CHERRIKi 



115 



RLACK HEART. Pr. cat. Law. Mil Lano. For. 



LONI). HORT. CAT. 



Large Blade Heart. Coxe. 



This tree acquires the very largest dimensions attainable 

 by any of its class ; the branches spread widely, and frequent- 

 ly form a head of thirty-five to forty feet in diameter, the sum- 

 mit of which is about thirty to thirty-five in height. It grows 

 vigorously, and is one of the most productive in its crops. 

 This variety is more extensively cultivated in this vicinity than 

 any other, probably from the circumstance of its early intro- 

 duction, as well as from its good qualities already referred to, 

 and fully one half of the cherries sold in the markets of New- 

 York are of this kind. The fruit is of fine size, of a heart- 

 shape, and blackish when at full maturity ; but it is generally 

 picked before it is ripe, when its colour is only red, and it has 

 attained but two-thirds of its size ; the flesh, when perfectly 

 ripe, is very sweet, rich, juicy, and high flavoured, and it 

 is even quite sweet before maturity, when the skin has only 

 acquired its red colour. The tree is of the most vigorous 

 growth, and the fruit ripens about ten days after the May 

 Duke. 



WHITE HEART. Pr. cat. Lang. Law. Mil. 



LOND. HORT. cat. FoR. CoXE. 



This cherry ripens immediately after the May Duke ; the 

 tree attains to an erect and rather conical form, spreading 

 much less than most other varieties ; the fruit is of medium 

 size, oblong and heart-shaped ; the skin is of fine appearance, 

 being a yellowish white on the one side, and tinged with pale 

 red next the sun ; the flesh is rather firm, of pleasant flavour, 

 accompanied by a honied sweetness. The tree bears very in- 

 difierently, but grows with rapidity until it has attained consi- 

 derable size. I noticed, when on a visit to the vicinity of Boston, 

 in 1826, that the cherry, to which some gave this title, was a late 

 whitish firm fruit, entirely difl^erent from the present variety : 

 that error has, however, most probably been corrected since 



