CHERRY DISEASES

Cherries, without preventive or remedial intervention, are at the mercy of two or three fungus diseases and sometimes several others are virulent, depending upon locality, season, weather and variety. One of these diseases, brown-rot, in spite of the great advances in plant pathology of recent years, is almost beyond the control of preventive or remedial measures. Happily, all the others yield better to treatment.

Brown-rot55(Sclerotinia fructigena(Persoon) Schroeter), sometimes known as fruit-mold or ripe-rot, very frequently attacks flowers and shoots but is most conspicuous on the ripe or ripening cherries where its presence is quickly detected by a dark discoloration of the skin which is afterwards partly or wholly covered with pustule-like aggregations of gray spores. The decayed fruits usually fall to the ground but sometimes hang to the tree, becoming shriveled mummies, each mummy being a storehouse of fungus threads and spores from which infestation spreads to the next crop. The disease, in some seasons, like a withering blight, attacks twigs, flowers and leaves early in the spring doing great damage to the young growth and often wholly preventing the setting of fruit. The rot spreads with surprising rapidity on the fruits in warm, damp weather either before the fruit is picked or in baskets while being shipped or stored. Preventive remedies have so far met with but indifferent success; probably the best method of control is to destroy the mummy-like fruits and all other sources of infection either by picking them from the trees, or much better by plowing them under deeply. Varieties of cherries show various degrees of susceptibility to brown-rot. All Sweet Cherries are more subject to the disease than the Sour sorts. But with either of the two species there are great variations in the susceptibility of the varietal hosts—a matter specially noted in a later chapter in the discussion of varieties.

Another serious disease of the cherry, and probably the most striking one in appearance, is the black-knot56(Plowrightia morbosa(Schweinitz) Saccardo), characterized by wart-like excrescences on shoots and branches.Black-knot looks more like the work of an insect than a fungus and was long supposed to be such even by those who were studying the trouble. The knots begin to form early in the summer and are of characteristic color and texture—dark green, soft and velvety, but in the fall, as the fungus ripens, the color changes to coal-black and the knots become hard and more or less brittle. The excrescences usually form on one side of a twig or branch so that death seldom follows quickly. The disease attacks both wild and cultivated plants in every part of this continent where cherries are grown but is epidemic only in the East, the cherry regions of the West being practically free from the disease. Up to the present time the fungus has not been found elsewhere than in America. Happily, black-knot may be controlled by cutting out the diseased wood. To completely eradicate the fungus, if it is especially virulent, however, the orchard must be gone over several times during a season. In New York the removal of black-knot is ordered by law, the results showing that when the law is obeyed, especially if there be hearty co-operation among growers, eradication is usually possible. Sweet Cherries are much less attacked by black-knot than the Sour sorts but the differences in immunity between varieties in either of the two species are not very marked—at least such is the case on the grounds of this Station where the disease is always present and is often very prevalent.

Exoascus cerasiFuckel57is the cause of a very striking deformity of the cherry in Europe, bothPrunus aviumandPrunus cerasusbeing attacked. The disease has been reported in America but has not yet become virulent. The fungus attacks the branches, causing a clustering of the twigs in the form of a broom, giving it the name witches' broom. The leaves on the diseased twigs usually take on a crinkled shape and a reddish color. The malady may be readily prevented by the destruction of affected branches.

In common with other species of Prunus the foliage of cherries is attacked by several fungi which produce diseased spots on the leaves, the dead areas usually dropping out leaving holes as if punctured by shot. Thus we have "shot-hole fungus," "leaf-spot" and "leaf-blight" as effects of these diseases. Three fungi are in the main responsible for these leaf troubles; these areCylindrosporium padiKarsten,58MycosphærellacerasellaAderhold59andCercospora circumscissa60Saccardo. The ravages of these fungi are prevented by the proper use of bordeaux mixture and lime and sulphur, remedies which, however, must be used with some care to avoid spray injury. With these, as with other fungi, cultivation has a salutary effect as it destroys diseased leaves which harbor the fungi during their resting period.

Cherry leaves are often covered with a grayish powder which in severe cases causes them to curl and crinkle and sometimes to drop. This powdery substance consists of the spore-bearing organs of a mildew61(Podosphæra oxyacanthæDe Bary). Powdery mildew is much more common on nursery stock than on fruiting trees and in New York is a serious pest on young cherry trees. In the nursery, injury may be prevented by the use of copper sprays or lime and sulphur, either of which is also an efficient preventive in the orchard but the mildew is seldom prevalent enough on orchard plants to require treatment.

Wherever cherries are grown in either the nursery or orchard, crown gall62(Bacterium tumefaciensSmith and Townsend) has obtained a footing. In the North at least, it seldom greatly injures old trees, but if the galls girdle a nursery plant serious injury results. Therefore, badly infected young trees showing galls should not be planted. However, but little harm is liable to result under most conditions. When infected plants have been planted it has been found that galls vary greatly in duration, sometimes disappearing within a year or two and at other times persisting indefinitely. The tumor-like structures are usually at the collar of the plant and vary from the size of a pea to that of a man's fist, forming at maturity rough, knotty, dark-colored masses. Neither prevention nor cure has been discovered, though it is known that soils may be inoculated with the disease from infected stock and that, therefore, diseased trees should not be planted in soils virgin to the galls. It is probable that there are differences in the susceptibility of Sweet and Sour cherries to the fungus and that the varieties of the two species vary in their resistancebut as yet no one seems to have reported on the differences in susceptibility of cherries to the disease.

The leaf-rust63(Puccinia pruni-spinosæPersoon) of stone-fruits, occurring rarely on the fruit, sometimes attacks cultivated cherries and is a rather common disease of the wildPrunus serotina. This rust is troublesome only, however, in warm, moist climates. It is most apparent in the fall and is easily recognized through its numerous rust-colored sori on the underside of the leaves. Defoliation takes place in severe infestations. Either bordeaux mixture or lime and sulphur may be used as a preventive.

