Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/672

CHERRY. 590 CHERUB. disease the leaves wither suddenly, but remain on the trees all winter. The fruit ripens un- evenly, cracks, and rots. In (iermany relief was secured by collecting and l>urning all the leaves for two seasons. To be successful, this would have to be practiced over a considerable area, as the winds can spread the disease to quite a distance. CHERRY. (1) The daughter of Boniface, the innkeeper in Farquhar's Ih'aux' litratagem. (2) A nickname of Charity Pecksniff, in Dick- ens's Martin Chitzzlcwit. CHERRY-BIRD, or CEDAR-BIRD. See Waxwixo. CHERRY-LAUREL, or l.ArREi.-CiiKRRT. A pii|>ilar name for certain evergreen s])e(ies of the gi'iius Prunus. They bear lac-enies of small, usually white, flowers and small nauseous fruits, the kernels of which somewhat resemble in Havor the kernels of almonds. The kernels and leaves of the cherry-laurel are poi.sonous although they are used to some extent for tlavoring purposes. The leaves particularly are rich in the oil of bitter almonds which is obtained !>}• aqueous maceration and distillation. The product is known as cherry-laurel water and was formerly used in medicine, but has recently declined in popularity. The common or English cherry- laurel { I'niinis TAiurocera.iii.i) , to which the fore- going remarks chiefly apply, is a native of South- eastern Europe and adjacent Asia. It is a shrub which sometimes attains a height of ten feet and which bears ovate-lanceolate, convex, smooth, shining, yellowish-green leaves and rather short terminal nuemes. In Europe it is one of the most popular ornamental shrubs. It is rarely met with in the Northern United States except in greenhouses: but in California and in the States south of Virginia, it is becoming fairly common. The methods of propagation most in vogue are long mature wood cuttings and layers. Another European species is the Portugal cherry- laurel {I')ii)ius lusitanica) . which often reaches a height of twenty feet. It does not grow so well in the shade as the other species. The wild orange (I'runufi Cnrnlininna) , popularly termed in the South the mock orange, is the best-known American representative of the cherry-laurels. Throughout its range from South Carolina to Texas it often exceeds thirty feet in height. It is highly prized for ornamental planting Ijecause of its shining, dark-green leaves and short racemes of cream-colored flowers which appear in March. CHERRY VALLEY. A village in Otsego County, N. Y., 08 miles west of Albany, on the Delaware and Hudson Railroad (Jlap: New York, F 3). Population, in 18!)0. fi8.5 : in 1000. 772. It was the scene of a famous massacre during the Revolutionary War. 000 Indians under Joseph Brant and 200 Tories and English under Walter Butler attacking it on November 11, 1778. killing 10 of the small garrison sta- tioned here and .30 of the inhabitant.s, including women and children, burning nearly all the buildings, and carrying off 71 prisoners, whom they treated with great crueltv. Consult Rai- se v'. The Old New York Frontier (New York, inon. CHERSIPHRON, ker'sl-fron (Lat., from Gk. X(Y";/o»<./i'), ( ? -e.r>4e B.C.). A famous Cretan architect of the Sixth Century n.c, born at Cnossus. He planned, and in part constructed, the older temple of Artemis at Ephesus, being assisted in the work by his son Matagenes. Chcr- siphron apparently died before the completion of the sculjiture of the columns — that is, before B.C. 540. CHERSO, ker'sft. A long, narrow island of Austria, in the Adriatic. 12 miles south -southwest of Fiume (Map: -ustria, D 4). It has an area of aboit 10.5 square miles. Its surface is gener- ally hilly and rugged, with forests in the north. The vine and olive are cultivated to some ex- tent. Administratively it belongs to the Dis- trict of Lussin, Istria. Its inhabitants are chiefly engaged in maritime industries. Its population was 8274 in 1900. including over .3000 Italians. The chief town, Cherso, has a popula- tion of about .'5000. CHERSON. Ker son'. See Kherson. CHERSONESUS, ker's6-ne'sfis (Lat., from Gk. Xe/ja6vi/ao(, from x'f"^"C' chersos, dry land -{- vf/ao;, iii'sos, island, land-island, i.e. peninsula). A name applied by the ancient Greeks to several peninsulas and promontories. Three of the most frequently mentioned are: (1) The Thracian Chersonese, northwest of the Hellespont ; (2 I the Tauric Chersonese, in the Black Sea, the modern Crimea: and (.3) the Cimbrian Chersonese, the modern .Jutland. CHERT, chert (akin to Ir. cenrt, pebble, Welsh eareri, stone. Gael, carr, shelf of rock). An amorphous mineral substance, composed of a mixture of hydratcd and anhydnms silica, which has the hardness of quartz and a splintery or conchoidal fracture. The color varies from white to black, but is commonly a neutral gray or brown. Chert is commonly associated with carbonate rocks, particularly limestone, and is believed to be due partly to mechanical deposi- tion, parth- to chemical deposition from water at the time of the deposition of the carbonate rocks, and perhaps in part to a concentration or segregation subsequent to the formation of such rocks. The name hornstone was formerly more frequently enqiloyed for the same sub- stance. See Quartz : .Siliceous Rocks. CHERTSEY, ehes'i or chert's! (AS. Ceortes Cq, Ccort's island). A market town of Surrey, England, on the Thames. 2o miles west-south- west of London (Map: England. F 5). It is irregularly built and is surrounded by villas. The chief trade is in malt and flour. Many vegetiibles are raised for the London market. Population, in 1891, 11.300; in 1901. 12.7(iO. Chertsey arose from a Benedictine monastery founded in 6G6. and rebuilt in 904 by Edgar. Charles .Tames Fox lived on Saint Anne's Hill, about a mile from the town, and the poet Cowley lived :ind died here. CHERUB (Low Lat.. from Heb. K'ruhh, cherub: Heb. plural cherubiiii, Engl, plural also cherubs). The Hebrew name for a winged crea- ture with a hum.an countenance, which in the religious symbolism of the Old Testament is rep- resented in attendance upon .Jehovah, and as forming part of the court of heavenly beings aroind his throne. Cherubim are mentioned in Genesis (iii. 24) as guards of paradise: a cherub with a (laming sword liindercd the ap- proadi of Adam and Even to the sacred tree. In the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, and after- wards in the temple, two cherubim wrought in embossed metal were represented above the