THE CHERRY. 



261 



It cleriyes its name from Cerasus (now Kera- 

 soun), a city of ancient Pontus, in Asia, whence 

 it was brought by LucuUus, the Roman general 

 (b. c. 67), at the close of the Mithriclatic war. 

 Lucullus thought this tree of so much import- 

 ance, that, when he was granted a triumph, he 

 placed it in the most consj^icuous situation among 

 the royal treasures which he had captured during 

 the war ; nor can there be any doubt, that, in 

 permanent utility, it was the most valuable of 

 his acquisitions. Some authors, howeyer, are of 

 opinion that the wild Cherry* was the same as 

 the Cornel, which was indigenous in Italy at the 

 time, but not cultiyated as a fruit tree, and that 

 Lucullus only introduced improved sorts. At all 

 events, it does not appear to haye been culti- 

 vated previously to the time of Lucullus, though 

 afterwards it increased so rapidly that, in the 

 course of a hundred and twenty years, it had 

 reached even Britain. The Apronian cherries 

 are red; the Lutatian black; the Csecilian round. 

 The Junian have a pleasant flavour ; but are so 

 tender, that they must be eaten under the tree, 

 as they will not bear carriage. The best are 

 those which in Campania are called ' Plinian ; ' 

 in Belgium the ^Lusitanian' are considered the 

 best. In the Rhine district grows another sort, 

 which has a hue of black, red, and green, and 

 never appears to be ripe. The Macedonian 

 grow on a tree vrhich rarely exceeds two cubits 

 in height. "f 



* The fruit of this tree was subseciuentiy called the Comel-Cherry 

 by some authors. 



t Pliny's Xatural History^ book xv. chapter 30. 



