CHERRY, the name of various species of trees and shrubs of the genus Prunus, family Amygdalacece, closely related to the almond, peach, apricot and plum, thus comprising one of the most important groups of fruits— the drupaceous or stone fruits. Cherries are acterized by white flowers, usually in umbel like fascicles, or in racemes, and subglobular, mostly red, yellow or black fruits, without bloom, and containing nearly globular, smooth stones. Few of the native species have attracted horticultural attention except for ornamental purposes, but some, especially the wild black cherry (P. serofirta), are highly prized as cabi net woods and for interior house-finishing.
The cultivated cherries have been derived almost wholly from two European species, P. avium and P. cerasus. The varieties of P. avium belong to three groups; hearts, heart shaped, soft, light or dark, sweet fruits; bigar reaux; heart-shaped, firm, light or dark, sweet fruits; and dukes, light, somewhat acid fruits. Of these four groups the bigarreaux are the, most important; they are largely grown in Cali fornia and shipped to the Eastern markets. The hearts are somewhat grown for home on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts in Europe and in Australia. The varieties of P. cerasus are divided into amarelle (light-colored) and morello (dark-colored) groups. The morellos are the leading acid cherries and most pop ular in the eastern United States, especially in western New York, where they arc largely canned for market, as well as shipped in the fresh state.
Besides these important species and their varieties, a few others have horticultural value, notably, P. mahaleb, a hardy, rather small European species, which is used as a propagat ing stock; P. pennsylvanica, the pin, wild red, or bird cherry; P. besseyi and P. pumiia, the sand or dwarf cherries, which seem to grade into one another, the former producing sweet fruit, the latter acid, and which, being natives of the plains region, seem worthy of the atten tion of the hybridizer.
Cherries are propagated by budding upon either mazzard or mahaleb seedlings, the latter being in more general favor, especially in the West, because they are hardier, easier to•grow, easier to bud and are freer from blight in the nursery. Sweet cherries succeed best upon well-drained light looms where the moisture is abundant but not excessive; sour kinds will stand heavier but not wet land; neither prove profitable upon very rich soils. The ground should be thoroughly and deeply plowed and harrowed; the sweet kinds, which are large spreading trees, set 25 to 30 feet apart, and the sour kinds 15 to 20 feet. The land should be kept clean by frequent cultivation until mid summer, when a clover crop should be sown. This must be turned under the following spring, and the land treated as before. Each year liberal applications of potash and phosphoric acid should be given and the trees protected from the attacks of insects and fungi by sys tematic spraying.
Two insects are most dreaded. One is the cherry aphis, which attacks the foliage in May. It is particularly troublesome upon the sweet kinds. Kerosene emulsion and fish-oil soap are each useful in controlling the pest. The other is the cherry slug, a shiny, dark-green "worm,' the larva of a four-winged black fly. This eats the soft tissue of the leaves between the veins. It may be controlled with air-slaked lime or arsenates. See FUNGICIDE.
The most important diseases of the cherry are brown rot, leaf-blight and black knot, which are treated under PLUM. Consult Bailey, 'Cy clopedia of American Horticulture' (1914).