Old cherry trees are often attacked by a fleshy fungus or "toadstool"64(Polyporus sulphureus(Bulliard) Fries). This fungus is said to be world-wide in its distribution and to occur upon a large variety of trees. It is very striking in appearance, the clusters appearing during late summer or early autumn in large, shelving branches, the sporophores fleshy and of cheese-like consistency when young but becoming hard and woody with age. At first the "toadstools" are all yellow but later only the under surfaces are yellow while the upper surface is orange-red. The plants are more or less odoriferous, the odor increasing with age. Happily, the fungus is not very virulent but is often the cause of decay in the tree-trunk—the brown-rot of the wood of this and other orchard and forest plants. In localities where the fungus thrives it may usually be controlled by covering all wounds with tar or other antiseptic materials.

At least two other fleshy fungi have been found injuring cherries. These areClitocybe parasiticaWilcox65andArmillaria melleaVahl.,66the latter the honey agaric, more or less abundant in both Europe and America. Both are associated with and are probably a cause of the root-rot of the cherry and other orchard fruits. Neither is a common enough pest in this country, however, to receive extensive description in texts on diseases of plants. Control measures are different in localities where fungi occur, consisting in the main of getting rid of stumps and roots in orchard lands and planting to field crops before using for orchard purposes. Infected trees should be removed or isolated by trenching about them.

All stone-fruits suffer more or less from an excessive flow of gum. The name gummosis67is generally applied to these troubles. Gumming is much more prevalent in the far West than in the East but is to be found wherever stone-fruits are grown. This excessive gumming is a secondary effect of injuries caused by fungi, bacteria, insects, frost, sunscald, and mechanical agencies. There is a good deal of difference in the susceptibilities of varieties and species to this trouble, the Sweet Cherry suffering much more than the Sour sorts and varieties of other species having hard wood suffering less than those having softer wood. There is less gummosis, too, on trees in soils favoring the maturity of wood; under conditions where sun and frost are not injurious; and, obviously, in orchards where by good care the primary causes of the diseases are kept out.

A number of diseases of the trunk arise from mechanical injuries from wind, sun, frost and hail. Few, indeed, are the fruit-growers whose trees are not occasionally damaged in one way or another in the vicissitudes of a trying climate. Very often these mechanical injuries are followed by fungal parasites or insects so as to make it difficult to distinguish the primary from the secondary trouble. There is a wide difference in the susceptibility ofPrunus aviumandPrunus cerasusto such injuries, the Sweet Cherry, with its softer wood, being much more easily injured by any and all stresses of weather than the Sour Cherry. In the main the elements cannot be combated but low heading of the trees is a preventive from sunscald, at least, and sometimes may have a favorable effect in preventing wind and frost injuries.

Insects troubling cherries are numerous but hardly as destructive as with other tree-fruits. Entomologists list about 40 species of insects attacking cherries and about as many more occasionally attack the varieties of one or the other of the two cultivated species. The majority of these pests came with the tree from its habitat over the sea but several have come from the wild cherries of this continent.

Of the pests peculiar to the cherry alone, possibly the cherry fruit maggot68(Rhagoletis cingulataLoew) is, the country over, as troublesome as any. The adult insect is a small fly with barred wings which lays eggsunder the skin of the cherry in mid-summer. From these eggs small, whitish maggots about one-third of an inch long hatch and eat out a cavity in the ripening fruit. These maggots when full grown pupate in the ground and remain there until the following season. The only effective preventive or remedial measure to take against the pest in large orchards is to spray with a sweetened arsenical, but in small plantations chickens are fairly effective in scratching up and eating the pupating maggots.

The cherry fruit maggot is probably responsible for most of the "wormy" cherries in New York but the plum curculio is also a cause of "wormy" fruits and in some seasons is a most formidable pest. This curculio69(Conotrachelus nenupharHerbst) is a rough, grayish snout-beetle somewhat less than a quarter of an inch in length, so familiar an insect as scarcely to need further description. The female beetle pierces the skin of the young cherries and places an egg in the puncture. About this cavity she gouges out a crescent-shaped trench, this cut or sting being a most discouraging sign to the cherry-grower, for he well knows that from the eggs come, within a week or two, white and footless grubs which burrow to the stone and make "wormy fruit." Some of the infested cherries drop but many remain eventually to distract the housewife and those who eat cherries out of hand. Jarring the beetles from the trees, a method employed by plum-growers, is quite too expensive and ineffective for the cherry-grower and poisoning with an arsenate is the only practical means of combating the pest. Rubbish and vegetation offer hiding places for the insects and, therefore, cultivated orchards are freer from curculio than those laid down to grass. There are no curculio-proof cherries but, as with plums, the thin-skinned varieties are damaged most by the insect.

The grub of the plum curculio is easily distinguished from the cherry fruit maggot. This "worm" is the larva of a beetle, a true grub, footless and with a brownish, horny head while the cherry fruit maggot, the larva of a two-winged insect, is a true maggot like that which comes from the common house-fly and hardly to be distinguished from the apple maggot. It is important to be able to distinguish in wormy cherries the grub of the curculio from the cherry fruit maggot in order to know and understand the nature of the two enemies in combating them.

Another pest of this fruit is the cherry leaf-beetle (Galerucella cavicollisLe Conte) the larvae of which sometimes do much damage to cherry foliage. The adult insect is an oval, reddish beetle about one-fourth ofan inch long with black legs and antennae. Both the adult and the larvae feed on the leaves and do much damage if abundant. Usually there are two broods, the insect pupating in the ground. Fortunately the pest is easily controlled with the arsenical sprays.

The cherry scale (Aspidiotus forbesiJohnson) is commonly found on this fruit and occasionally on others as well. To the unaided eye it is very similar to the well-known San José scale, differing chiefly in being lighter in color. The remedy is the same as for the San José scale, which we next discuss.

