63 



JOUKNAIi OF HQBTICUIiTUBS MtD COTTAGE GAEDfiNER. 



[ January 28, 1869. 



is the Tangierine : the tree has small leaves, and seldom attains 

 a height of more than 7 feet, even in North Africa. Its most 

 ■valuable quality is its early ripening, so that in October, just 

 as the late Peachc-s and other soft fruits are over, this luscious 

 Httle fruit is ready for the dessert ; and when freshly gathered 

 no fruit can be more gratifying or delightful, as its aroma is so 

 delicious, and its juice so abundant, in this respect oiJering a 

 pleasing contrast to those imported from Lisbon in November 

 and December, the flesh of which is generally shrunk from the 

 rind instead of being ready to burst, as is the case with those 

 plucked from the tree. They should, in common with all 

 Iiome-grown Oranges, be placed on the table with some leaves 

 adhering to their stalks, thus showing that they had not made 

 a voyage. 



Among full-sized Oranges the Maltese Blood takes the first 

 rank ; when quite fresh from the tree it differs much from those 

 imported, although the voyage as now made by steamers is of 

 short duration. I was not so fully aware of this till early in 

 ■January, 18C0, when I was able to compare some fine imported 

 fruit with some gathered from my trees. I found the former, 

 although rich and juicy, yet flat in flavour compared with those 

 freshly gathered ; they lacked the crispne.«3 and aroma, which 

 sere most agreeable in the latter. The great advantage in 

 planting this sort is its tendency to bear fine fruit while the 

 trees are young ; they are indeed so prolific that trees of only 

 2 feet in height have here borne nice crops of fruit. 



Some varieties, quite equal to the foregoing in quality, but 

 vrithout the red flesh so peculiar to these " IJIood Oranges," 

 liave been imported from the Azores, the paradise of Orange 

 trees. One of the most desirable sorts is called simply the 

 St. Michael's Orange. This kind has a rind varying in thick- 

 ness, is very juicy, and bears abundantly, even while the trees 

 are young. In the Orange house those will ripen towards the 

 end of December ; and throughout January and February, in 

 common .with the Maltese Blood Oranges, are in great per- 

 fection. 



No one but an amateur of gardening can imagine the pure, 

 qaiet pleasure of taking a morning walk in the Orange house 

 curing the above-mentioned dreary months, and plucking from 

 the trees Oranges fully ripe. I have had much experience in 

 the culture, and, I may add, in the eating of fruit; but I can 

 say, with a firm conviction, that I have never enjoyed any kind 

 of fruit BO much as I have Oranges of my own plucking in 

 winter. 



In addition to the three leading varieties I have mentioned, 

 there are several kinds which will, doubtless, prove interesting 

 and valuable. It is not to be expected that so much variation 

 in flavour, as in the Pear, for instance, can be met with in 

 Oranges. I believe, however, that when our Orange palates 

 are educated, we shall find many delicate distinctions in the 

 flavour of Oranges. As far as 1 have gone I have found the 

 Mandarin Orange larger and more flat in shape than the Tan- 

 gierine, and not so good as that sort. The Embiguo, the Egg, 

 the Silver Orange, the Eotelha, the White Orange, and some 

 others, all varieties from the Azores, are of various degrees of 

 e"scellence, and are all worthy of a place in an English Orange 

 garden. 



The following descriptive list of the dessert Oranges may be 

 Bseful to the amateur : — Botelha and Duloissima, both thin- 

 linded and very rich. Egg, very large, rind thick, remarkably 

 juicy ,-but not rich ; a great bearer. Embiguo, or Navel Orange, 

 very large, with a curious depressed calyx, remarkably rich 

 acd juicy. Exquisite, a thin-rinded, rich, and juicy fruit. 

 Maltese Blood, large, oval, with a dark red pulp, exceedingly 

 rich ; good and distinct ; fruit from the same tree vary in colour 

 from deep red to the usual pale yellow colour, with faint streaks 

 of red. St. Michael's, several varieties under this name vary in 

 size and thickDess of rind ; they are all good. Silver Orange, 

 colour of rind pale yellow, flesh pale, rind very thin, flavour 

 piquant and delicious. Sustain, large, and remarkable for its 

 rich sweet juice. St. Michael's Tangierine, a very distinct 

 variety, differs from the common sort in beiog deeper in colour, 

 smaller, and more rich in flavour ; a charming little Orange. 

 Tangierine, often incorrectly called the Mandarin, now a well- 

 feown sort, varying in shape from fruit much compressed with 

 rind rough and thick, to oval with a smooth rind. Variegated 

 Orange, this has a broad margin of white round its leaves, and 

 forms a very ornamental tree ; its fruit are oval, of medium 

 s'ze, with a pale yellow lind stiiped with green, very juicy, and 

 remarkably brisk and piquant in flavour. White Orange,' large, 

 rind pale yellow, flesh very pale, flavour rich and good. 



