49 2 



THE CHERRY. 



blades. By the end of May the new pale green shoot carries leaves 

 of two or three inches long. Their upper side is now a dull 

 bluish-green and somewhat dark ; the under-side has become paler 

 and lost its gloss ; both surfaces are smooth. The petioles have 

 acquired the tinge of crimson on the upper-side, which they retain 

 throughout the summer, and carry honey-glands near the base of the 

 leaf. The leaves are arranged singly round the new shoot in sets of 

 five, the sixth leaf beginning a fresh spiral at a point directly 

 beneath that at which the last spiral began. On the older shoots 

 the leaves grow in clusters, their stalks radiating from a single point 

 at the extremity of a very short twig marked with many rings. 

 As the season advances, they become less tapering ; the bud-scales 

 fall away, and the flower develops into fruit. The full-grown leaf 

 often measures as much as three or four inches. The autumn tints 

 are bright red and orange. 



THE CHERRY (Prunus Cerasus, Primus Avium). 



Authorities state that the cultivated Cherry was introduced into 

 Britain about a.d. 50, and that improved varieties were extensively 

 planted in the time of Henry VIII. The Gean (P. Avium) appears 

 to be a native. P. Cerasus also is considered by some authorities 

 to be indigenous. The wood is sweet scented, of a rich red colour, 

 and fine grain, and well withstands variations of the atmosphere. 



