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to!
ClIAP. X.
H o rtic u ltu ra l Catalogue. — T ro p ic a l and other E x o tic F ru its .
4694. Am ong exotic fr u it s we comprehend such fruits as require the aid of artificial
lieat to bring them to perfection, and among these we have included the vine and the
fig: for, thougli these fruits ripen in the open air in veiy favourable situations and
warm seasons in England, yet it is allowed on all hands that, in by far the greater
number of situations and seasons, even in this favoured portion of the island, grapes
and figs groivn in the open air do not attain any thing like tlieir proper size and flavour.
Exotic fruits may be arranged as follows : —
4G95. Those in g e n e ra l c u ltiva tio n ; as the pine, vine, fig, melon, and cucumber.
469G. Those we ll kn ow n , but neglected, as such ; as the orange, pomegranate, olive, Indian fis, torch-
thistle, and strawberry-pear.
4697. T h o s e s o m e of which seem to merit cultivation ; as the akee tree, alligator pear,
anchovy-pear, durion, guava, granadilla, jamrosade, Malay apple, leechee, loquat, mango, mangosteen.
pishamm, and various others. » i , & , e .
4701. Species a n d va rieties.
vated In Brita
S e c t . I . T ro p ic a l and E x o tic F r u its in general C u ltiva tio n .
4698. The trop ic a l a nd exotic fm it s in general c u ltiva tio n include tlie first three fruits
in the world; the pine, pre-eminent for its flavoui-; the vine, for its generous and
enlivening juice; and the melon, approaching in flavour to the pine. All cfrcurastances
considered, it is doubtful if the durion, mangosteen, and other Indian fmits, equal these;
certainly no fruit hitherto discovered iu any region surpasses the pine-apple.
S u b s e c t . 1. ^ P ine-ap p le. — B rom elia, A iih o a s L ., Ananassa L in d l. (B o t. M a g . 1554.) ;
r. T ...J r> -r Fr., Ger.,H e x á n . Monog. L. and j5/'owe/iàecæ J. and Ital.; P ijn appel,
Dutch ; and P ina., Span.
4699_. T h e pine-apple is supposed to have derived its name from the resemblance of
tlie^ fruit in shape to the cone of some species of pine tree. In richness of flavour this
fruit stands unrivalled ; and, as Neill observes, “ it is one of the greatest triumphs of the
gardener’s art, to be able to boast that it can be produced in Britain in as high perfection.
as in a tropical climate.” South America is generally considered the native place
of the pine, though it is indigenous in uncultivated places in Africa, in great abundance.
Linnæus ascribes it to New Spain and Surinam ; and Acosta says, that it was first sent
from the prorince of Santa Croce, in Brazil, into the West, and aftenvards into tlie East
Indies. Professor Martyn thinks it may be common to the tropical parts of the tlu-ee
continents. The piue-plant has been long cultivated iu Jamaica and otlier West India
islands with great success, and was introduced to the gardens of Europe by Le Cour, of
Leyden, about the middle of the seventeenth centuiy. This gentleman, Miller informs us,
received his first plants from America, and, “ after a great many trials, with little or no
success, did at length hit upon a proper degree of heat and management, so as to produce
fruit equally good (though not so large) as tliat which is produced in the West Indies.”
From Le Cour “ our gardens in England were first supplied with this king of fruits
and it is “ commonly said that Sir Matthew Decker, of Richmond, was its earliest
cultivator ; ” but, as a botanical plant, it was introduced so far back as 1690, by Bentick.
(H o rt. K e io .) Miller informs us, that at first the plants were kept in dry stoves, during
winter, placed on scaffolds, after the manner in which orange trees are placed in a greenhouse
; and that in summer they were removed to hotbeds of tanners’ bark, under
frames. They soon, however, began to erect “ low stoves,” called suceession-houscs, and
bark-pits under deep frames, for the suckers and crowns. We learn from Bradley, that
by the year 1730 pine-NStoves of the different kinds were established in all the principal
English gardens; and Justice, in hxs B r itis h Directory, published in 1744,
states, that pine-apple stoves had also been erected in Scotland, and he gives the plan
of one erected by him in his own gai-den at Crichton, near Edinburgh, in the year 1732,
in which the pine was fruited for the first time in Scotland. He recommends such as
intend cultivating this frait, to get thefr plants and furnaces (the latter cast in one piece)
of Scott, of Turnliam Green, London, and their thermometers from Coles, in Fleet
Street. Since that period, the spread of pine-stoves in Britain has been most rapid, and
equally so the improvement in the modes of culture, and the increase in the number uf
varieties cultivated.
4700. Use. It is th e first of dessert fruits ; and is also preserved in sugar, made into marmalades and
other confectionaries ; and is used to flavour rum. In preparing to eat this fruit, first twist out the
crown, and then cut the fruit into horizontal slices : these being served, the rind and scales of th e pins
arc pared off by the guest with a knife and fork. {Speechly.) In the West Indies, the slices are cut
obliquely m the direction of the pips.