The dreaded San José scale70(Aspidiotus perniciosusComstock) is rather less harmful to cherries than to other tree-fruits and yet is sometimes a serious pest on Sweet Cherries. Sour Cherries are almost immune. The insect is now so well known in all fruit-growing regions that it needs no description. It is usually first recognized by its work, evidence of its presence being dead or dying twigs—oftentimes the whole tree is moribund. Examination shows the twigs or trees to be covered with myriads of minute scales, the size of a small pin-head, which give the infested bark a scurfy, ashy look. If the bark be cut or scraped a reddish discoloration is found. Leaves and fruit as well as bark are infested, the insidious pest, however, usually first gaining a foothold on the trunks or a large branch. Cherry-growers, in common with all fruit-growers, find the lime and sulphur solution the most effective spray in combating this insect.

Several other scale insects feed on the cherries and, now and then, become pestiferous; among these the following may be named: The European fruit lecanium71(Lecanium corniBouché) occasionally does a great deal of damage in New York and now and then destroys the whole crop in an orchard. The winter treatment for San José scale is used to control this pest, but usually such treatment is supplemented by a summer spray about July first with such contact sprays as whale oil soap and kerosene emulsion. The fruit pulvinaria (Pulvinaria amygdaliCockerell), the mealy bug (Pseudococcus longispinusTargioni), the scurfy scale (Chionaspis furfuraFitch), the West Indian peach scale (Aulacaspis pentagonaTargioni), the Putnam scale (Aspidiotus ancylusPutnam), the walnut scale (Aspidiotus juglans-regiæComstock), Howard's scale (Aspidiotus howardiiCockerell), the European fruit scale (Aspidiotus ostreæformisCurtis), the red scale of California (Chrysomphalus aurantiiMaskell), theoyster-shell scale (Lepidosaphes ulmiLinnaeus), and the soft scale (Coccus hesperidumLinnaeus), are all more or less common.

Several borers occasionally infest cherry trees of which the peach borer72(Sanninoidea exitiosaSay.) is the most troublesome. Larvae of the peach borer are frequently found in both Sweet and Sour Cherries, more particularly in Sweet Cherries, in eastern orchards. Fortunately this pest is not as rife with the cherry as with peaches and plums. Its work may be prevented by thorough cultivation, by mounding the trees and, according to some, by the use of a covering of tar or of obnoxious or poisonous washes. Usually preventive measures are not effective, however, and the borer must be destroyed—best done by digging it out with a knife and wire. Since the pest is easily discovered through the exudation of gum mixed with sawdust or excreta, close to the surface or just beneath the ground, its presence can be detected in time to prevent its doing much damage. The lesser peach borer73(Sesia pictipesGrote & Robinson) often attacks old or weakened cherry trees, working in the growing tissues of the trunk anywhere from the ground to the main branches. The worm is much like the common peach borer, known by all, but is smaller, rarely reaching the length of four-fifths of an inch when full grown. The flat-headed apple tree borer74(Chrysobothris femorataFabricius) is a common pest in wild cherries and sometimes seriously attacks the cultivated species. It is treated as is the peach borer.

The shot-hole borer75(Eccoptogaster rugulosusRatzeburg), though seldom injuring healthy trees, is very often a serious menace in old or decrepit cherry trees. It may be looked upon, however, as an effect rather than a cause. The peach bark-beetle76(Phlæotribus liminarisHarris) is very similar in its work to the shot-hole borer and like it attacks only diseased and decrepit trees.

All cherry-growers are familiar with the small, dark green, slimy slugs which feed on the surface of the leaves of the cherry, possibly more common on the foliage of pears, eating out the soft tissues and leaving but the skeleton of the leaf. If the slugs are numerous the tree may be defoliated or if the leaves remain the foliage looks as if scorched. The adult of this slug is a sawfly (Caliroa(Eriocampoides)cerasiLinnaeus)which lays its eggs within the tissue of the leaves. Despite the fact that it is easily destroyed by any of the arsenical sprays or by dusting with lime this slug everywhere does much damage to cherries.

Wild cherries suffer severely from the tent caterpillar77(Malacosoma americanaFabricius) and occasionally cultivated trees are attacked. The arsenical sprays are fatal to the pest. The spring canker-worm78(Paleacrita vernataPeck) and the fall canker-worm79(Alsophila pometariaHarris), the white-marked tussock moth (Hemerocampa leucostigmaSmith and Abbot), the rusty tussock moth (Hemerocampa antiquaLinnaeus), and the definite-marked tussock moth (Hemerocampa definitaPackard) are all occasional cherry pests and all succumb to poisonous sprays. The two now notorious European pests recently introduced into America, gypsy moth (Porthetria disparLinnaeus) and the browntail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhæaLinnaeus), attack cherry trees in common with other deciduous trees and may often do considerable damage. Sometimes, but not often, the buds of the cherry are attacked by the bud-moth (Spilonota(Tmetocera)ocellanaSchiffermüller), the caterpillars of which bind the young leaves together as they expand so that small, dead, brown clusters of foliage are to be seen here and there where the pests are at work. Spraying with arsenicals is effective if done just as the buds begin to open.

In sandy soils the cherry is sometimes attacked by hordes of the common rose-chafer (Macrodactylus subspinosusFabricius), leaves, flowers and even the fruit suffering from the pest. It is a difficult insect to control but a spray of arsenate of lead with molasses is fairly effective. It is important to know that the insect does not often breed in ground kept in clean cultivation.

