224 



The Canadian Horticulturist. 



THE EARLY PURPLE. 



HE earliest dessert cherry is the Early Purple, a foreign variety 



known in France as the Early Purple Guigne. The tree is a 



vigorous upright grower, not subject to black knot, and it 



becomes quite productive as the tree acquires age. A tree 



about thirty years planted at Grimsby yielded, in 1886, 144 



quarts ; they were harvested on the nth of June, and sold in 



the wholesale market at an average of 1 2 cents per qt. This 



is the tree's best record, for usually the birds destroy the fruit 



before it matures, and if gathered as soon as colored red it is 



little more than " skin and bones." The last few days of growth it fills out 



wonderfully, and becomes almost a so called " black cherry." The variety is 



quite hardy south of Lake Ontario, and is worthy o( trial farther north. 



The branch which we have photographed for the illustration was taken 

 from the tree above referred to, and shows the habit of fruiting, as well as the 

 cherries in natural size. 



Tree. — Upright, vigorous, healthy, productive when full grown. 

 • Fruit. — Medium size, roundish heartshaped ; skin dark red to purple ; stem 

 two inches long in a shallow cavity ; suture obscure. 



Flesh. — Color, red to purple ; texture tender, juicy ; flavor sweet and 

 pleasant. 



Season. — June loth to 15th. 



Adaptation. — Grown at Grimsby for thirty years and quite hardy ; fairly 



hardy in Maine and Michigan. 



Pleasure Grounds. — Grass lawns that have become browned by the 

 recent dry weather should not be mown very closely. Raise the knives in the 

 machine well up, and remove the grass-box, so that the cut grass may remain as 

 it is scattered about by the machine ; it will then assist in keeping the lawn 

 green. If the lawn has not been mown for some time owing to the drought, it 

 will be well to mow it lightly over with a sharp scythe before the lawn mower is 

 used on it again. Grass-edgings should be kept tidy by clipping with the edging 

 shears, and narrow verges of grass in dry situations require to be well watered 

 during dry weather. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



A little girl in Aberdeen brought a basket of strawberries to the minister 

 very early on Monday morning. " Thank you, my little girl," he said ; " they 

 are beautiful. But I hope you didn't gather them yesterday, which was the 

 Sabbath day?" 



" No, sir," replied the child, " I pulled them this morning. But they was 

 growin' all day yesterday." 