, , . , There are four edible species, and nearly 50 varieties of this fruit culti-
T h e whole of these have been collected together, and cultivated by the London Horticultural
Society; and an excellent classification and description of them, drawn up by the Society’s
head gardener, Mr. Munro, have been published in the Transactions of th e Society, vol. i. second series.
From this paper we shall select the following classification: —
I. A N A N A 'S S A BRACTEA'TA.
1. Scarlet.
I I. A N A N A 'S S A DE'BILIS.
2. Waved-leaved.
I I I . A N A N A 'S S A LU'C IDA.
IV. SATl'VA,
* Leaves spineless.
а. Flowers purple.
5. Havannah.
6. Smooth Havannah.
б, Flowers lilac, ne arly white.
B ru it globular.
7. Green Antigua.
F ru it p y ramid a l.
8. Striped smooth-Ivd-sugar-loaf.
Ö. Smooth-leaved Cayenne.
t. Flowers purple.
F ru it oval.
10. White Providence.
11. Green Java.
12. Black Jamaica.
F ru it cylindrical.
13. Oninge sugar-loaf.
14. Downton Havannah.
F r u it p y ramid a l.
15. New Jamaica,
Flowers lilac.
16. New Demerara. •
17. Striped Surinam.
. Flowers purple.
F ru it cylindrical.
18. Sierra Leone.
19. Alison’s.
20. Montserrat.
21. Trooper’s helmet.
F r u it pyramid a l.
22. Green Providence.
23. St. Vincent.
. Flowers lilac.
F ru it cylindncal.
24. Globe.
25. Lemon queen.
26. Otalieite.
27. Surinam.
28. Buck’s seedling globe.
F ru it p y ramid a l.
29. Brown-leaved sugar-loaf.
30. Brown sugar-loaf.
35. Trinidad.
36. Buck’s seedling.
37. Enville.
38. New Enville.
39. Spring Grove Enville.
40. Lord Bagot’s seedling.
41. Bliihfiold orange.
# * * Leaves u ith large r ig id a
(ab ou t four in an in ch o
average).
а. Flowers purple.
42. Black Antigna.
43. Welbeck seedlmg.
44. Ripley
б, Fiowers lilac.
F ru it globular.
45. Russian globe.
46.- Russian cockscomb.
F ru it cylindrical.
47. .
48. Ripley’s queen.
49. Groen queen.
50. Moscow queen.
61. Striped queen.
52. Silver-striped queen.
53. Antigua queen.
54. Blood-red.
4702. Selection o f sorts. The first three species may be considered as more ornamental than useful ;
the best of them is th e king pine, which is a very handsome middle-sized fruit, but ra the r tardy in fruit-
All the varieties worth cultivating have been produced from the A n a n a s sa sativa, and of these the
following are considered by Mr. Munro as best meriting cultivation : —
>wa to r general culti-
ows freely, fru its early,
no t so high-flavoured
e larger kinds, is still
and, althouL
as some of th e — .......... ,
tlie most valuable for a small family.
Exposed to a very h ig h temperature
in the months of Ju n e , Ju ly , and
August, i t is liable to become noUow
ne ar the core, b u t e arly o r la te r in
tlie season it is not su bject to th a t
defect. I t is th e sort generaUy grown
b y gardeners for the London market,
l lie Ripley's queen, a sligh t variety
of th e common Queen, is probably
th e b e st; tbe leaves are greener an d
broader, an d it does n o t throw u p so
ma n y suckers.
2. 2’he Moscow queen is an excellent variety,
b u t is ra th e r a slow grower;
tlie fru it is ab ou t th e samo size as
th e common Queen, b u t superior to
It in flavour.
5. 27ic B la c k Jam a ica is an excellent
fru it a t all seasons of th e year, b u t
p a rticu la rly In the winter mouths,
wlien pines ra re ly come to perfection.
I t cuts firm to th e core, is
hig h ly flavoured, keeps some time
afte r i t is fully rijw, a n d bears c arriage
b e tter th a n an y otlier. I t is,
however, ra th e r a slow grower, and
th e f ru it seldom a ttain s a large size.
4. The Broivn su g a r-lo a f is tlie best of
th e Sugar-loaf kiud. I t is a large,
handsome, an d hig h ly flavoured
fru it, swells freely in th e winter
m o n th s : its ficsh is firm nnd juicy.
5. The Rip le y is large, handsome, and
hi(
tru it, an d swells fre d y
6. The St. Vincent. T h o f ru itis notlarge,
b u t h ig h ly flavoured, p a rticu la rly in
sum m e r; a n d i t is said to swell freely
in winter.
7. The B la c k A n tig u a is an excellent
an d h ig h ly flavoured pine if cut
when it begins to tu rn ft-om green to
yellow, b u t if allowed to remain on
th e p lan t u n til it is q uite r ijjc it loses
a ll its richness.