Prunus avium×Prunus cerasus

Abbesse d'Oignies has so many good characters that it is well worth trying commercially wherever cherries are grown in the United States. Curiously enough, it seems so far to have been tried only in the Middle West, Professor Budd having introduced it in Iowa from Russia in 1883. In the unfavorable soil and climatic conditions of the Mississippi Valley, Abbesse d'Oignies grows as well as any cherry of its class, if we may judge from the accounts of it. We do not know of its having been tried elsewhere in the East than on our grounds and here we find it, in competition with practically all of the varieties of its class, one of the best of the Dukes. At this Station it does so well that we described it, in the reference given, as one of the noteworthy fruits in our collection. The trees are large, vigorous, hardy, fruitful and very free from fungus diseases. The cherries are large, dark red, of most excellent quality, combining the flavor of the Dukes with a firmer and yet tenderer flesh than the Montmorency. The high quality, handsome appearance and good shipping qualities of the fruit, combined with the splendid characters of the tree, ought to make Abbesse d'Oignies a very good commercial variety.

This cherry probably originated in Belgium about the middle of the Nineteenth Century. At least it was first listed in Belgian nursery catalogs in 1854. It is now a greater or less favorite wherever cherries are grown in the Old World, Professor Budd having found it, as we have said, in 1883, in Russia and immediately transported it to America.

ABBESSE d'OIGNIES

Tree characteristically large and vigorous, upright-spreading, round-topped but with drooping branchlets, hardy, productive; trunk stocky, with shaggy bark; branches thick, smooth, ash-gray over reddish-brown, with many lenticels; branchlets short, with short internodes, brownish, roughened by transverse wrinkles and by numerous conspicuous, small, raised lenticels.Leaves two and one-half inches wide, five and one-half inches long, folded upward,obovate, thick; upper surface glossy, dark green; lower surface light green, slightly pubescent, distinctly ribbed by the larger veins; apex taper-pointed, base acute; margin with small, black glands, coarsely and doubly serrate; petiole one and one-quarter inches long, thick, lightly tinged with red, grooved, with one or two small, globose, reddish-orange glands.Buds rather long, pointed, free, arranged often in elongated clusters at the ends of long spurs; leaf-scars very prominent; season of bloom medium, averaging five days in length; flowers white, one and three-sixteenths inches across; borne in dense clusters at the ends of long spurs or spur-like branches, well distributed, varying from one to three; pedicels one-half inch long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube reddish, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes tinged red, long, narrow, somewhat acuminate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish-oval, entire, nearly sessile, with a broad, shallow notch at the apex; filaments one-quarter inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.Fruit late; three-fourths inch long, seven-eighths inch thick, roundish-oblate, slightly compressed; cavity of medium depth, wide, regular; suture a line; apex roundish, slightly depressed; color dark red; dots numerous, small, light russet, conspicuous; stem slender, one and one-half inches long, adhering to the fruit; skin tough; flesh yellowish-white, with colorless juice, slightly stringy, tender and soft, sprightly subacid; of very good quality; stone free, about three-eighths inch in diameter, roundish, turgid, slightly pointed, with smooth surfaces; ridged along the ventral suture.

Leaves two and one-half inches wide, five and one-half inches long, folded upward,obovate, thick; upper surface glossy, dark green; lower surface light green, slightly pubescent, distinctly ribbed by the larger veins; apex taper-pointed, base acute; margin with small, black glands, coarsely and doubly serrate; petiole one and one-quarter inches long, thick, lightly tinged with red, grooved, with one or two small, globose, reddish-orange glands.

Buds rather long, pointed, free, arranged often in elongated clusters at the ends of long spurs; leaf-scars very prominent; season of bloom medium, averaging five days in length; flowers white, one and three-sixteenths inches across; borne in dense clusters at the ends of long spurs or spur-like branches, well distributed, varying from one to three; pedicels one-half inch long, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube reddish, campanulate, glabrous; calyx-lobes tinged red, long, narrow, somewhat acuminate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish-oval, entire, nearly sessile, with a broad, shallow notch at the apex; filaments one-quarter inch long; pistil glabrous, equal to the stamens in length.

Fruit late; three-fourths inch long, seven-eighths inch thick, roundish-oblate, slightly compressed; cavity of medium depth, wide, regular; suture a line; apex roundish, slightly depressed; color dark red; dots numerous, small, light russet, conspicuous; stem slender, one and one-half inches long, adhering to the fruit; skin tough; flesh yellowish-white, with colorless juice, slightly stringy, tender and soft, sprightly subacid; of very good quality; stone free, about three-eighths inch in diameter, roundish, turgid, slightly pointed, with smooth surfaces; ridged along the ventral suture.

Prunus avium×Prunus cerasus

Parkinson, nearly three hundred years ago, thought the Arch Duke "one of the fairest and best of cherries." It is now, however, quite surpassed by several others of the Dukes. The concensus of opinion of those who have known the true fruit of this name is that either May Duke or Late Duke is better. We give it prominence only because of its worthy past and that it may be better distinguished from May Duke with which it is often confused. As compared with the last-named variety it is two weeks later; the tree is more vigorous but not as productive; and the branchesare larger, more divergent and more pendulous. The cherries are not as well flavored but are larger and have a shorter stalk.

This old English variety was first mentioned by Parkinson inParadisus Terrestris, 1629. For many years previous to the middle of the last century the true Arch Duke cherry was very scarce and was often confused with other varieties, some writers asserting that it was the May Duke; others, the Late Duke. In 1847, however, the true Arch Duke cherry was discovered in the nurseries of Thomas Rivers, Sawbridgeworth, England, having been grown there, according to Mr. Rivers, by his ancestors for nearly a century. It was then found that the fruit was quite unlike that of either May Duke or Late Duke, though the habit of the tree was similar. It is not known when Arch Duke was introduced into America but the American Pomological Society placed it upon its fruit list in 1871.

