216 ROSACEA 



exhibits so much of that crimson and orange tint so common in the woods 

 of America, and so comjmratively rare in those of our own land. This is 

 generally called the Gean Cherry, and in Kent the fruits are termed Gaskins ; 

 they are slightly Ijitter, though not disagreeably so, and the large stones 

 adhere very closely to the fleshy part of the cherry. The name of Gaskin 

 should probably be Gascon, as that of Gean appears to be a corruption of 

 Guignes ; and another of its names. Merries, is probably also from Merisier, 

 by which it is commonly called in Fiance, and which is said to be derived 

 from amere, bitter, and cerise, cherry. The French call the tree also Ccrisier, 

 and in some of our country places it is termed Blackhead Cherry. The 

 Black Corona Cherries and the Gean Cherries of the garden are all varieties 

 of it. 



This tree is, Avhen fully grown, from twenty to thirty feet in height, and 

 the gum which exudes from it is considered to be equal in value to gum- 

 arabic, though differing from it in its chemical qualities. It is very nutritious, 

 and Hasselquist relates that, during a siege more than one hundred men were 

 kept alive for nearly two months without any other nutriment than that of 

 a small piece of gum sometimes taken into the mouth and then suffered 

 gradually to dissolve. "It is remarkable," says Baxter, "that the barks 

 of all the trees yielding this bland mucilaginous substance are highly 

 astringent. That of the Acacia itself, from a certain species of which gum- 

 arabic is obtained, is used in India for tanning." The bark of our Wild 

 Cherry is very astringent, and its wood is very tough and close-grained. This 

 is used by turners, and being of a bright red hue, and susceptible of a high 

 polish, it is a valuable material for ornamental furniture, which is scarcely 

 infeiioi", either in beauty or durability, to that made of mahogany. The 

 tree is more frequent in the woods of France than with us ; and the French 

 plant it more extensively, and use its wood for a greater variety of purposes, 

 than the English. It is sometimes grown in Scotland for the sake of its 

 timber. Of the various uses of the fruits little need be said. To them we 

 are indebted for puddings, tarts, and preserves ; they are used also in 

 flavouring various liqueurs ; and ratafia, maraschino, kirchwasser, wine, 

 brandy, and vinegar, as well as marmalade and lozenges, are improved by 

 the addition either of their juicy portion, or their kernels. 



The Eev. C. A. Johns, in his "Forest Trees of Great Britain," remarks : 

 " In England, cherries are to be considered i\ather as a luxury than a staple 

 article of food ; but on the Continent, particularly in France, they are highly 

 prized as supplying food to the poor ; and a law was passed in that country 

 in 1669, commanding the preservation of all Cherry-trees in the royal forests. 

 The consequence of this was, that the forests became so full of fruit-trees 

 that there was no longer room for the imderwood ; when they were all cut 

 down, except such young ones as were included among the number of 

 standard saplings required by the law to be left to secure a supply. This 

 measure Avas a great calamity to the poor, who during several months of the 

 year lived, either directly or indirectly, on the fruit. Soup made of cherries, 

 with a little bread and a little butter, was the common nourishment of the 

 wood-cutters and charcoal-burners of the forest. Of late years, the practice of 

 planting Cherries by the rord-side has been extensively adopted in Germany, 