There are many various forms of the genus Citrus, which, it 



a large Orange garden, may be cultivated, and prove of interest 

 to the cultivator, but I have thought it proper to confine my- 

 self, in conformity with the heading of this paper, to the kinds 

 of Oranges proper for our desserts. It may, however, be not 

 thought out of place if I mention that the Lemon, more par- 

 ticularly the Imperial Lemon, is well worthy of a place in the 

 Orange garden, as are also the Bijou Lemon, small, thin-rinded, 

 and remarkably juicy, and the Small Lime, which is a con- 

 centration of acidity. 



The insects which infest Orange trees are two varieties of 

 scale, and also the green aphis. The former are easily destroyed 

 by methylated spirits of wine, applied with a painter's brush, 

 and the latter by quassia water, 4 ozs. of quassia chips boiled 

 ten minutes in a gallon of water. This is also an excellent pre- 

 ventive to scale, if the trees are syringed with it once a-week ; 

 it should be allowed to settle, and be perfectly clear. If the 

 leaves become black or dirty, they should be sponged with 

 warm water. 



With regard to pruning fruit-bearing Orange trees, very little 

 is required. The shoots that are vigorous, and diverge from 

 the round heads of the trees, should be shortened in summer 

 by pinching them to half their length ; and in winter, if the 

 heads of the trees are too much crowded with small shoots, 

 they should be thinned with a sharp knife. 



Oranges as cultivated in the Orange houses in France and 

 England are, as is well known, generally dry and uneatable; 

 this is owing to the trees, from having no artificial heat, blos- 

 soming in May and June. They often set their fruit freely, 

 which swells towards the autumn, and ripens the following 

 season late in autumn or winter. To this long-continuance on 

 the trees is owing that dry mass of pulp so often found under 

 a beautiful plump rind. 



In these few remarks, I hope to be excused any lack of full 

 and proper directions to carry cut my conceptions. It is at 

 all times difficult to tell people how to cultivate even a Cabbage ; 

 for unless full directions are given as to which end should go 

 into the ground, it is just possible that a tyro in gardening 

 would plant it head downwards. Soil is in the higher branches 

 of horticulture : it is only an outline that can be given in print, 

 the picture must be filled in by observation and study. Ten 

 minutes' showing will do more than ten hours' reading; still 

 without the preparation of reading, the mind will not take 

 in what is shown. — T. Ei^-eks. 



GBAFTING EPIPHYLLUMS. 



The usual way of grafing this plant on Percskia aculeata in 

 this country, where immense numbers are grown for sale, is by 

 cutting a slit either on the side or at the extremity of the stock, 

 just under a leaf, inserting one of the joints of the Epiphyllum, 

 from which the epidermis ha« previouslj' been shaven off, and 

 tying with coarse wool. An experienced and handy workman 

 p'crforms the operation expeditiously, and with but a small per- 

 centage of failures, but then he must have a very largo number 

 of plants to choose his grafts from, and plenty of stocks of the 

 required diameter, as any under that of a common lead pencil 

 are quite useless for this kind of grafting. 



For the amateur' or gardener requiringliut a few grafts, and 

 without experience in the above-described method, the following 

 is much to be preferred. It is so easy that any one may suc- 

 ceed, and has, moreover, the advantage of not absolutely re- 

 quiring stocks of so great a diameter. 



Having obtained stocks of no matter what age and diameter, 

 so long as they possess, at the height at which it is wished to 

 place the graft, suflicient fibrous texture to allow of their being 

 cut in the shape of elongated wedges, the operator chooses a 

 branch of five, six, or any number of joints, having at its base 

 a joint which is rather thick and fleshy, as the joints usually 

 are in such cases. This branch is to be cut across horizontally 

 near its lower joint ; the blade of a penknife is then to be plunged 

 vertically into the centre of the cut to about the depth of an 

 iuch, thus preparing a hole for the wedge-shaped end of the 

 stock, which must be inserted as far' as the wedge extends. The 

 only dehcato part of the operation is to avoid splitting the 

 branch when putting in the penknife, and afterwards in inserting 

 the wedge ; this is easily done with a httle care. The stock is 

 then to be tied to a stake a little longer than itself, and the 

 branch tied to the upper end of the stake to prevent its droop- 

 ing. This graft requires no ligatures, the elasticity of the 

 tissues of the branch suffices to keep the cuts in juxtaposition. 



la a shaded greenhouse, if grafting is done in May, or in a 