ARCH DUKE

Tree medium in size, vigorous, somewhat upright, hardy, productive; trunk stocky, smooth; branches slender, long, smooth, reddish-brown, marked with considerable scarf-skin, with numerous, rather large lenticels; branchlets of medium length, curved, with short internodes, brown mottled with ash-gray, smooth, glabrous, with few small, slightly raised, inconspicuous lenticels.Leaves numerous, about two inches wide, three inches long, folded upward, short-oval to obovate, of medium thickness; upper surface dark green; lower surface light green, very slightly pubescent; apex acutely pointed; margin finely and doubly serrate, glandular; petiole one inch long, tinged with dull red, slender, with one or two, rarely three small, globose, brownish glands at the base of the blade.Buds small, short, conical, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds or in clusters of variable size; leaf-scars rather prominent; season of bloom medium; flowers white, one and one-sixteenth inches across; borne in clusters of twos and threes; pedicels three-fourths inch long, rather slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube with a faint tinge of red, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes with a trace of red, of medium length and breadth, acute, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish, entire, nearly sessile, the apex entire or with a shallow, wide notch; anthers yellowish; filaments three-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the stamens.Fruit matures in mid-season; one and one-eighth inches in diameter, obtuse-cordate, slightly compressed, flattened at the extremities; cavity of medium depth, narrow, somewhat obtuse; suture distinct; apex flattened or depressed; color light red becoming dark red or almost black at full maturity; dots numerous, of medium size, russet, rather inconspicuous; stem slender, one and one-half inches long, rather stout at its point of insertion in the fruit, adherent to the fruit; skin moderately thick; flesh light to dark red, firm, crisp, slightly astringent at first, becoming a very pleasant subacid at full maturity, juicy, good to very good in quality; stone semi-clinging, seven-sixteenths inch long, three-eighths inch wide, oval, compressed, with smooth surfaces.

Leaves numerous, about two inches wide, three inches long, folded upward, short-oval to obovate, of medium thickness; upper surface dark green; lower surface light green, very slightly pubescent; apex acutely pointed; margin finely and doubly serrate, glandular; petiole one inch long, tinged with dull red, slender, with one or two, rarely three small, globose, brownish glands at the base of the blade.

Buds small, short, conical, plump, free, arranged singly as lateral buds or in clusters of variable size; leaf-scars rather prominent; season of bloom medium; flowers white, one and one-sixteenth inches across; borne in clusters of twos and threes; pedicels three-fourths inch long, rather slender, glabrous, greenish; calyx-tube with a faint tinge of red, obconic, glabrous; calyx-lobes with a trace of red, of medium length and breadth, acute, serrate, glabrous within and without, reflexed; petals roundish, entire, nearly sessile, the apex entire or with a shallow, wide notch; anthers yellowish; filaments three-sixteenths inch long; pistil glabrous, longer than the stamens.

Fruit matures in mid-season; one and one-eighth inches in diameter, obtuse-cordate, slightly compressed, flattened at the extremities; cavity of medium depth, narrow, somewhat obtuse; suture distinct; apex flattened or depressed; color light red becoming dark red or almost black at full maturity; dots numerous, of medium size, russet, rather inconspicuous; stem slender, one and one-half inches long, rather stout at its point of insertion in the fruit, adherent to the fruit; skin moderately thick; flesh light to dark red, firm, crisp, slightly astringent at first, becoming a very pleasant subacid at full maturity, juicy, good to very good in quality; stone semi-clinging, seven-sixteenths inch long, three-eighths inch wide, oval, compressed, with smooth surfaces.

Prunus cerasus

1.Kan. Hort. Soc. Rpt.23:81. 1898.2.Kan. Hort. Soc.Cherry, The, 15, 16, Pl. 1900.3.Ia. Sta. Bul.73:63. 1903.4.Am. Pom. Soc. Cat.27. 1909.

Baldwin is supposed to have grown from a sprout of a stock on which Early Richmond had been budded on the farm of S. J. Baldwin, Seneca, Kansas. The Early Richmond bud was in some manner broken off and the sprout, springing from the stock, was allowed to grow and first fruited in 1891. On the grounds of this Station Baldwin trees which came fairly direct from the originator turned out to be Olivet. The published descriptions that can be found are so scant and fragmentary that we cannot make out whether the variety is really distinct or, as in the case of our trees, is Olivet renamed. The variety has been rather widely disseminated in the Middle West but has not shown much merit either for home or for commercial orchards in the rather lengthy probationary period it has had in the East. The American Pomological Society added Baldwin to its fruit list in 1909. The description we give is a compilation.

Tree vigorous, upright, round-topped; leaves large, broad; flowers white, changing to pink.Fruit ripens early; usually borne in pairs; large, round; stem of medium length, rather thick; color very dark red, yet almost transparent; flavor slightly acid, yet considered one of the sweetest and richest of the Morello class.

Tree vigorous, upright, round-topped; leaves large, broad; flowers white, changing to pink.

Fruit ripens early; usually borne in pairs; large, round; stem of medium length, rather thick; color very dark red, yet almost transparent; flavor slightly acid, yet considered one of the sweetest and richest of the Morello class.

Prunus avium

Baumann May is an early Sweet Cherry which at one time held high place among its kind but a century of culture proved that it had little value except for extreme earliness and it is now but sparingly or not at all grown either in America or abroad. If the variety could be obtained itmight be worth growing for breeding work because of its earliness and great productiveness. At one time this variety was rather largely grown in central and western New York and specimens of it must yet remain in this region.

From the latter part of the Eighteenth Century, when we first find an account of this variety in Kraft'sPomona Austriaca, to the last of the Nineteenth, writers have described Baumann May under many different names. From all accounts it originated toward the latter part of the Eighteenth Century, in Germany. From Germany it was introduced into Alsace where F. J. Baumann, a nurseryman at Bollweiler, grew it in his nursery under the name Bigarreau Baumann and disseminated it throughout the French provinces. The cherry was received in America, with several others, by Colonel M. P. Wilder of Boston, Massachusetts, from Messrs. Baumann, about the year 1838. The American Pomological Society listed the variety, in 1862, in its fruit catalog as Bauman's May but dropped it again in 1871. The following description is a compilation:

Tree vigorous, somewhat spreading, regular in form, compact, very productive; branches stocky, nearly horizontal but often curved downward; branchlets with short internodes, reddish-brown nearly covered with silver-gray scarf-skin; leaves medium to large, dark green, ovate-oblong, coarsely and deeply serrate; petiole rather short, with two large, reniform glands near the base of the leaf; buds large, ovate; flowers of medium size, opening very early.Fruit matures very early; medium to rather small, ovate-cordate, angular, irregular in outline; color dark red becoming nearly black when fully ripe; stem one and three-quarters inches long, rather thick; flesh purplish-red, with abundant juice, soft and tender, sweet, well flavored; of good quality; stone medium in size, roundish-ovate.

