94 AMYGDALE^;. 



blossom as in Switzerland, and that blossom was followed by 

 abundant and well-ripened fruit. There they distil a strong 

 coarse spirit from the Cherries, called Kirschwasser, or Cherry- 

 water. We were often disappointed when, stopping at a way- 

 side inn on a long excursion, we asked for wine or milk, and 

 could get nothing but this abominable spirit. But we had our 

 enjoyment out of the Cherries ; for one penny we could buy a 

 basketful, and we regaled ourselves with them daily. At Ham- 

 burgh an annual feast of Cherries is held, the occasion of which 

 is interesting. When the city was besieged by the Hussites, 

 and reduced to great straits, the suffering people dressed their 

 children in mourning and sent them to sue for mercy. The 

 enemy, touched by this sight, fed them bountifully and sent 

 them back with branches of Cherries. Processions of children 

 celebrate the annual feast. Mr. Johns gives an interesting 

 account of this in his " Forest Trees of Britain." 



In the same Yorkshire woods the Bird Cherry (P. padus), 

 puts forth its spikes of elegant flowers, and this tree is still 

 more abundant in the glens in Swaledale. The fruit is dark 

 purple, oval, and bitter to the taste. 



The Common and Portugal Laurels belong to this group, also 

 the Peach, Nectarine, Apricot, and Almond. The fruit of all 

 is wholesome, but the leaves contain prussic acid in a greater 

 or less degree ; and this is, as you know, a deadly poison. 

 The bark yields gum. I remember a beautiful Morello Cherry 

 tree, trained against a south wall in our fruit garden, parted 

 with so much gum that the soil was caked with it. The tree 

 died of exhaustion. 



Kent has supplied us with specimens of all the wild Plums. 



The common Wild Plum (Prunus domestica), is distinguished 

 by being thornless. 



The Wild Bullace (P. insititia), has thorns at the end of the 

 / branches. 

 . " CThe Blackthorn or Sloe has abundance of thorns, hence its 



J tjit * >f D 



* c Latin name (P. spinosa). This species is the earliest in flower- 



