200 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
SOUR CHERRIES OF AMERICA . 
Important Contribution to Literature on the Subject by G. Harold 
Powell of Delaware Experiment Station—Variations Per¬ 
plexing to American Nurserymen and Fruit Growers 
—Discussion of the Montmorency Cherries 
—Four Groups Considered. 
One of the most valuable bulletins from the nurserymen’s 
point of view is that regarding the sour cherries of America 
by G. Harold Powell, from the Twelfth Annual Report of the 
Delaware Experiment Station. The discussion of the Mont¬ 
morency cherries by the American Association of Nurserymen 
in annual convention indicates the interest in this subject,and 
the need for a careful study of it. Mr. Powell says: 
The sour cherries of the United States are European varieties or 
seedlings or variations of them. The Pilgrims brought seeds of the 
Kentish with them, but nearly all of the modern sorts have been intro¬ 
duced since the beginning of the nineteenth century. These cherries 
are grown in many parts of Europe, where they are much confused in 
classification and nomenclature, and the perplexities have been aug¬ 
mented after more than a century’s experience with American nursery¬ 
men and fruit growers. 
A classification of the true sour cherries presents many perplexities. 
There are no collections in Europe or America that embrace a large 
number of accurately named sorts, and the literature in both countries 
is hopelessly confused. Amongst botanists there is a disagreement as 
to the number of cherry species, but I have accepted, with Bailey, the 
Linnean classification, which refers the sweet cherries, including the 
Dukes, to Prunus Avium, and the sour cherries to Prunus Cerasus. 
The Dukes, from the earliest cherry literature, have been classed usu¬ 
ally with the sour cherries, but the two classes agree only in the soui* 
ness of the fruit. 
In America, Downing made no attempt to separate the sour cherries, 
but called them all Dukes and Morellos. In this he was followed by 
Barry, but Thomas recognizes, with the Germans, the two broad 
classes. Bailey adopts the term Amarelle for the first class, but 
calls the second Morellos, and in this he has been followed by the 
writer in former publications. Bailey, however, distinctly separates 
the Dukes, referring them to their proper species, Prunus Avium. 
The varieties of Prunus Cerasus grown in America seem to arrange 
themselves in four well defined groups, viz., Montmorency group, 
(English) Morello group, Brusseler Braune group and Vladimir group, 
MONTMORENCY GROUP. 
This group, of which the Montmorency is the type, is characterized 
by medium sized trees, reddish brown, slender, generally spreading or 
upright branches ; light colored, medium sized, ovate sometimes ap¬ 
proaching elliptical, rather coarsely and bluntly serrate foliage ; fruit 
pale red, generally cordate at the ends: flesh light colored, watery; 
j uice uncolored, moderately acid ; stem f to 1| inches long ; ripening 
early in the season. 
The Montmorency group is the most important pomological collec¬ 
tion in America. It includes most of the Amarelles of the Germans, of 
O. Thomas, and of Bailey, and the Red Morellos of Hogg. It is also 
the best defined group. There is much uncertainty, however, about 
the nomenclature of the varieties. The progenitor of the group as it 
exists in America, is probably the Cerise Hative of the French a variety 
that dates back into the 16th century. This is the Kentish of the Eng¬ 
lish, and, in all probability the (Early) Richmond of America. The 
Montmorencies are direct decendents of this variety, or of its progeni¬ 
tor C. Commune, but as the sorts have been grown under such widely 
differing environments, the varieties form a more satisfactory study for 
the plant evolutionist than for the systematic pomologist. 
MORELLO GROUP. 
This group, of which (English) Morello is the type, is variable. It 
is characterized by small trees, variable in form, often bushy, gener¬ 
ally open ; branches reddish-gray, often tortuous, slender, spreading or 
drooping; foliage medium to small, ovate, short, stiff petioled, dark, 
usually subject to leaf blight; fruit very dark red or black, spherical 
to heart shaped ; flesh and juice deeply colored, very acid often 
astringent; stems slender, 1 to 1-J inches; ripening after the Mont¬ 
morencies; bearing early in life ; very hardy. 
