J66 THE CHERRY. 



sweet cherries those which are firm and crackling, as com- 

 pared with the melting, tender flesh of section I. The Common 

 Bigarreau or Graffion, may be taken as the type of this class, 

 which is mainly composed of the largest and most beautiful of 

 cherries, admirable for the dessert, and whose firmness renders 

 them well suited for carriage to market. The trees like the 

 Heart cherries, are lofty and spreading, with similar foliage. 

 (B : garreaux, and Bigarreautiers, of the French.) 



III. Duke cherries. This class is characterised by the round- 

 ish form of its fruit, thin skin, and juicy, melting flesh ; the fla- 

 vour being generally sub-acid before fully ripe, when it is rich, 

 and nearly or quite sweet. The Mayduke is the type of this 

 class. The trees are upright in their growth while young, and 

 finally form lower heads than those of the two previous sections, 

 with narrower leaves, which are flat and darker coloured. The 

 young wood is also darker, and a little less strong than that of 

 the Heart and Biggarreau classes. These are excellent varie- 

 ties, succeeding well in almost all soils and climates, and in- 

 valuable both for the dessert and for cooking. (Cerisiers, of 

 the French.) 



IV. Morello cherries. The common Kentish or pie cherry, 

 and the Morello, are well known types of this class. The fruit 

 is mostly round, with thin skin, juicy, tender, and quite acid, 

 being chiefly valued for cooking, preserving, and various cu- 

 linary purposes. The trees are of rather low and spreading 

 growth, with small wiry branches, and narrow dark green foli- 

 age. (Griottiers, and Cerisiers, of the French.) 



In describing cherries we shall designate their size by com- 

 parison, as follows : large, as the Tartarian, and Bigarreau ; 

 middle sized, as the Mayduke and Black Heart ; small, as the 

 Transparent Guigne and Honey, (see the outlines of these sorts.) 

 As regards form, heart-shaped, as the Black Heart ; obtuse 

 heart-shaped, as the Bigarreau ; and round, as the Kentish. 

 As regards texture, tender, as the Mayduke j half tender, as the 

 Tartarian, and firm, as the Bigarreau. 



