DRUPACE^ 



403 



sorts upon which sweet cherries are grafted, the results being 

 somewhat better when grown on mazzard stock. Sour cher- 

 ries are also propagated on mazzard stock. 



2. Hearts (Geans). — The fruit is heart- 

 shaped and has a soft flesh. Tartarian, 

 Black Eagle, etc., are varieties in this group. 



3. Bigarreaus. — The fruit is heart-shaped, 

 light or dark in color, and with hard flesh. 

 Common black varieties are Windsor and 

 Schmidt, common light ones, Yellow Spanish 

 and Napoleon. 



4. Dukes. — Dukes resemble the Hearts in 

 shape and color, but have a juice somewhat 

 acid. Dukes are often classed with the sour 

 cherries, but Bailey would class them with 

 the sweet cherries on account of the habit of 

 growth of the trees, and the flower and leaf 

 characters. Hedrick considers Duke cherries 

 as hybrids between Prunus avium and P. 

 cerasus. They resemble sweets more than 

 sour. Dukes commonly produce sterile seed. 

 There are both dark- and light-colored sorts. 

 Reine Hortense and May Duke belong here. 



PRUNUS CERASUS (Sour Cherry) 



Description. — Sour cherry trees are smaller 

 than those of sweet cherries. They "sucker ^ 

 readily from the root. The bark is gray- 

 brown and quite smooth; lenticels are con- 

 spicuous. The leaves are thick, ovate or 

 ovate-lanceolate, abruptly acute or acuminate at the tip, 

 variously toothed, becoming smooth on both surfaces, usually 

 erect, and with short, strong petioles. Flowers appear before 



Fig. 167. — Twig 

 of sweet cherry 

 (Prunus avium). 

 (After Paddock 

 and Whipple.) 



