FRUITS. CHAP. 



great advantage : the fruit may be clipped off with a 

 sharp-pointed scissors, without exposing the spurs to 

 injury. As to the sorts of cherries, those mentioned in 

 the Hortus Kewensis, are as follows : All Saints, Bigarreau, 

 Elton, Carnation, Crown, Kentish, May-Duke, Late Duke, 

 Morello, Ronald's Superbe, Harrison's Heart, Black Heart, 

 White Heart. The Kentish cherry, good for very little, 

 is the earliest ; the May-Duke the next $ and then come 

 the others. The May-Duke is one of the finest of all the 

 cherries, and is the only one made use of in forcing. If 

 suffered to hang until it be quite ripe, it becomes nearly 

 black, and then it is better, perhaps, than any other 

 cherry. Besides these garden cherries, there is the little 

 black cherry, which are vulgarly called merries, by a cor- 

 ruption of the French word merise. This is the cherry 

 of the common people, and is too well-known to need 

 any particular description. The Bigarreaus are very 

 large and very fine ; but they require a good wall, or a 

 very warm situation as espaliers. 



265. CHESNUT. This is an inhabitant of the woods. 

 It is generally called the Spanish chesnut : those from 

 America grow to a greater height, but have smaller, 

 though sweeter, fruit. Chesnuts are raised from the 

 seed j though to have the very fine ones that grow in 

 Brittany, the cuttings are generally got from that 

 country, and put upon chesnut stocks in England. To 

 preserve chesnuts, so as to have them to sow in the 

 spring, or to eat through the winter, you must make 

 them perfectly dry after they come out of their green 

 husk j then put them into a box or a barrel mixed with, 

 and covered over by, fine and dry sand, three gallons of 



