DAMSON 



EABDY FBUIT GABDEN 



CHEERY 1075 



with red on the sunny side. Ripe at the 

 end of October and beginning of Novem- 

 ber. A very heavy cropper. 



Culture dc. as for Plums, p. 1069. 



THE DAMSON (Prunus insititia 

 VAR.). — The Damson is really a form of 

 the Bullace, or vice versa, but is distin- 

 guished by having oval, and not round, 

 fruits. 



Damsons grow in ordinary good 

 soil, preferring moist places such as along 

 the banks of streams &c., and they do not 

 seem to bear abundantly until well 

 advanced in age. They require little or 

 no attention beyond keeping the ground 

 clean, and the fruits, like the Bullaces, 

 are improved by being frosted. 



The following kinds of Damsons are 

 grown : — 



Bradley's King. — This ripens in 

 September and has an excellent flavour, 

 the fruit being medium in size. The tree 

 is a vigorous grower and free cropper. 



Crittenden's or Farleigh Prolific. — This 

 is a fine Damson, with roundish oval 

 fruits having a delicate bloom. They are 

 ripe in the middle of September and are 

 borne abundantly. The trees make fine 

 pyramids. 



Prune Damson {Cheshire or Shrop- 

 shire Damson), — This is a free-growing 

 variety with large leaves and more or less 

 obovoid fruits, ripe in the middle of 

 September. 



Other Damsons are Rivers' Early, 

 which is ripe in August, and the White 

 Damson, which has pale yellow fruits, ripe 

 from the middle of September. 



THE CHERRY (Prunus Avium and 

 P. Cerasus). — The cultivated Cherry is a 

 very ornamental plant and quite as suit- 

 able for the lawn as for the fruit garden 

 proper. It is supposed to be derived 

 from the two species mentioned above, 

 particulars of which will be found at 

 pp. 358, 359. 



For gardening purposes cultivated 

 Cherries may be grouped into four 

 principal classes, according to the synop- 

 sis given by the late Dr. Hogg in his 

 ' Fruit Manual ' : — 



I. Geans. — These are round-headed 

 trees with long wavy, thin, and flaccid 

 leaves, and more or less heart-shaped 

 fruits with a tender and melting flesh. 

 According to the colour of the flesh they 

 are divided into (i.) Black Geans and 



(ii.) Bed Geans. They grow best on the 

 Cherry stock as a rule. 



II. Bigarreaus. — These resemble the 

 Geans in habit and foliage, but have 

 heart-shaped fruits, which are divided 

 according to colour into (i.) Black Hearts 

 and (ii.) White or Bed Hea/rts. They 

 grow best on the Cherry stock as a rule. 



III. Dukes. — The Duke Cherries have 

 upright or spreading branches, with large 

 and broad leaves. According to colour 

 they are called (i.) Black Dukes and 

 (ii.) Bed Dukes. They grow best on the 

 Mahaleb stock as a rule. 



IV. MoRELLOS. — These have long, 

 slender, and drooping branches, with 

 small and narrow leaves. According to 

 colour of the fruits they are known as 

 (i.) Black Morellos and (ii.) Bed or 

 Kentish Morellos. They grow best on 

 the Mahaleb stock as a rule. 



Soil. — Cherries flourish on rather 

 light loamy and calcareous or ferruginous 

 soils. Thorough drainage is essential, as 

 impermeable soils containing stagnant 

 moisture soon cause the trees to turn 

 yellow and become unhealthy, while the 

 otherwise tender fruits acquire an acid 

 and even bitter flavour. 



Stocks. — As mentioned above the 

 ' Geans ' and ' Bigarreaus ' are as a rule 

 best grown on the Cherry stock, while 

 th.e ' Dukes ' and ' Morellos ' thrive on 

 the Mahaleb stock, the latter being 

 derived from Prunus Mahaleh described 

 at p. 360. Although there may be 

 isolated exceptions to this general rule, 

 it is on the whole safer to keep each 

 group to the stock on which it thrives 

 and fruits best. 



The Cherry stock is raised from the 

 seeds (stones) of the wild Geans, Dukes, 

 or Morellos. They may be sown thinly 

 out of doors as soon as ripe in drills about 

 2 in. deep, transplanting the seedlings at 

 the end of the second year's growth. 



The Mahaleb stock is increased from 

 seeds or layers, and is valuable for the 

 dwarfing influence it exerts upon the 

 varieties grafted or budded on it. The 

 idea is gaining ground that gumming is 

 not so frequent on the Mahaleb as on the 

 Cherry stock. 



Propagation. — Cherries may be 

 grafted in spring when the sap has 

 begun to flow, or budded about July, in 

 dull showery weather. (See articles on 

 Budding and Grafting, pp. 52-58.) 



3z2 



