300 



THE GENESEE FARMER 



September 24, 1S35. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



IEN, ) 



• 5 



LinnjEan Botanic Garden 

 Flushing, Sept. 8, 1831 

 Gent. — I transmit you herewith, the descrip- 

 tions of a number of varieties of Heart Cherries, 

 Bigarreau Cherries, and GriMe or Duke 

 Cherries. I shall always be happy to contribute 

 to your highly valuable paper, and regret that the 

 necessary devotion of my time to the Pomological 

 Manual or Treatise on Fruits, which has just is- 

 sued from the press, has deprived me hitherto of 

 the power of doing so ; for I assure you I deem it 

 but an act of justice that every one should contri- 

 bute his mite to so useful a publication. I shall 

 send you very speedily short descriptions of an as- 

 sortment of the best Plums, Pears, Apples, Peach- 

 es, Apricots and Nectarines, which will enable the 

 lovers of Horticulture in your section of our state 

 to make their selections with a knowledge of their 

 respective qualities. Very respectfully, 



Wm. Robert Prince. 



HEART CHERRIES. 



Black Heart — fruitof good size.and (inequality ; 

 the tree very productive — ripens about a week or 

 ten days after the Mayduke. 



Black Tartarian — similar in color to above, 

 but half as large again, of excellent quality , the 

 tree very productive, ripens a few days later than 

 the preceding one. 



White Heart — fruit of but medium size or rath- 

 er less than medium, and of oblong forms, color 

 yellowish white on the shaded side and pale red 

 or mottled with red next the sun ; flesh of a honi- 1 

 ed sweetness, none more so; the tree bears buti 

 indifferently — it ripens next after the Mayduke,] 

 and therefore second in point of maturity and pre- 

 cedes the Black Heart by a few days, and there- 

 by keeps up the continuation. 



White fruited Guigne — fruit of medium size, 

 of oblong form, of a dingy white on the shaded 

 side, and of a flesh color or red next the sun ; the 

 flesh white, somewhat firm and of agreeable flavor, 

 ripens about the middle of June. 



Knight's Early Black — very similar in its 

 general character to the Black Tartarian; fruit of 

 large size, surface uneven, less pointed than the 

 Black Tartarian ; flesh firm, juicy, rich and sweet, 

 and of a deep purple color ; the tree is produc- 

 tive. 



Waterloo — fruit large, skin dark purplish red ; 

 flesh delicate, juicy, sweet and of a rich and plea- 

 sant flavor. 



Black Eagle — fruit of fine size, form between 

 heart shaped and round ; flesh tender, rich, and of 

 fine flavor ; juice of a dark purplish color ; ripens 

 about the same time as the Black Heart — the tree 

 is very productive. 



Elton — a splendid fruit both as regards its 

 beauty and large size ; the color on the shaded 

 side is a pale waxen yellow, but next the sun it 

 is mottled with fine red ; flesh firm, very rich and 

 sweet ; — this variety ripens after the Black Tar 

 tarian and before the White Bigarreau, and serves 

 to keep up the chain of continuation of this fmit ; 

 Lhe tree is very productive. 



White Tartarian — a beautiful fruit, almost 

 transparent, of medium size and of fine quality; 

 it is one of the earlier varieties in point of matu- 

 'ity. 

 BSWtorw—a. very large fruit of a dark purple • 



or blackish color; flesh firm, of a liver-like con- 

 sistence, and of pleasant flavor, but not quite as 

 rich as many other varieties. It ripens two weeks 

 after the Black Tartarian and after indeed most 

 of the other choice heart cherries are past, which 

 renders it particularly valuable; the tree bears a- 

 bundantly. 



China Heart — fruit of medium size, the skin 

 beautifully mottled with red on a yellowish ground, 

 which gives it a particular waxen appearance ; 

 the flesh is between solid and melting, sweet, of a 

 very peculiar and pleasant flavor, which differs 

 from all other cherries I have tasted ; the tree is 

 exceedingly productive and ripens soon after the 

 Black Tartarian. 



Remington White Heart — fruit of medium 

 size or rather less, color whitish, mottled with red 

 next the sun, flesh somewhat firm, not rich, but of 

 pleasant flavor. The principal value is its late 

 maturity. A branch was sent to us from Rhode 

 Island on the 10th Sept. which was loaded with 

 fruit then barely ripe, but we find it to ripen here 

 early in August and sometimes at the end of Ju- 



iy- 



Early Black Heart — fruit similar to the com- 

 mon Black heart already deseribed, but by many 

 deemed rather superior, and it ripens a few days 

 sooner. 



American Amber — the fruit of fine size and ex- 

 cellent quality; the skin of an amber hue; the 

 tree very productive ; — ripens about the same 

 time as the Black Heart. 



Bleeding Heart — an oblong fruit, terminating 

 in a point and more of heart-shape than almost 

 any other cherry; the color a beautiful dark rich 

 red ; the flesh very rich it being among the most 

 excellent in quality — the tree does not bear well ; 

 the fruit is one of the later varieties in point of ma- 

 turity. 