Fruit matures very early; medium to rather small, ovate-cordate, angular, irregular in outline; color dark red becoming nearly black when fully ripe; stem one and three-quarters inches long, rather thick; flesh purplish-red, with abundant juice, soft and tender, sweet, well flavored; of good quality; stone medium in size, roundish-ovate.

Prunus cerasus

By general consent Bessarabian has a place in home orchards in the colder parts of the Mississippi Valley and the Great Plains. It is very hardy and is said to thrive even under neglect—standing as much abuse as a forest tree. As compared with standard commercial cherries of the East the fruit is distinctly inferior in size and quality, being hardly fit to eat out of hand, and is sour and astringent even when cooked. The trees, though hardy and healthy, are dwarfish and not productive because of thesmallness of the cherries. It is an early cherry but the fruit hangs long. The variety is said to root well from cuttings, which, if true, might make it worth while trying as a stock. Bessarabian is a variant of English Morello, the fruit of which sort greatly excels it wherever the trees can be equally well grown.

This variety was brought to America from Russia about 1883, by Professor J. L. Budd of Ames, Iowa, who believed it to belong to a race of cherries originally found in central Asia.

Tree of medium size, upright, becoming somewhat spreading, compact, healthy, unproductive, very hardy; branches somewhat drooping, long, slender; leaves abundant, medium to small, oval, coarsely serrate, dark green, broad, flat; glands few, usually on the stalk at the base of the leaf.Fruit matures medium early, remaining on the tree a long time in good condition; medium in size, roundish-oblate to cordate, irregular, bright red becoming dark red; stem long, varying from one and three-fourths to two inches in length, slender, curved; skin tender; flesh light to dark red, with abundant colored juice, variable in firmness, sprightly subacid becoming milder when fully ripe; fair in quality; stone variable in size, roundish-oval, semi-clinging.

Fruit matures medium early, remaining on the tree a long time in good condition; medium in size, roundish-oblate to cordate, irregular, bright red becoming dark red; stem long, varying from one and three-fourths to two inches in length, slender, curved; skin tender; flesh light to dark red, with abundant colored juice, variable in firmness, sprightly subacid becoming milder when fully ripe; fair in quality; stone variable in size, roundish-oval, semi-clinging.

Prunus avium

This variety originated in France as a chance seedling about 1883 and fruited first in 1891. It was introduced a few years later by M. Auguste Pélissier, a nurseryman at Château-Renard, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. Although not yet well established even in France, this cherry is considered promising for market, because of its firm flesh, handsome appearance, high quality and good tree-characters. It is included among the major varieties inThe Cherries of New Yorkthat the attention of American cherry-growers may be called to it. As yet it seems not to have been tried in this country. The following description is compiled:

Tree upright, vigorous, very productive; branches rather long, large, bearing large, oval leaves; flowers large, semi-open; blooming season early.Fruit matures from early June to the last of June; large or very large, obtuse-cordate, slightly depressed at the apex, with a shallow yet distinct suture; stem short, thick; skin rather thick, firm, yellowish almost entirely overspread with vivid red which becomes darker at maturity but often showing streaks of clear red; flesh fine-grained, firm, juicy, red with streaks of white, sweet, aromatic; quality good to very good; stone of medium size, oval, with a pronounced suture.

Tree upright, vigorous, very productive; branches rather long, large, bearing large, oval leaves; flowers large, semi-open; blooming season early.

Fruit matures from early June to the last of June; large or very large, obtuse-cordate, slightly depressed at the apex, with a shallow yet distinct suture; stem short, thick; skin rather thick, firm, yellowish almost entirely overspread with vivid red which becomes darker at maturity but often showing streaks of clear red; flesh fine-grained, firm, juicy, red with streaks of white, sweet, aromatic; quality good to very good; stone of medium size, oval, with a pronounced suture.

Prunus avium

Bing is one of the best of the several very good cherries from the Pacific Northwest. But few Sweet Cherries equal it in size and attractiveness and none surpass it in quality, so that it may be said to be as good as any of the dessert cherries. It is, too, a very good shipping fruit, ranking with the best of the Bigarreaus, to which group it belongs, as a cherry for distant markets. Another quality commending the variety is that it hangs well on the trees and the crop ripens at one time so that the harvest consists of but one picking. While many cherry-growers speak well of the trees, unfortunately we cannot do so from their behavior on the grounds of this Station. They have not been as vigorous, as healthy or as productive as cherry trees should be in a commercial variety of first rank. The cause, however, may be in the location rather than in the variety, for in an orchard but a few miles distant Bing does much better than on these grounds. The variety, though comparatively new, is no longer on probation. It has a niche in the cherry flora of the country, deserving a place in the collection of every amateur by virtue of its splendid fruit. When it is happy in soil and climate, Bing is bound to be one of the leading commercial cherries.

Seth Lewelling of Milwaukee, Oregon, the originator of several of our finest cherries, grew Bing from the seed of Republican in 1875. The variety was named after a Chinese workman. In 1899 the American Pomological Society placed the variety on its fruit list.

