PREFACE 



This is the fourth of the monographs on the fruits of temperate North 

 America pubHshed by the New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 

 The nature and purposes of these treatises have been set forth in the pref- 

 aces of preceding volumes, but a summary of the purposes, with needed 

 emphasis on several, is given for the convenience of all readers and the 

 enlightenment of those who may not have the first three books. 



The Cherries of New York contains an historical account of cultivated 

 cherries, the botany of this fnoit, a statement of its present economic status in 

 America, descriptions of all known varieties of cherries, the synonymy and 

 bibliography of the species and varieties, and biographical sketches of the per- 

 sons who have contributed materially to cherry culture in America. The most 

 important varieties are illustrated in colors. Everything that was thought 

 would be helpfvil in breeding cherries has been included, and special search 

 has been made for such material. So, too, whatever was thought to be 

 of interest to students of ecology and of plant distribution has been added. 



In the monographs on grapes and plums it was necessary to devote 

 much space to the botanical relationship of these fruits since each contains 

 more than a score of species vmder cultivation, some of which are scarcely 

 known and most of which are extremely variable. The botany of culti- 

 vated cherries is comparatively simple and has been made plain by botanical 

 writers. Yet the contemplation of the several species from a horticultural 

 standpoint adds something, we believe, to the botany of cherries, especially 

 as concerns the forms of the Sweet Cherry and the Sour Cherry which 

 have been variously treated by botanists. 



As compared with their congeners, especially the plums, the economic 

 species of cherries are remarkably well delimited, showing far less respon- 

 siveness to environment and having seemingly less inherent variation, so 

 that there need be little confusion in botanical classification. On the other 

 hand varieties are so similar that it is only with the greatest difficulty that 

 closely related sorts are distinguished and there is great confusion in the 

 synonymy, the chief task of the present work being to distinguish the true 

 names from the synonyms of the varieties described. 



In The Cherries of New York, as in the preceding fruit books from this 



