154 The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



from one tree. This was a late black cherry of moderate size known in the district 

 as " Black bud " or " Croon's " cherry. W. Dumbarton, a resident of the place, 

 further told me that in an orchard belonging to Sir R. Harvey at Iver, he had 

 gathered thirty-five years ago 165J sieves of cherries from one tree of the Bigarreau 

 variety, which is still alive. This seemed to me incredible, but 1 was assured by 

 Mr. Ford, steward to Sir R. Harvey, that he had heard this as a fact from natives of 

 the place. 



I saw at Golden Grove in Wales a cultivated cherry no less than 50 ft. by 9 ft. 

 with a bole more than 20 feet high. But as a rule the trees in orchards are cut down 

 or decay before they arrive at anything like the size mentioned above. 



I have found no account of cherry trees of great size in Europe, except 

 one by the Rev. R. Walsh, 1 who wrote as follows : " The second variety is an 

 amber-coloured transparent cherry, of a delicious flavour. It grows in the woods in 

 the interior of Asia Minor, particularly on the banks of the Sakari, the ancient 

 Sangarius. The trees attain a gigantic size, they are ascended by perpendicular 

 ladders, suspended from the lowest branches. I measured the trunk of that from 

 which the seeds I send were taken ; the circumference was 5 ft., and the height 

 where the first branches issued 40 ft. ; from the summit of the highest branches was 

 from 90 to 100 ft., and this immense tree was loaded with fruit." 



Timber 



The wood of this tree, though now little valued in the trade, is one of the 

 best native woods for inside work, being easier to season and less liable to warp than 

 most timbers. It has a fine even grain which takes a good surface and polishes well. 

 Its colour is pale pinkish when fresh, but when oiled or waxed it becomes with age a 

 dark pinkish or brown, and is highly ornamental when cut so as to show the fine 

 medullary rays. 



I have used it with very good effect for panelling a small room at Rapsgate 

 Park, near Colesborne. I am informed by Mr. A. C. Forbes that the pews in the 

 church at Gibside, Northumberland, which were made in 181 2 of cherry wood, have 

 not warped or shrunk in the least, the joints being as good as when made. Though 

 the sapwood in some places is worm-eaten, the heartwood is almost free from this 

 defect. 



As far as my experience goes the wood is best when the trees are felled at 

 about 4 to 5 feet in girth, older trees being often more or less decayed at the heart. 

 It is sold standing at 6d. a foot or less, and may be bought in the form of board at a 

 very reasonable price, and used for furniture and chair-making, as well as for all work 

 where toughness and strength are not specially required. It may be made richer 

 in colour by soaking it in lime water, and when treated in this way is very similar 

 to pale-coloured mahogany. (H. J. E.) 



1 Trans. Hort. Sac. vi. 44 (1826). 



