bassett's Ameri- 

 can (see No. 94, part I), but which ripened earlier than that plum. 

 The present tree, described above, is a seedling of it, but this seed- 

 ling has larger fruit — as big as a large Napoleon cherry — 

 which is later than the Bassett, and the tree is less dwarf. He 

 considers the Utah Hybrid an inferior fruit. 



3. Prunus serotina, the Wild Black or Uuin Cherry. — This 

 well-known cherry, the wood of which is often used for cabinet 

 work and house finishings, is planted for forestry purposes, as an 

 ornamental tree and sparingly for fniit. Infusions of the bark 

 are used for medicinal purposes and the fniit is often used in the 

 manufacture of cherry brandy or as a flavor to rum. Occasional 

 trees bear fruit of unusual size and attractiveness. As an oma- 

 laental plant the Wild Black Cherr}'' possesses decided merits in 

 its attractive habit, clean, shining foliage, sti-iking white racemes 

 and handsome fiiiiti. There are several cultivated varieties; 

 pendula, a weeping foim, worked standaixi high; variegata, with 

 the leaves more or less discolored with yeUow; Golden-leaf, 



14 