The Morello group is also an important pomological collection, 
chiefly on account of the (English) Morello variety. It has become 
much complicated by the renaming of the same variety in several sec¬ 
tions, and by the practice of some nurserymen of sending out the same 
variety under several names. The group approaches the Brusseler 
Braune group through the Minnesota. 
BRUSSELER BRAUNE GROUP. 
This group, of which Brusseler Braune is the type, is characterized 
by large, upright, compact trees; branches long, slender, spreading or 
upright, sometimes drooping, with short nodes, light gray, with small 
very numerous whitish lenticels ; foliage heavy, deep green above and 
much lighter beneath, though not as light as the sweet cherries, small, 
narrow, elliptical or obovate, finely serrate ; fruit variable in size, 
round cordate, usually compressed, mostly dark red or brow-nish black, 
with colored flesh and juice ; stems long, slender, often tortuous, H to 
2 £ inches ; bear late in life ; often shy ; very handsome and orna¬ 
mental. 
The varieties of this group were largely introduced by Prof. J. L. 
Budd, formerly of the Agricultural College, Ames. Iowa, in 1883, from 
Poland and the southern provinces of Russia. Most of them are of 
German origin. The nomenclature of the group is almost hopelessly 
confused, The varieties are mixed in American collections, many of 
them passing under several names. There is no European literature 
on some of the kinds, which are probably old sorts under local foreign 
names, Qr else local varieties. Nevertheless it is hoped that some light 
may be thrown on the varieties as they exist in America. The utility 
of the group is problematical. None of them are grown yet on a large 
commercial scale, and the differences of opinion regarding them make 
a more exhaustive trial imperative before an intelligent estimate can be 
made of the varieties. The group is best adapted to the colder regions 
of cherry growing. 
VLADIMIR GROUP. 
The Vladimir is one of the most distinct, though variable groups. 
It is of little commercial importance in the United States, but it is 
grown in a limited way in Canada. It is closely allied to the Brusseler 
Braune group, the Bessarabian forming a connecting link between the 
more spreading, upright Brusseler Braune and the more compact and 
drooping Lithauer Weichsel. As I do not possess an intimate acquaint¬ 
ance with it, I have asked Prof. John Craig, of Cornell University, who 
has had much experience with these recent foreign cherries, to charac¬ 
terize the group. The following outline is from Prof. Craig: 
Tree variable in form and size ; always strikingly compact. Prevail¬ 
ing type round-topped with drooping tendency. Leaves medium size, 
ovate, elliptical. Flowers small, fragile, pistils frequently defective 
and of varying lengths Fruit borne in clusters of two to four, medium 
to small, slightly heart shaped, apex rounded, stem 1 to 1£ inches long; 
color dark crimson, when fully ripe nearly black ; flesh firm, meaty^ 
deeply colored ; flavor brisk acid with slight astringent quality ; stone 
small, spherical. 
MONTMORENCY. ■ 
The Montmorency cherries are among the most confused in pomo¬ 
logical literature. According to several French authorities, two cher¬ 
ries originated during the reign of Henry IV, in the valley of Mont¬ 
morency, France, probably as seedlings of Cerise Hative, which is 
called Kentish in England, and Early Richmond in America. These 
cherries differed from each other principally in their stems and fruit, 
one having a long stem and medium sized fruit, the other a short stem 
and large fruit. The first cherry is undoubtedly the Montmorency, 
called ordinaire, by error, in America; the second, the Gros Gobet, or 
Montmorency a courte queue, called Large Montmorency in America. 
These cherries have been grown in various environments which have 
produced slight variations, from which a confusion in synonomy has 
arisen. 
In French literature, the Montmorency is known principally as 
Cerise de Montmorency, Montmorency a longue queue, and Petit Gobet. 
In England, it soon became confused with its parent, the old Cerise 