BING

Tree large, vigorous, erect becoming upright-spreading, rather open, productive; trunk and branches thick, smooth; branches brownish with numerous, small lenticels; branchlets thick, long, with long internodes, greenish-brown, smooth, pubescent, with small, raised, conspicuous lenticels.Leaves abundant, large, folded upward, ovate to obovate of medium thickness; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface light green, pubescent; apex abruptly pointed, or acute, base abrupt; margin slightly serrate, glandular; petiole long, pubescent, thickish, tinged red, with from one to three large, reniform, reddish glands on the stalk.Fruit matures in mid-season or later; very large, one inch in diameter, broadly cordate, somewhat compressed, slightly angular; cavity deep, of medium width, abrupt, regular; suture a dark line; apex roundish or slightly depressed; color very dark red,almost black; dots small, russet, inconspicuous; stem variable in thickness, one and one-fourth inches long; skin of medium thickness, tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh purplish-red with dark purple juice, rather coarse, firm, very meaty, brittle, sweet; of very good quality; stone semi-free, large, ovate to oval, blunt, with smooth surfaces.

Leaves abundant, large, folded upward, ovate to obovate of medium thickness; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface light green, pubescent; apex abruptly pointed, or acute, base abrupt; margin slightly serrate, glandular; petiole long, pubescent, thickish, tinged red, with from one to three large, reniform, reddish glands on the stalk.

Fruit matures in mid-season or later; very large, one inch in diameter, broadly cordate, somewhat compressed, slightly angular; cavity deep, of medium width, abrupt, regular; suture a dark line; apex roundish or slightly depressed; color very dark red,almost black; dots small, russet, inconspicuous; stem variable in thickness, one and one-fourth inches long; skin of medium thickness, tough, adherent to the pulp; flesh purplish-red with dark purple juice, rather coarse, firm, very meaty, brittle, sweet; of very good quality; stone semi-free, large, ovate to oval, blunt, with smooth surfaces.

Prunus avium

There is much confusion in the history of this old cherry. It undoubtedly originated in France and in that part of the country later conquered by the Germans, though Mas, in hisPomologie Générale, mentioned it as probably of German origin. In the time of Louis XIII this variety was known as the Guigne Noire Commune and was cultivated quite extensively in France and northern Italy. It was esteemed both for its earliness and its fine quality and was known as Guigne Guindoulle by the peasants of central France and by the Tuscans in Italy as Corbini because of the color of its skin. Black Guigne, Black Heart, and Early Purple, which, while similar in many characters, are entirely distinct, have been badly confused by both French and German writers and it is only with the greatest difficulty that the three can be separated. While this cherry was formerly considered of worth in Continental Europe, it is scarcely recognized there now and was probably never brought to America. The following description is compiled from European fruit-books:

Tree very large, round-topped, spreading, irregular in outline, productive; branches long, large, straight, brownish, mottled with gray scarf-skin; internodes long and unequal; leaves large, oval or oblong, acuminate; margin irregularly serrate; petiole long, slender, with large glands; blooming season late; flowers small.Fruit matures the last of June to the middle of July, usually attached in pairs but sometimes in threes; medium to large in size, obtuse-cordate; color bright reddish-black changing to deep purple; suture indistinct; stem slender, inserted in a deep, broad cavity; skin thin, tender; flesh dark purple, with abundant colored juice, half-tender, somewhat stringy, sweet yet sprightly, pleasantly flavored; quality good; stone small, oval.

Fruit matures the last of June to the middle of July, usually attached in pairs but sometimes in threes; medium to large in size, obtuse-cordate; color bright reddish-black changing to deep purple; suture indistinct; stem slender, inserted in a deep, broad cavity; skin thin, tender; flesh dark purple, with abundant colored juice, half-tender, somewhat stringy, sweet yet sprightly, pleasantly flavored; quality good; stone small, oval.

Prunus avium

Despite the fact that Black Hawk was lauded by the horticulturists in the middle of the last century as one of the best of all black Sweet Cherries, it is now almost unknown. According to the older pomologists it was unsurpassed for eating out of hand but was only mediocre in all other characters of either fruit or tree. In particular it was surpassed in many ways by the better-known Eagle which fills about the same place in cherry culture. The variety was very popular in southern Ohio about Cincinnati where many trees may still be found and where it is still more or less planted. Possibly because of the excellent quality of the fruit, the amateur might well try a tree or two. The description is compiled.

Black Hawk originated with Professor J. P. Kirtland of Cleveland, Ohio, sometime previous to 1845. It is one of the best of the many seedlings fruited by him. The American Pomological Society in 1854 named this sort as one of the promising new fruits and it still remains on the fruit-list of this organization.

Tree large, vigorous, spreading, round-topped, resembling Yellow Spanish in habit, productive, healthy; branches stout, smooth, dark reddish-brown, straight; branchlets slender, with short internodes.Leaves large, folded upward, obovate, rather thick; upper surface dark green; lower surface pale green; apex abruptly pointed; margin coarsely and deeply serrate; petiole short, stout, bright red, with two or more orange-red, reniform glands.Buds of medium size, rather short, free; flowers small or medium in size; pedicels long, very slender; calyx-lobes straight, finely serrate, obtuse; petals roundish, broadly and deeply notched at the tip.Fruit matures about the middle of June, a few days later than Black Tartarian; medium to large, obtuse-cordate, surface uneven, sides compressed; cavity deep, broad, abrupt, nearly regular; color glossy, dark purplish-black changing to almost black at complete maturity; stem usually thick but often variable, of medium length; skin thick, adhering to the pulp; flesh purplish-black, tender, with abundant colored juice, aromatic, well flavored, sweet; of very good quality; stone of medium size, with uneven surfaces.

Leaves large, folded upward, obovate, rather thick; upper surface dark green; lower surface pale green; apex abruptly pointed; margin coarsely and deeply serrate; petiole short, stout, bright red, with two or more orange-red, reniform glands.

Buds of medium size, rather short, free; flowers small or medium in size; pedicels long, very slender; calyx-lobes straight, finely serrate, obtuse; petals roundish, broadly and deeply notched at the tip.

