THE SWEET MONTMORENCY CHERRY. 



SWEET MONTMORENCY. Magazine of Horticulture, vol. xii. p. 344. 



ALLEN'S FAVORITE, of some Nursery Collections. 



THE number of American varieties of cherries is yearly increasing, 

 and we may soon expect to find the principal kinds, in general cultiva- 

 tion, our native varieties. Much improvement, however, we hope yet to 

 see effected in this fine fruit. The late Mr. Knight, President of the 

 London Horticultural Society, succeeded in producing several new sorts, 

 by the process of cross-fertilization, which have held a high reputation ; 

 but, since the origin of his seedlings, less attention seems to have been 

 given to the production of new cherries than other fruits. 



The principal American varieties, of which we have several of great 

 merit, have been accidental productions, and the Sweet Montmorency 

 is one of the number. The earliest notice we have of it is that given 

 by the late Mr. Manning, in his Synopsis of Forty-four varieties, in the 

 Magazine of Horticulture, (vol. viii. p. 281,) which he had collected to- 

 gether during many years, and produced from seed, and which he had 

 fruited and proved in his Pomological Garden at Salem. Mr. Manning 

 gave so favorable an account of this variety that we immediately pro- 

 cured it; and, from trees budded in 1842, we had a small crop, the 

 present year, for the first time. 



The Sweet Montmorency originated in the garden of Mr. J. F. Allen, 

 in Chestnut street, Salem. It was an accidental seedling, which sprung 

 up with others about the year 1831 or 1832. In 18 34, several of these 

 seedlings were planted out, and, in 1836 or 1837, they came into bear- 

 ing. Mr. Manning saw the fruit, and was so much pleased with it that 

 he named it the Sweet Montmorency, from the supposition that it sprung 

 from a seed of the common Montmorency cherry, an acid fruit. 9 It was 

 the only tree which proved worthy of cultivation. 



The original tree is growing in Mr. Allen's garden, and, since it first 

 began to bear, it has not failed to ripen a fine crop of fruit every season. 

 It is scarcely ever injured by weather which usually cracks and injures 

 most varieties. It is one of the latest sweet cherries, ripening at the 

 same time as the Late Duke, and possesses the good quality of hanging 

 long upon the tree after it is mature, and also of keeping some time 

 after it has been gathered and placed in the fruit room. One peculiarity 

 of the Sweet Montmorency is, that, soon after it begins to color, it be- 

 comes of a fine red, and, by many cultivators, would be considered quite 



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