144 



FLORENCE 



HOMER 



124. English 



Morello. 



(XD 



is the standard late sour cherry in North 

 America, occupying at the close of the season 

 the place held by Montmorency in midseason. 

 The fruits are not for the table, and can 

 hardly be eaten out of hand until some of 

 the astringency and acidity is destroyed by 

 thorough ripening. In any 

 way cherries are prepared by 

 cooking, however, they are 

 of the best, as culinary 

 processes give the fruits a 

 rich, dark wine color, very 

 attractive in appearance, and 

 a most pleasant, sprightly, 

 aromatic flavor. The cher- 

 ries are handsome in ap- 

 pearance, bear harvesting 

 and shipping well, are re- 

 sistant to brown-rot, and 

 hang long on the trees after 

 ripening. One may always 

 know the trees once seen; 

 they are small and round- 

 headed, with branches that 

 distinctly droop. To be suf- 

 ficiently productive, an Eng- 

 lish Morello orchard must 

 be closely set; for, although 

 the trees are vigorous and 

 productive for their size, 

 they are too dwarf to yield heavily. The trees 

 are hardy but not always healthy, and are not 

 adapted to so great a diversity of soils as might 

 be wished. The variety probably originated in 

 Holland or Germany, whence it was intro- 

 duced into England and later into America. 

 Wragg is thought by some to be identical with 

 this cherry, and if not, it differs but little; 

 Northern Griotte, introduced by Budd from 

 Russia, is English Morello; Morris, or Col- 

 orado Morello, put out by John Morris, Gol- 

 den, Colorado, is also English Morello. 



Tree small, upright-spreading, with drooping branch- 

 lets, dense-topped. Leaves numerous, 2% inches long, 

 1% inches wide, obovate; margin faintly serrate, with 

 small, dark glands ; petiole ty inch long, with small, 

 globose or reniform, greenish-yellow glands. Flowers 

 late, 1 inch across, white ; borne in scattering clusters 

 in twos and threes. Fruit very late ; about % inch 

 in diameter, round-cordate, compressed ; cavity shallow, 

 narrow, flaring, regular ; suture a shallow groove ; apex 

 rounded, with a small depression at the center ; color 

 dark red becoming almost black ; dots numerous, small, 

 dark russet, conspicuous ; stem slender, 1 inch long, 

 adhering well to the fruit ; skin thin, tender, separating 

 from the pulp ; flesh dark red, with dark-colored juice, 

 tender and melting, sprightly, tart ; of good quality ; 

 stone free, small, ovate, flattened and pointed, with 

 smooth surfaces, tinged with red. 



FLORENCE. Fig. 125. P. avium. Kne- 

 vett's Late Bigarreau. Florence Heart. Flor- 

 ence is a Bigarreau so similar to Yellow 

 Spanish as to be hardly worth planting, since 

 it is surpassed by its better-known rival. The 

 fruit hangs on the tree in edible condition 

 an almost phenomenal length of time, which 

 fact has given rise to much divergence of 

 opinion as to its season, some pomologists 

 rating it as early, others as midseason, and 

 still others as late. The trees are not so 

 healthful, vigorous, or fruitful as those of 



Yellow Spanish, with which it must compete, 

 nor are the cherries quite so fine in appearance 

 or quality. This variety was found in Flor- 

 ence, Italy, early in the nineteenth century 

 by John Houblon, who 

 took it to England, 

 whence it was brought 

 to America. 



Tree vigorous, upright, 

 open - topped, productive. 

 Leaves numerous, variable 

 in size, averaging 4 inches 

 long, 2 inches wide, obo- 

 vate, thin ; margin coarsely 

 and doubly serrate, glandu- 

 lar ; petiole 1 % inches long, 

 thick, pubescent, dull red, 

 with 2-4 large, reniform, red 

 glands. Flowers midseason, 

 1^4 inches across, white; 

 borne in dense clusters in 

 twos and threes. Fruit early ; 

 1 inch in diameter, cordate, 

 compressed ; cavity deep, 

 wide ; suture very shallow ; 

 apex pointed ; color reddish 

 over an amber background, 

 marked with indistinct, 

 white spots and streaks ; dots 

 numerous, small, white, in- 

 conspicuous ; stem 1 % inches 

 long, adherent to the fruit ; 

 skin thin, separating from the 

 pulp ; flesh yellowish-white, 

 with colorless juice, tender, 

 meaty, crisp, sprightly, 

 sweet ; of very good quality ; 

 stone clinging, cordate, flat- 

 tened, blunt, with rough sur- 

 faces. 



125. Florence. 

 (XD 



GEORGE GLASS. P. Cerasus. George 

 Glass has been widely heralded as a desirable 

 variety in the Middle West, but in the East, 

 where it has passed through a rather lengthy 

 probationary period, practically all who have 

 tried it declare it worthless. It is of the 

 Amarelle group, and cannot compete with the 

 many good varieties of its kinship, as Early 

 Richmond or the several Montmorencies. Its 

 season is between Early Richmond and Mont- 

 morency. As compared with the last-named 

 variety, the fruits of George Glass are smaller, 

 sourer, less attractive in appearance, and the 

 trees are far less fruitful, but possibly more 

 hardy; this character commends it for the 

 colder parts of the Mississippi Valley. The 

 variety is supposed to have been introduced 

 into Iowa by immigrants from northeastern 

 Germany. It has been confused with Brusseler 

 Braune and Bessarabian, and by some is 

 thought to be identical with the latter. 



Tree large and vigorous, upright-spreading, rather open, 

 hardy, appears unproductive. Leaves numerous, 4 inches 

 long, 2 inches wide, obovate, thick, stiff, dark green ; 

 petiole % inch long, with 1 or 2 small, globose, reddish- 

 orange glands. Flowers midseason, 1 inch across ; borne 

 in dense clusters. Fruit midseason ; % inch long, 1 inch 

 wide, oblate, compressed ; cavity deep ; color light red 

 changing to dark red ; stem 1 inch long, adherent to 

 the fruit ; skin separating from the pulp ; flesh yellowish- 

 white, with abundant colorless juice, stringy, tender and 

 melting, rather mild for a sour cherry ; good to very 

 good in quality ; stone free, round or slightly oblate, 

 plump, blunt, with smooth surfaces. 



\ 



HOMER. P. Cerasus. Homer is a cherry 

 of the Amarelle type from New England, which 

 has little or no value in the East, but seems 



