544 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



are probably the first cherries our ancestors 

 possessed, and hence we have them regularly 

 cultivated for sale. From the well-arranged 

 Fruit Catalogue of Dickson and Turnbull, 

 Perth, we take the following, as grown by them: 

 Amber, Black Dutch, Castle Menzies, and Hun- 

 garian, all great bearers, of excellent quality, 

 and of extreme hardiness. They make fine 

 ornamental trees when planted in parks and 

 pleasure-grounds, cheering us in spring with the 

 abundance of snow-white blossoms with which 

 they are covered, and again, in autumn, giving 

 those fine red tints so much admired by painters. 

 We have found them valuable when planted in 

 the screen plantations around gardens, as afford- 

 ing food for birds, and hence saving the fruits 

 of the garden from their attacks. The black 

 gean or dwarf cherry of Castle Menzies, and 

 the cream-coloured gean of Ardvorlich, are both 

 highly worthy of cultivation. 



New or recently introduced Cherries. — These 

 we have not as yet fruited at Dalkeith. The 

 descriptions are taken from the very correct 

 Fruit Catalogue of Peter Lawson and Son : — • 



"Belle d'Orleans. — First size, first quality; 

 roundish ; one of the earliest and very best of 

 cherries ; ripens the middle of June. 



" Carnation, Cos's late. — First size, first qua- 

 lity; round; excellent; raised at Bury in Suffolk; 

 very useful for preserving, being a little acid; 

 skin bright red, slightly marbled ; flesh tender, 

 rather firm but juicy, and when fully ripe of an 

 excellent sub-acid flavour. Standard or wall. 

 End of July or beginning of August. Dessert 

 or preserves. 



"■Donna Maria. — First size, first quality; new 

 variety, and said to be of the finest quality. 



" Jaune de Prusse. — First size, first quality; 

 heart-shaped. New and excellent variety lately 

 introduced from France; skin golden yellow; 

 fiesh yellowish and very sweet. Wall or stan- 

 dard. Beginning of July. Dessert. This, with 

 Buttner's yellow, may be considered as two truly 

 yellow cherries. Whether this may add to their 

 popularity remains to be seen. Synonym — 

 Prussian yellow. 



"Reine Hortense. — First size, first quality ; new, 

 large, and excellent variety. Recently introduced 

 from France. Like most of our best fruits, this 

 has already a number of synonyms, as — Hyhride 

 de Laeleen, Belle de Laeken, Motutreuse de 

 Bavay, &c. &c. 



" Rmers' early aniber. — First size, first quality ; 

 heart-shaped. Large and very beautiful variety, 

 raised by Mr Eivers, Sawbridgeworth, Herts. 

 Skin amber -coloured, tinged with red on the 

 sunny side; flesh yellowish, juicy, melting, and 

 rich ; it is also hardy and very prolific. Stan- 

 dard or wall. Middle of June. Dessert. 



" Tardive de Mom. — Second size, first quality. 

 New variety from France; said to be very sweet; 

 hangs long on the tree." 



SELECT LIST OF CHERRIES FOR CERTAIN 

 LOCALITIES. 



At Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfriesshire. — The 

 May duke, Morello, Kentish, and Black Tar- 

 tarian, are all grown on walls. 



At Dalkeith Palace, Mid-Lothian. — Arch- 



duke, Belle de Choisy, Bigarreau, Black eagle. 

 Black heart, Downton, Elton, Florence, May 

 duke, Morello, Tartarian black, Tartarian white, 

 Waterloo, White heart, and Knight's early black, 

 are grown against walls, chiefly north-east and 

 west, all of which would succeed almost equally 

 well as dwarf-standards, an experiment now in 

 course of trial. The lists we have received from 

 various gardens in Scotland show that few sorts 

 of cherries, comparatively, are planted, and those 

 chiefly against walls. It will be for us now to 

 look to the very early and the very late good 

 sorts; of the intermediate ones we have suf- 

 ficient variety. 



Mr Eivers' list of good cherries, planted as 

 dwarf-standards, and wrought on the Mahaleb 

 stock, is somewhat numerous ; yet we believe 

 that this style of growing cherries is all that can 

 be required in the southern and midland coun- 

 ties of England, and even in all the better locali- 

 ties in Scotland. In colder and more unfavour- 

 able places they may be planted against walls. 

 This enlightened fruit-cultivator divides cherries 

 into the three following sections, viz : — 



Section \, the May duke tribe. — Archduke, 

 May duke, Royal duke, Jeffrey's duke. Belle de 

 Choisy, and Cerise InduUe, or Early May. 



Section 2, the Morello tribe. — Carnation, Car- 

 nation (Coe's late), Kentish, Late duke, Griotte de 

 chaux, Morello, Heine Hortense, Louis Philippe, 

 Belle de Sceaux, and Belle magnifique. 



Section 3, Bigarreau and Heart cherry tribe. 

 — Bauman's May, Belle d'Orleans, Bigarreau de 

 Hildersheim, Bigarreau gros cceuret, Bigarreau 

 Napoleon, Black eagle. Black Tartarian, Buttner's 

 black heart, Buttner's yellow. Downer's late red, 

 Downton, Early amber heart, Elton, Florence, 

 Holland bigarreau (Downing), Knight's early 

 black. Knight's late black, Manning's early white, 

 Tradiscant's black, Trempe pr^coce, Werder's 

 early black heart. 



Selection of cherries for a small garden in the 

 southern and midland counties of England is thus 

 given by Mr G. Lindley (Guide to the Orchard) : 

 Archduke, Belle de Choisy, Bigarreau, Black 

 eagle,Black Tartarian, Downton, Elton,FIorence, 

 Holmau's duke, Kentish, Knight's early black. 

 May duke, Morello, Waterloo. 



Northern counties of England and southern of 

 Scotland. — The same as above, with the excep- 

 tions of Bigarreau and Florence, which are con- 

 sidered tender. 



For the Highlands of Scotland he proposes 

 Black Tartarian, Kentish, May duke, and Water- 

 loo, as being hardy. Much, however, as we have 

 already stated, depends on situation, for many 

 localities in the Highlands are better adapted 

 for fruits than some in the border counties of 

 England and Scotland. 



Diseases. — The chief, and apparently the only, 

 disease to which the cherry is subject is the 

 gum, or exudation of gummy matter on the stem 

 or larger branches. This is attributed to wounds, 

 too highly manured soil, and probably some- 

 times to the difTerence between the tree and 

 the stock it is wrought upon. When the bark 

 of the cherry is wounded in spring before the 

 foliage is developed, whether by contusion or 

 severe cutting, water is apt to find its way into 



