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were introduced from Flanders, and first planted at Sittingbourne in 

 Kent, a county ever since famous for this fruit. Historical records 

 inform us that in the year 1540, one season's fruit in a Kentish 

 Cherry orchard, thirty-two acres in extent, sold for 1000 a very 

 large sum at that period. Old records also inform us that early in 

 the sixteenth century Cherries were commonly sold in the streets of 

 London, and that it was usual to announce the commencement of the 

 season by carrying boughs loaded with fruit through the principal 

 thoroughfares. 



Cherries vary considerably in their characteristics, and there are 

 doubts as to the sources from which some of the classes have been 

 derived. Attempts have been made by prominent writers upon the 

 science of pomology to classify the different types of Cherries, but 

 efforts have not been so successful as could be desired, and a more 

 perfect system is required. The well-known English pomologist, Dr. 

 Hogg, classes Cherries in two main divisions, one of which he calls 

 Geaiis, and this includes the Heart and Bigarreau sections ; the other 

 division termed Griottes embraces the Duke and Morello sections. 

 These divisions are subdivided again, the distinctions being* based 

 upon the shape of the fruit and the colour of the flesh and juice. 

 Mr. Downing, the celebrated American pomologist, simply divides 

 Cherries into two classes one comprising the Heart and Bigarreau, 

 and the other the Duke and Morello sections. Most of the names 

 used to identify the divisions and sections are of French origin, some 

 retaining their purity, while others have been corrupted. Gean is a 

 corruption of the French word Guigne, which means a Heart Cherry. 

 The pure name is, however, used by many in preferance to the word 

 gean. The name Bigurreau is applied to a section having firm, 

 fleshy fruit, though literally it means a white " Heart Cherry." 

 Griotte means literally a tk Black Cherry." but the name is now 

 applied generally to the tender-fleshed Cherries. Duke is an ab- 

 breviation of " May duke," a prominent variety in its class, that name 

 being a corruption of Medoc, a province in France, in which this 

 kind is supposed to have originated. Morello comes from the French 

 Morelle, the name of the Morel, on account of the original type being 

 supposed to have a flavour somewhat similar to that esculent fungus. 



Most of the Guigne or heart Cherries, have originated from Cerasus 

 avium, the wild, black Cherry, which is common to the woods of the 

 United Kingdom and many other parts of Europe. This is a very 

 hardy and robust species, which attains a large size when growing 

 under naturally favourable conditions. The other portion of the 

 Guigne family comes from Cerasus Juliana, another robust species, 

 which grows wild in many parts of Southern Europe. The Bigarreau 

 family have originated from Cerasus duracina and Cerasus cctprom'ana 

 both species being common in the southern parts of Europe. The 

 Duke and Morello sections have come from Cerasus vulgaris, the wild, 

 red, sour cherry which is found growing* naturally in the United 

 Kingdom and in many other parts of Europe. Cerasus Padus, a small- 

 growing species common to many parts of Great Britain, but more 

 plentiful in Scotland than in England, is the Bird Cherry. This 