8. The En ville is deserving o f a place in
collections as one of the handsomest
9. The Lemon queen is o f free g iwth ;
tlie f ru it is rich , ju icy , i
flavoured.
10. The White Frovtdence, when grown
to a large size, is generally deficient
in flavour, b u t is a very liandsome
showy kind. I t m ay sometimes bear
prema tu rely , an d if in th a t case tlie
f ru it he allowed to become perfectly
rip e on th e p la n t it is eq u al in flavour
to a Queen.
11. an d 12. Large pines. The T rin id ad
18 an excellent fru it, which m ay be
grown to a la rg e r size th a n an y
h ith e rto cultivated in England, f t
is reported to weigh occasionally
26 lbs. Buck’s seedling pine greatly
resembles th e Trini'dad, (Hort.
Tra n s., 2d series, i. 24.)
13. Smooth-leaved Cayenne. Leaves
with o u t spines, except sometimes a
very few n e ar th e extremities. F ru it
very 1 ^ ^ , p ^ am id a l, orange yellow.
14. Rough or Spine-leaved Cayenne.
Differs from th e preceding in having
spiny leaves; the f ru it has tiic same
form, colour, an d quality.
work (sect. 3042. to sect. 5100.), we consider it rig h t to in tro duce
th e following admirable summary by Mr. Lin d ley :—‘‘0 :ie
o f the best methods, with o u t entering in to any lengthened deta
il o f operations, seems to be th a t which has been recommended
by Mr. Sweet, which is, to pot th e yo u n g p lan ts iu a
m ix tu re o f one th ird loam, an d two th ird s of half-dccayed
leaves, in which th ey ro o t very freely ; they m ay th en be
' ■ ' a stove, b u t not in too mu ch bottom
of leaves can be hac
soon as th e h e at dec ................ ........... .......................... ..
Oak o r chestnut leaves are tlie b e s t; these cause tho h e at to rise
as strongly as is required. When th e h e at ag ain declines, add
anotlier q u an tity of leaves, an d so on tUl th e p lants are h alf
b uried, au d water them frequently, b u t littlo a t a time, an d
they ivill root in th e leaves, an d swell off th e ir f ru it to a g reat
siz e : tile suckers ro o t also into tho loaves, a n d grow to large
p lants before th ey arc taken off; so th a t these p lants produce
th e ir fru it, when potted off, mu ch e arlie r th a n by au v other
means.”
4705. “ VCien the p la n ts are wanted to show fr u i t, they
should be checked by keeping th em d ry fo r a considerable
tim e ; th en , by watering them an d giving them a littlo
fresh lioat, they f ru it immediately. The pine-house sliould
be kept u p as n e ar as possible to 70° of Fah renheit’s thermometer
, as th a t w ill in ju re ■
who e:
never perfectly recover. They do n o t consider th a t giving
p lauts a strong bottom heat is working ag ainst n a tu re ; for
iu tb e ir native climate i t is th e sun th a t warms th e ground
in wliich th ey grow an d th is h e at should n o t be exceeded
he re .”
4704. “ Pines thrive much the besl by keeping the house veiij
warm an d moist, an d by giving a ir early iu the m o niing, aud
sh u ttin g i t up e arly in the afternoon. As soon as sh u t up, give
a g entle sp rin k lin g of water al! over tho p lants w itli an engine,
which causes a flue steam to rise, an d tlic leaves never b u rn ,
b u t the p lants grow with increased vigour. When th ey are
large, an d req u ire la rg e r pots, ad d more loam to th e soil in
wlucli th ey are potted, an d keep th e pots well drain ed with
small potsherds in the bottom. I n sh iftin g th em Into larger
pots, care m u st bo tak en n o t to in ju re th e ir roots, When they
a re p u t in to tho fru itin g house, first tu rn the tan-bod all over to prevents It being a
th e bottom, ad ding a sufficient q u an tity of fresh tan, so as t o .............. ' ’
give a strong h e a t; th en set tbe plants upon th e tan , b u t do
n o t p lunge them till th e h e at begins to decline. Whore plenty
4706. T k e insects prejudicial to the pine-appie, and the methods in use for destroying them, havebeen
already described, sect. 3093. to sect. 3100.
in winter ; in summer it m ay be sh u t up a t 100° or
m o re: th is h e at may be said to apply to a collection of pines
when grown together in one h o u se ; b u t whcu th e re is a suffl-
ciency of room, it will be more advisable to grow the Queca
pines b y tlicmselves, an d those called Black pines in another
department, as these la tte r req u ire a lieat of a t least 20° more
to grow them well th an w hat ou g h t to be allowed to th e Queens.
Tho White Providence pine being a much la rg e r grower tb an
any other, it would be desirable to grow i t iii a th ird house,
or in a large p it constructed for tho purjiose. This does n ‘
SI. omi moil a iij otlier,
ranged in the p it, so as to allow th e others
” (Lin d ley 's Guide to the Kitchen Garden,
: !i;ß I
i í ú l
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