THE CHEEET.] 



the Cheston, Sliarpe's Emperor, the Fother- 

 ingham, Goliath, La Eoyale, Wilmot's IS'ew 

 Orleans, the Orleans, and the Morocco. 

 There are also some Damasks, which should 

 find a place in the garden. The Early Violet 

 is a capital bearer, and highly recommended 

 by Lindley for cottage gardens. 



For preserving, and the use of the kitchen, 

 the following are recommended : — The Cale- 

 donia or Nectarine Plum, Isabella, Shrop- 

 shire Damson, Imperial Diadem, White Mag- 

 num Bonum, Eed Magnum Bonum or Im- 

 perial, the St. Catharine, the Mirabelle, 

 Bullan, and Wine Sour, Deen's Jedburgh 

 Seedling, Denniston's Superb, Tay-Bank, 

 Topaz, Gisborne's Plum, Guthrie's New 

 Apricot Plum, Pond's Seedling, and Guthrie's 

 Minette. 



In training plum trees they require plenty 

 of room, and are chiefly propagated by bud- 

 ding upon Musell or St. Julian stocks. They 

 are sometimes grafted ; but when this is the 

 case, gum is apt to exude from the tree at the 

 place of junction. On common walls they 

 should be allowed from twenty to twenty-five 

 feet of breadth, over which to extend them- 

 selves ; and for this purpose a preference 

 should be given to such as have been trained 

 in the nursery for a couple of years. 



THE CHERRY. 



In 73 A.C., the cultivated cherry was 

 brought to Italy by Lucullus, the Eoraan 

 general, who found it growing in Cerasus, the 

 name of a town in Pontus in Asia, and from 

 which the designation given to the fruit is 

 derived. It is supposed to have been intro- 

 duced by the Eomans into Britain ; but if 

 such was the case, it would seem that it was 

 suffered to die out. It is stated to have been 

 re-iiitroduced by Eichard Harris, the fruit- 

 erer of Henry VIII.; but Wharton shows, 

 by a quotation from Lidgate, a poet who 

 nourished about 1415, that the London 

 hawkers exposed cherries for sale in a manner 

 similar to that which is now done in the 

 early part of the fruit season. The tree is 

 very generally cultivated, not only as a wall, 

 but as a standard fruit, and has been intro- 

 duced to the forcing garden for upwards of a 

 couple of centuries. The fruit is used as a 

 dessert, and for making pies, tarts, aud other 

 956 



PEACTICE OE HOETICULTUEE. 



[the peae. 



elegant preparations, in both confectionery 

 and cookery. The Horticultural Society's 

 catalogue, with geans included, gives no fewer 

 than 219 varieties, of which the following 

 may be considered as among the most excel- 

 lent : — 



The Bigarreau or GrafSon, Belle de Choissy, 

 Black Tartarian, Amber or Yellow Spanish, 

 Buttener's October Morello, Early Purple 

 Griotte, Elton, Harrison's Heart, the May 

 Duke, Late Duke, Morello, Kentish Cherry, 

 and the Waterloo, Besides these, may be 

 specified the Black Heart, Black Eagle, Early 

 Heart, Bowyer's Downton, Carnation, White 

 Heart, Knight's Early Black, and the Flo- 

 rence. 



The Early Purple Griotte is the earliest of 

 all cherries, generally ripening at the end of 

 May. The May Duke is one of the most 

 common, and, at the same time, one of the 

 most valuable of cherries; but the Kentish 

 cherry is one of the oldest and most prevalent 

 of English cherries, much cultivated in the 

 orchards of Kent. It ripens at the end of 

 July, and is commonly grown as a standard. 

 The Morello is a late cherry, much in request 

 for confectionery ; and of the same species are 

 the Erogmore, New Morello, and Eumsey'a 

 Late Morello. The Bigarreau is an excellent 

 fruit, largely cultivated in England for the 

 London market. 



Guignes, or Geans, are cherries, but in a 

 state not so highly cultivated, or so far 

 removed from their natural state. When old 

 they are very prolific, and are usually grown as 

 standards. The Amber Gean, and the Lunelle 

 Gean, are the principal kinds ; the former a 

 sweet tender fruit, and an abundant bearer; 

 the latter a small black cherry, of high flavour. 



THE PEAR. 



The pear tree bears its fruit on wood up- 

 wards of one year old, but principally on spurs, 

 and very rarely on two-year branches. In the 

 Theory of Horticulture, Dr. Lindley has the 

 following remarks relative to the rearing of this 

 tree : — " Plant a maiden tree in autumn ; allow 

 it to establish itself for one year, and then head 

 it back to a good eye, a 'i^'^ buds from its 

 base. Let one shoot grow as strong and 

 upright as possible during the summer, and 

 bead it back to within thirteen inches of the 



