OSTHEIM 



REINE HORTENSE 



151 



rello-like cherries, and this advantage may 

 give it a place in the cherry flora of the coun- 

 try. The trees are large and vigorous, and 

 their much-branched, round tops would seem 

 to give the maximum amount of bearing sur- 

 face, but, unfortunately, the cherries do not 

 set abundantly. Several distinct sorts pass 

 under the name of Olivet in this country. 

 Olivet was found at Olivet, Loire, France. 

 Nurserymen introduced the variety into this 

 country at some time previous to 1877. 



Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, round-topped, 

 unproductive. Leaves numerous, Z^/z inches long, 1% 

 inches wide, obovate, thin ; margin doubly serrate, 

 glandular ; petiole 1 V* inches long, greenish, glandless 

 or with 1 or 2 globose, brownish glands. Flowers mid- 

 season ; white, 1 inch across ; borne in dense clusters, 

 usually in threes. Fruit midseason ; 1 inch in diameter, 

 round, slightly oblate, compressed ; cavity abrupt, regu- 

 lar ; suture a line ; apex rounded, with a small depression 

 at the center ; color bright red ; dots russet, obscure ; stem 

 thick, 1 14 inches long, adhering to the fruit ; skin 

 tough, separating from the pulp ; flesh light red, with 

 abundant light wine-colored juice, tender and melting, 

 sprightly, astringent, tart ; of fairly good quality ; stone 

 free, small, round, slightly flattened, somewhat pointed 

 at the apex, with smooth surfaces. 



OSTHEIM. P. Cerasus. Ostheim finds 

 favor in the prairie states, but is all but worth- 

 less in the eastern states. It is one of the 

 Morellos, and falls far short of the best of 

 its group, the cherries being small and of but 

 mediocre quality. The trees are typical 

 Morellos, round-headed, with slender, drooping 

 branches and branchlets and very dark green 

 foliage. The fruit is borne toward the ends 

 of short branchlets, which are not well dis- 

 tributed over the main branches, leaving much 

 bare wood. The fruit hangs long after ma- 

 turity, and since the ripening season is late, 

 the variety may be worth growing because of 

 its lateness; as it may, also, in cold climates 

 because of great hardiness. The trees on their 

 own roots throw up many suckers which are 

 often used in propagation. The variety has 

 the reputation of coming true to name from 

 seeds. Ostheim was found in the region of the 

 Sierra Morena, Spain, and taken to Germany 

 after the Wars of the Succession, 1701-1713. It 

 takes its name from the German town where 

 it was widely grown. Ostheim was brought to 

 the United States early in the nineteenth cen- 

 tury. 



Tree below medium in size, vigorous, upright-spreading, 

 with drooping branchlets, dense, very productive. Leaves 

 very numerous, 3^4 inches long, 1% inches wide, obovate 

 to oval ; margin finely serrate, with small, dark glands ; 

 petiole slender, % inch long, short, with 1-3 small, 

 globose, greenish-yellow glands. Flowers midseason ; 

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

 twos and threes. Fruit very late ; % inch in diameter, 

 round, slightly oblate, compressed ; cavity very shallow 

 and narrow, flaring ; suture indistinct ; apex rounded 

 with a small depression at the center ; color very dark 

 red approaching black ; dots numerous, small, dark russet, 

 inconspicuous ; stem slender, 1 % inches long, slightly 

 adherent to the fruit ; skin thin, tender, separating 

 readily from the pulp ; flesh dark red, with much very 

 dark-colored juice, tender and melting, sprightly, tart, 

 losing its astringency when fully ripe ; of fair quality ; 

 stone free, % inch in diameter, round-oblate, somewhat 

 pointed, with smooth surfaces slightly stained with red. 



OX HEART. P. avium. Ox Heart is a 

 class name for the large, firm-fruited cher- 



ries which are cordate in shape. In America, 

 the name is most often given to the light- 

 colored cherries, such as Yellow Spanish and 

 Napoleon. At one time, however, the name 

 was applied to a distinct variety known 

 throughout England, Germany, and America, 

 being first mentioned by Miller, an English- 

 man, in 1734. Coxe, in 1817, was the first 

 American writer to list the variety, but it 

 never became popular in the New World. In 

 the 1909 catalog of the American Pomological 

 Society, there appears an Ox Heart of Ameri- 

 can origin and of recent introduction, known 

 in the West as Major Francis. There is also 

 in several nursery catalogs a "white-fleshed Ox 

 Heart." The following is a description of the 

 true Ox Heart: 



Tree medium in vigor, round-topped, spherical, pro- 

 ductive ; branches somewhat curved. Leaves obovate, 

 obtusely pointed ; margin finely serrate ; petiole short, 

 rather slender, flexible, with 2 reniform glands. Flowers 

 midseason, small. Fruit midseason ; medium to large, 

 cordate, pointed, sides unevenly compressed ; color lively 

 red changing to intense purple or nearly black ; stem 

 of medium length and thickness, inserted in a broad, 

 deep cavity ; skin tough ; flesh dark ' red, with abundant 

 colored juice, half-tender but firmer than most Hearts, 

 sweet though slightly bitter before complete maturity ; 

 quality good ; stone medium in size, broadly cordate, 

 adhering to the flesh along the ventral suture. 



REINE HORTENSE. Fig. 136. P. avium 

 X P. Cerasus. Hortense. Reine Hortense 

 takes high rank among hybrid cherries. To 

 begin with, the fruit is excellent in quality, 

 its flavor being a com- 

 mingling of the refresh- 

 ing acidity of the sour 

 cherry and the richness 

 of the sweet cherry. 

 The cherries are also 

 handsome, being large, 

 round, bright glossy red 

 with a shade of amber, 

 and very uniform in 

 size, color, and shape. 

 The fruit is especially 

 attractive on the tree, 

 as it hangs on long 

 stems in twos and 

 threes thickly scattered 

 and never much clus- 

 tered. The chief faults 

 of the variety are in 

 the trees, which are of 

 but medium size, not 

 productive, and at their 

 best only in choice 

 cherry soils. In Eu- 

 rope, Reine Hortense 

 is much used as a 

 dwarf and for training 

 on walls. The merits 

 and faults of the va- 

 riety are such as fit it preeminently well 

 only for the amateur. M. Larose of Neuilly- 

 sur-Seine, France, grew the original tree early 

 in the nineteenth century. It was brought to 

 America about 1850. 



Tree of medium size, upright-spreading, unproductive. 

 Leaves numerous, 4^ inches long, 2^ inches wide, 



136. Reine Hor- 

 tense. (XI) 