Transparent Guigne — a fruit of medium size, 

 of a yellowish hue ; mottled with red ; it is of ve- 

 ry pleasant flavor and ripens among the latest of 

 the heart cherries, which circumstance renders it 

 particularly desirable. 



Herefordshire Black — a fruit resembling some 

 what the common Black Heart, and valuable on 

 account of its bemg much later at maturity ; the 

 flesh is rich and very pleasant, and it is deemed a 

 fruit of much excellence. 



BIGARREAU CHERRIES. 

 White Bigarreau — a beautiful fruit of large 

 size; the skin at maturity of a yellowish hue. 

 somewhat mottled with red and has a red cheek 

 on the sunny side ; the flesh firm, sweet and of 

 excellent flavor, ripens about the same time as the 

 later varieties of Heait Cherries. 



Red Bigarreau — a large sized fruit of a deep 

 red color, and oblong form ; flesh very firm, sweet, 

 and of pleasant flavor ; it is one of the late varie- 

 ties in point of ripening, and is not at maturity un- 

 til two or three weeks after the Black Heart. 



Pigeon's lieart Bigarreau — fruit large, its 

 form that of an abridged oval, being nearly equal- 

 ly compressed at the base and the extremity; con 

 vex one side and somewhat flattened on the other; 

 and marked by a conspicuous suture ; the skin 

 dark red next to the sun and yellowish wliite on 

 the shaded side, with u partial tinge of rose color ; 

 the flesh firm, crackling, and of pleasant flavor ; 

 ripens at the end of June. 

 barge R-d Bigamav. — this is still larger than 



the preceding ; it is oblong and somewhat flatten 

 ed on two sides ; the skin is shining, dark red next 

 the sun, and of a paler red on the other side ; flesh 

 whitish, firm, succulent, very rich and of excel- 

 lent flavor. This is one of the best fruits of its- 

 kind and ripens late in July. 



Large White Bigarreau — fruit of same form 

 and size as the preceding ; the skin altogether of 

 a paler hue ; the side next the sun is a flesh color 

 and the shaded side whitish ; flesh not quite as 

 fine and its flavor not quite as rich — the tree pro- 

 duces abundantly. 



Common French Bigarreau — fruit not so ob- 

 long as the large Red Bigarreau, but of larger 

 size; skin shining, of a beautiful red next the sun, 

 marbled with white in different places, and pale 

 red or entirely whitish on the opposite side ; flesh 

 firm, crisp, rich, and of a very agreeable flavor. — 

 Tliis is intermediate in ripening between the ear- 

 ly and late varieties of the Bigarreau, and is at 

 maturity in the early part of July — the tree pro- 

 duces abundantly. 



Flesh colored Bigarreau — an excellent fruit ; it 

 bears much resemblance to the preceding, but is 

 distinguished by the variation in the color of the 

 skin which is of a fine rose color, it ripens in July. 



Large late Bigarreau — fruit of fine size, not 

 quite equal in that respect to the large Red Big- 

 arreau already described, but ripening at a much 

 later period ; skin of a rather dark red on the sha- 

 ded side, and brownish red, almost black, on the 

 other ; flesh firm, juicy, and of excellent flavor. 



Late Black Bigarreau — fruit of good size, 

 contracted both at the base and extremity ; skin 

 at first a dark brownish red, but when ripe be- 

 comes black ; flesh red, rather dry, and very firm ; 

 this variety does not attain its full maturity at Pa- 

 ris until the end of August. I have not tested 

 that point sufficiently to give the precise period of 

 its ripening in this vicinity, but it may be taken 

 as a general rule that fruits ripen rather earlier at 

 New- York than they do at Faris. 



Napoleon Bigarreau — a large sized fruit of fine 

 appearance, flesh firm and of very good quality; 

 it ripens the beginning of July. It is arranged 

 by French writers among their best varieties. 



Late Bigarieau of Hildcsheim — this is a 

 very late variety ; the skin is marbled ; the flesh 

 firm, and of a pleasant flavor ; it sometimes does 

 not ripen until in August. There are a number 

 of other fine varieties of this class, among which 

 are the May Bigarreau, Early Bigarreau of Ma- 

 zan, &c. 



GRIOTTEorDUKE CHERRIES. 



Early Dwarf May — a small fruit, acid, but 

 pleasant; the tree glows slow and never attains 

 to much size; this variety is of little value except 

 on account of its being the first at maturity. 



Mayduke — fruit of a large size, and the 

 est cherry we have, whose qualities are particu- 

 larly valuable ; color at full maturity a very dark 

 red, but it is generally gathered in such haste that 

 it h;is only attained to redness, without having 

 acquired the darker hue ; flesh quite rich and of 

 a very pleasant acid ; the tree execdingly pro 

 ductive. 



Late Duke — this fruit bears much resemblance 

 to the preceding but is several weeks later at ma 

 turity, which circumstance also renders it very dr 

 sirable, in addition to its good qualities. 