Fruit matures about the middle of June, a few days later than Black Tartarian; medium to large, obtuse-cordate, surface uneven, sides compressed; cavity deep, broad, abrupt, nearly regular; color glossy, dark purplish-black changing to almost black at complete maturity; stem usually thick but often variable, of medium length; skin thick, adhering to the pulp; flesh purplish-black, tender, with abundant colored juice, aromatic, well flavored, sweet; of very good quality; stone of medium size, with uneven surfaces.

Prunus avium

Although one of the oldest cherries under cultivation, Black Heart is still largely grown the world over. Prince, in 1832, said that it was more widely cultivated in the United States than any other variety and Downing, in 1845, said Black Heart was then better known than any other cherry in the country. While neither of these two statements would hold for Black Heart now, it having long since passed its heyday of popularity, it is still, because of the fruitfulness of the tree and the high quality and beauty of the fruit, a variety of much merit. Black Heart fails in the commercial fruit growing of nowadays, as compared with the cherry culture of the fruit connoisseurs of a generation ago, because it does not meet market demands, failing to do so through two defects: it does not ship well and when brown-rot is rife it quickly succumbs to this fungus. It is, too, now difficult to obtain the variety true to name, the trees at this Station, as an example, in several attempts, turning out untrue, which forces the use of a compiled description in this text.

This cherry was mentioned by John Rea in 1676 but there can be no doubt but that it originated many years previous to this date. Probably it is the cherry mentioned by Robert Dodonée, a naturalist of Malines, Belgium, in 1552. When or by whom it was introduced to America is not known but it was being grown here very early in the Nineteenth Century and ever since has been considered a valuable variety for general planting. Nearly every nurseryman throughout the United States lists Black Heart, a fact attesting its popularity. The American Pomological Society placed Black Heart on its catalog of fruits in 1862, a place which it has since retained.

Tree large, very vigorous, tall, wide-spreading, productive; branches stout, brownish, mingled with yellow, mottled with gray scarf-skin; lenticels numerous, small.Leaves very large, oblong, waved, acuminate, nearly flat; upper surface dark green; margin deeply and coarsely serrate; petiole of medium length, lightly tinged with red, with greenish glands.Buds large, oval, pointed; season of bloom early or very early; flowers medium in size; petals roundish, imbricated.Fruit matures early, season long; large, obtuse-cordate, somewhat compressed; cavity broad; suture deep; surface somewhat irregular; color dark purple becoming black; stem one and three-fourths inches long, slender; skin slightly shrivelled; flesh dark red, firmto very firm becoming tender at full maturity, with abundant colored juice, sweet; good in quality; stone large, roundish-ovate; dorsal suture deep.

Tree large, very vigorous, tall, wide-spreading, productive; branches stout, brownish, mingled with yellow, mottled with gray scarf-skin; lenticels numerous, small.

Leaves very large, oblong, waved, acuminate, nearly flat; upper surface dark green; margin deeply and coarsely serrate; petiole of medium length, lightly tinged with red, with greenish glands.

Buds large, oval, pointed; season of bloom early or very early; flowers medium in size; petals roundish, imbricated.

Fruit matures early, season long; large, obtuse-cordate, somewhat compressed; cavity broad; suture deep; surface somewhat irregular; color dark purple becoming black; stem one and three-fourths inches long, slender; skin slightly shrivelled; flesh dark red, firmto very firm becoming tender at full maturity, with abundant colored juice, sweet; good in quality; stone large, roundish-ovate; dorsal suture deep.

Prunus avium

Black Tartarian is probably the favorite dooryard and roadside Sweet Cherry in New York and ranks second or third among commercial cherries in the State, as it probably does for the whole region east of the Mississippi. It is known by all who grow or eat cherries. The preeminently meritorious characters which give it so high a place in cherry culture are: first, and most important, the elasticity of its constitution whereby it adapts itself to widely different soils and climates; second, the fruitfulness, healthfulness and robustness of the trees which also bear regularly, live to an old age and grow to a prodigious size, oftentimes attaining a diameter of two feet; third, this variety is comparatively free from the worst of cherry diseases, brown-rot; lastly, the cherries, though not as large as some similar sorts, are tempting to the eye through their rotund form and glossy black color and are a delight to the palate, the handsome purplish-red flesh being firm and crisp, yet juicy, with a sweet, rich flavor which all agree gives the quality the rank of "very good to best." It is a virile variety and from it have come several promising seedlings and it is one of the parents of a number of cross-bred cherries. Black Tartarian is earlier than most of the Sweet Cherries with which it must compete—under most conditions a help in marketing. Unfortunately it is a little too soft to handle well in harvesting and marketing or to hold its shape as a canned product. Its small size is also against it for the canner's trade. The several defects noted prevent Black Tartarian from taking first rank in commercial orchards but for the home plantation it is one of the best.

Black Tartarian came originally from Russia. It was introduced into England in 1794 from Circassia, by Hugh Ronalds of Brentford, Middlesex, as Ronald's Large Black Heart. Two years later, John Fraser introduced a variety, a native of Crimea, which he purchased in St. Petersburg, asFraser's Black Tartarian. This turned out to be the same as the cherry from Circassia. Some go farther back and say that Black Tartarian was carried to Russia from Spain, thence to England. It owes its introduction into this country to William Prince of Flushing, Long Island, probably in the early part of the Nineteenth Century. It was recognized in 1848 and placed on the schedule of fruits at the National Convention of Fruit Growers which later became the present American Pomological Society. The variety still retains a place among the recommended cherries but under the name Tartarian. The variety quickly became popular in America, finding a place in every orchard and in the lists of all nurserymen. Some nurserymen claim to have superior strains of the old variety; as, Green's Tartarian and Black Tartarian Improved. Comparisons show no differences. Black Russian, listed by some firms, is probably Black Tartarian as it is used many times as a synonym by foreign writers.

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