Improvement of Edible Fruits, 275 



bable had the small but useful wild lime for its progenitor. 

 The monstrous shaddock, citrons of all shapes and sizes,' 

 oranges and lemons, are all varieties, obtained in the course of 

 long cultivation. The plant is kept in this country more for its 

 evergreen and ever-fruitful beauty and fragrance, than for use ; 

 and although there are orangeries in some noblemen's and gen- 

 tlemen's gardens, where they are cultivated to the greatest 

 perfection, still they are only considered as curiosities ; as the 

 immense importations of the fruit from the continent render 

 the cultivation here totally useless. 



The same may be said of the pomegranate and olive ; they 

 may be both cultivated in this country, but their cost would be 

 more than their worth. 



Of the Fig.- — This fruit has been long in our gardens ; a 

 very ancient one is still alive in the garden of one of the col- 

 leges at Oxford. In its native country it produces two crops 

 in the year, and this property makes its management rather 

 difficult in a country where it can but with difficulty be made 

 to produce one ; and especially when trained in the common 

 way to a wall, where the crop is often sacrificed to the useless 

 symmetry of the tree. But improvements have been success- 

 fully made to obviate such mismanagement both in pruning 

 and training. It is impatient of frost, and requires protection 

 during winter ; and is also impatient of the knife, and more, 

 perhaps, than any other tree, is disposed to form its own 

 natural head. When kept in a glass case, either planted in 

 the ground- or in pots, it well repays the trouble bestowed 

 upon it. 



Of the Quince. — ^This fruit remains very steadily in cha- 

 racter to what it has always been known to be ; the taste is too 

 austere to be used alone from the tree ; but with other fruits in 

 pastry, or in the shape of preserves or marmalade, it is useful. 

 There seems to be a very fair opening for the improvement of 

 this fruit by the proper means. It is an excellent stock for 

 over-luxuriant growing pears. 



Of the Medlar. — Two or three sorts of this tree are in cul- 

 tivation : they are placed in the lowest grade of fruits ; though, 

 when they are perfectly mature, they are much relished by 



