1 84 THE CHERRIES OF NEW YORK 



ROYAL DUKE 



Prunus avium X Prunus cerasus 



I. Mag. Hort. 9:204, 205. 1843. 2. Downing Fr. Trees Am. 192. 1845. 3. Thomas Am. Fruit 

 Cult. 369. 1849. 4. Mcintosh Bk. Card. 2:543. i855- S- Thompson Card. Ass't 530. 1859. 6. Am. 

 Pom. Soc. Cat. 12. 1871. 7. Mas Pom. Gen. 11:125, 126, fig. 63. 1882. 8. Hogg Fruit Man. 311. 

 1884. 



Royale d'Angleterre. g. Christ Obstbdume 159. 1791. 



Cerise Royale. 10. Christ Worterb. 284. 1802. 11. Cat. Cong. Pom. France 40 fig. 1906. 



Konigskirsche. 12 Tmchsess-Heim Kirschensort. 422, 423, 424. 1819. 

 Ungarische Siissweichsel. 13. Dochnahl Fiihr. Obstkunde 3:51. 1858. 



Anglaise Hative 14. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:161-163, fig. 42. 1866. 15. Mas Le Verger 8:83, 84, 

 fig. 40. 1866-73. i6' Pom. France 7: No. 24, PI. 24. 1871. 17. Guide Prat. 17, 180. 1895. 



Belle de Worsery. 18. Mortillet Le Cerisier 2:181. 1866. 19. Mas Pom. Gen. 11:39, 4°. fig- 20. 

 1882. 



Royal Duke has a place in the cherry flora to follow in season the 

 well-known May Duke and to precede another standard sort, Late Dvke. 

 It is so nearly like these two sorts, except in season, and so similar to Arch 

 Duke, as well, that there is much difficulty in getting the variety true 

 to name. It is more often taken for May Duke than for the other kinds 

 named but it differs from this well-known sort in being a little later in 

 season, and the cherries are larger, a little lighter in color, do not hang as 

 thickly, being scattered along the branches, often singly, and are more 

 oblate. The trees are markedly upright and the foliage is very dense. 

 None of the Dukes are popular in America for market fruits and this is 

 no exception though, among all. Royal Duke is as good as any — pleasantly 

 flavored, juicy, refreshing and very good. The trees, too, are very satis- 

 factory. The variety has a place in home orchards and for local markets. 

 The French say that the tree makes a very weak growth budded on the 

 Mahaleb and that it should be worked on the Mazzard, which is generally 

 true of all Dukes. The buyer will have difficulty in getting the true Royal 

 Duke in America. 



The origin of this variety is unknown but the Royale d'Angleterre, 

 mentioned by Christ in 1791, was probably the variety now known as 

 Royal Duke, although the description is too meager to be certain. 

 According to Thompson, Royal Diike was one of the varieties formerly cul- 

 tivated in England under the names Late Diike, Arch Dvike, or Late Arch 

 Duke and was probably introduced by the London Horticultural Society 

 from France under the name of Anglaise Tardive. When or by whom 

 this variety was introduced into America is not known but according to 

 Downing it was very rarely found here in the first half of the Nineteenth 



