Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

CHERRY

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V06, Page 85 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

CHERRY . As a cultivated See also:

fruit-See also:tree the cherry is generally supposed to be of See also:Asiatic origin, whence, according to See also:Pliny, it was brought to See also:Italy by Lucull.us after his, defeat of See also:Mithradates, See also:king of See also:Pontus, 68 B.C. As with most See also:plants which have been See also:long and extensively cultivated, it is a See also:matter of difficulty, if not an impossibility, to identify the See also:parent stock of the numerous cultivated varieties of cherry; but they are generally referred to two See also:species: Prunus Cerasus, the See also:wild or See also:dwarf cherry, the origin of the morello, See also:duke and Kentish cherries, and P. Avium, the gean, the origin of the geans, See also:hearts and bigarreaus. Both species grow wild through See also:Europe and western See also:Asia to the Himalayas, but the dwarf cherry has the more restricted range of the two in See also:Britain, as it does not occur in See also:Scotland and is rare in See also:Ireland. The cherries See also:form a See also:section Cerasus of the genus Prunus; and they have sometimes been separated as a distinct genus from the plums proper; both have a See also:stone-fruit or drupe, but the drupe of the cherry differs from that of the See also:plum in not having a waxy See also:bloom; further, the leaves of the plum are rolled (convolute) in the bud, while those of the cherry are folded (See also:con-duplicate). The cherries are trees of moderate See also:size and shrubs, having smooth, serrate leaves and See also:white See also:flowers. They are natives of the temperate regions of both hemispheres; and the cultivated varieties ripen their fruit in See also:Norway as far as 63° N. The geans are generally distinguished from the See also:common cherry by the greater size of the trees, and the deeper See also:colour and See also:comparative insipidity of the flesh in the ripe fruit, which adheres firmly to the " See also:nut " or stone; but among the very numerous cultivated varieties specific distinctions shade away so that the fruit cannot be ranged under these two heads. The leading varieties are recognized as bigarreaus, See also:dukes, morellos and geans. Sever& varieties are cultivated as ornamental trees and on See also:account of their flowers. The cherry is a well-flavoured sub-See also:acid fruit, and is much esteemed for dessert, Some of the varieties are particularly selected for pies, tarts, &c., and others for the preparation of preserves, and for making cherry See also:brandy.

The fruit is also very extensively employed in the preparation of the See also:

liqueurs known as kirschwasser, See also:ratafia and maraschino. Kirschwasser is made chiefly on; the upper See also:Rhine from the wild• See also:black gean, and in the manufacture the entire fruit-flesh and kernels are pulped up and allowed to ferment. By See also:distillation of the fermented pulp the liqueur is obtained in a pure, colourless See also:condition. Ratafia is similarly manufactured, also by preference from a gean. Maraschino, a highly valued liqueur, the best of which is produced at See also:Zara in See also:Dalmatia, differs from these in being distilled from a cherry called marasca, the pulp of which is mixed with See also:honey, honey or See also:sugar being added to the distillate for sweetening. It is also said that the flavour is heightened by the use of the leaves of the perfumed cherry, Prunus Mahaleb, a native of central and See also:southern Europe. The See also:wood of the cherry tree is valued by cabinetmakers, and that of the gean tree is largely used in the manufacture of See also:tobacco pipes. The See also:American wild cherry, Prunus serotina, is much sought after, its wood being compact, See also:fine-grained, not liable to warp, and susceptible of receiving a brilliant See also:polish. The kernels of the perfumed cherry, P. Mahaleb, are used in See also:confectionery and for See also:scent. A See also:gum exudes from the See also:stem of cherry trees similar in its properties to gum arabic. The cherry is increased by budding on the wild gean, obtained by See also:sowing the stones of the small black or red wild cherries.

To secure very dwarf trees the Prunus Mahaleb has been used for the May duke, Kentish, morello and analogous sorts, but it is not adapted for strong-growing varieties like the bigarreaus. The See also:

stocks are budded, or, more rarely, grafted, at the usual seasons. The cherry prefers a See also:free, loamy See also:soil, with a well-drained subsoil. Stiff soils and dry gravelly subsoils are both unsuitable, though the trees require a large amount of moisture, particularly the large-leaved sorts, such as the bigarreaus. For See also:standard trees, the bigarreau section should be planted 30 ft. apart, or more, in See also:rich soil, and the May duke, morello and similar varieties 20 or 25 ft. apart; while, as trained trees against walls and espaliers, from 20 to 24 ft. should be allowed for the former, and from 15 to 20 ft. for the latter. In forming the stems of a standard tree the temporary See also:side-shoots should not be allowed to attain too See also:great a length, and should not be more than two years old when they are cut See also:close to the stem. The first three shoots retained to form the See also:head should be shortened to about 15 in., and two shoots from each encouraged, one at the end, and the other 3 or 4 in. See also:lower down. When these have become established, very little pruning will be required, and that chiefly to keep the See also:principal branches as- nearly equal in strength as possible for the first few years. See also:Espalier trees should have the branches about a See also:foot apart, starting from the stem with an upward See also:curve, and then being trained horizontally. In summer pruning the shoots on the upper branches must be shortened at least a See also:week before those on the lower ones. After a See also:year or two clusters of fruit buds will be See also:developed on spurs along the branches, and those spurs will continue productive for an indefinite See also:period. For See also:wall trees any form of training may be adopted; but as the fruit is always finest on See also:young spurs, See also:fan-training is probably the most advantageous.

A See also:

succession of young shoots should be laid in every year. The morello, which is of twiggy growth and bears on the young wood, must be trained in the fan form, and care should be taken to avoid the very common See also:error of crowding its branches. Forcing.—The cherry will not endure a high temperature nor Close See also:atmosphere. A See also:heat of 450 at See also:night will be sufficient at starting, this being gradually increased during the first few See also:weeks to 55°, but lowered again when the blossom buds are about to open. After stoning the temperature may be again gradually raised to 6o°, and may go up to 70° by See also:day, or 75° by See also:sun heat, and 6o° at night. The best forcing cherries are the May duke and the royal duke, the duke cherries being of more compact growth than the bigarreau tribe and generally setting better; nevertheless a few of the larger kinds, such as bigarreau See also:Napoleon, black tartarian and St See also:Margaret's, should be forced for variety. The trees may be either planted out in tolerably rich soil, or grown in large pots of See also:good turfy friable calcareous See also:loam mixed with rotten dung. If the plants are small, they may be put into I2-in. pots in the first instance, and after a year shifted into15-in. pots See also:early in autumn, and plunged in some loose or even very slightly fermenting material. The soil of the pots should be protected from See also:snow-showers and See also:cold rains. Occasionally trees have been taken up in autumn with balls, potted and forced in the following See also:spring; but those which have been established a year in the pots are to be preferred. Such only as are well furnished with blossom-buds should be selected. The trees should be removed to the forcing See also:house in the beginning of See also:December, if fruit be required very early in the See also:season.

During the first and second weeks it may be kept nearly close; but, as vegetation advances, See also:

air becomes absolutely necessary during the day, and even at night when the See also:weather will permit. If forcing is commenced about the See also:middle or third week of December, the fruit ought to be ripe by about the end of See also:March. After the fruit. is gathered, the trees should be duly supplied with See also:water at the See also:root, and the foliage kept well syringed till the wood is mature.

End of Article: CHERRY

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
CHERRAPUNJI 		[next]
CHERRY VALLEY

Site © 2006 - Net Industries