THE CURRANT. 201 



77. VIRGINIAN WILD CHERRY. 



Wild Cherry, of the United States. 

 Cerasus Virginiana. Arb. Brit. Dec. 

 Cerasier de Virginie. French. 

 Virginisch Kirsche. German. 



Our native wild cherry is too well known to need minute de- 

 scription. It forms a large and lofty forest tree, with glossy, 

 dark green leaves, and bears currant-like bunches of small 

 fruit, which are palatable, sweet, and slightly bitter when fully 

 ripe, at midsummer. They are, however, most esteemed for 

 preparing cherry bounce, a favourite liqueur in many parts of 

 the country, made by putting the fruit along with sugar in a 

 demijohn or cask of the best old rum. 



The black wild cherry, (C. serotina, Torrey and Gray,) which 

 ripens the first of September, is the best kind. The other spe- 

 cies, (C. Virginiana,) which is commonly known as the Choke 

 Cherry, bears reddish coloured fruit, which is more astringent, 

 and ripens a month earlier. 



Selection of cherries for a small garden. Early Purple 

 Guigne, Baumann's Early, Knight's Early Black, Mayduke, 

 Bigarreau, Tartarian, Downer's Late, Elton, Tradescant's 

 Black, Belle de Choisy, Sweet Montmorency, Kentish, Morello. 



The hardiest cherries are the Kentish, (or Virginian May,) 

 the Morello, and the Mayduke. These succeed well at the 

 farthest limits, both north and south, in which the cherry can be 

 raised, and when all other varieties fail, they may be depended 

 on for regular crops. Next to these, in this respect, are the 

 Black Heart, Downer's Late, Downton, and Elton. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



THE CURRANT. 



Ribes rubrum, Lin. Grossulacece, of botanists. 



Grossittur commun, of the French ; Die Johannisbeere, German ; Aalbesseboom, 

 Dutch ; Ribes rosso, Italian ; and Grossetta, Spanish. 



THE name currant is said to be derived from the resemblance 

 in the fruit to the little Corinth grapes or raisins, which, under 

 the name of currants, are sold in a dried state in such quantities 

 by grocers ; the latter word being only a corruotion of Corinth, 



