CHERRY VARIETIES 315 



For culinary purposes this cherry is pre- 

 eminently the best of its class — that means that 

 it is the best cooking cherry in existence, and 

 canning factories prefer.it to any other vari- 

 ety. The canned product holds its shape and 

 color and has an excellent flavor. There are 

 several strains of the Montmorency cherry and 

 nurserymen have not helped the grower to dis- 

 tinguish between them. Nearly every nursery- 

 man has his own "pet" strains of this fruit 

 and sells them under his own pet names. As 

 a result we have a confusing list of Montmo- 

 rency This and Montmorency That, and the 

 prospective purchaser does not know whether 

 he is getting what he wants or what some one 

 wants him to have. The plain ordinary Mont- 

 morencey without any tails or appendages to 

 its name is the standard cherry, and planters 

 should insist upon getting it in its undiluted 

 purity. The Large Montmorency is a well 

 recognized form, distinct from the one I have 

 been discussing. Its fruit is said to be of better 

 quality and larger than the standard form, but 

 on the other hand it is a very shy bearer. 

 This reason alone prevents it from becoming 

 popular as it otherwise might. It is a very old 

 variety, originating in France more than a cen- 

 tury ago. 



