340 



JOURNAL OF HORTieULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



I May 7, 1868. 



Mr. BatemoD said he would now tnm to the Loqnat, the Mespilas 

 or, more properly, Eriobotxya japonica, the Ncflier da Japon of the 

 Trench, and of which there was in the room a large specimen brought 

 from the Society's conservatory. There was this difference between 

 the Floral and Fruit Committees, that while the former had to deal 

 with entirely new forms, the labours of the latter were much more 

 jnonotonous, being chiefly confined to new varieties of old forms, al- 

 ihough the present meeting was an exception. If we supposed a horti- 

 coltarist who died one hundred years apo to revisit us and accept an 

 invitation to a breakfast at some pleasant suburban villa, almost 

 everything would be new to him among the flowers in the conservatories 

 and parterres, and among the shrubs and trees in the grounds. He 

 would, therefore, probably expect equally delightful surprises among 

 the fruits of which he would presently have to pai-taie at his host's 

 "hospitable board, but in this he would be disappointed. There would 

 Jbe Peaches and Pine Apples, very fine of their kind ; Grapes, and Figs, 

 and Strawberries, and so forth, but of all these he would have partaken 

 i>efore. New fruits there would be absolutely none, unless his host 

 happened to grow the Purple Granadilla or the Banana in his stoves ; 

 jbnt these were quite exceptional cases. To be sure if he had visited 

 Sion ten years ago, he might have tasted the Mangosteen, and if here 

 to-day he might have indulged in Eugenia jambos, or the Rose Apple, 

 ^at these opportunities, like angel's visits, were few and far between. 

 Onr own Queen, in whose reign it fruited, only tasted the Mangosteen 

 once, whereas King Charles, to whom the first Pine Apples were pre- 

 4!ented, feasted upon them again and again. All this was very strange 

 :and disheartening. There were plenty of excellent tropical fruits, but 

 Bobody except Mr. Hollett has ever tasted them in this Lonntry. From 

 time to time a tropical fruit was produced in the garden of some 

 ■wealthy amateur, and after the fact had been duly proclaimed, it was 

 half a century before we heard of it again. Thus we have tad the 

 Longean and Litchi, the Mango, the Blimbing, &c.. and then the 

 Lofjuat, to which he would at present confine his remarks. 



The Loquat, a native of Japan, and first mentioned by Thnnberg, 

 in hia work, " Flora Japonica," published in 1784, is, according to 

 T4r. Fortune, to whom he (Mr. Bateman), was greatly indebted for 

 Bome valuable memoranda, *' a common fruit tree both in China 

 and Japan, and its fruit ia highly esteemed by the natives of both 

 countries. There is a single-seeded variety which is most valued. The 

 cultivation of this tree extends from south to north over 7'^ or 8'^ of j 

 JatJtude in China — that is, from Canton in the south, to Nanking in the 

 jiorth. The climate between these lines of latitude differs very con- 

 fiiderably, particularly in winter, the northern part being much colder 

 than the southern, but in all parts the summers are very warm ; 

 indeed, the thermometer in the shade frequently rises above 100° Fahr. 

 in the north at Shanghae, while I never knew it higher than 92° in 

 Kacac or Canton." The tree, continued Mr. Bateman, also succeeds 

 in the Botanic Garden of Saharnnpore, and has extended along the 

 islands along the coast of the Mediterranean. He had met with it in 

 every garden at Cannes, scenting the air in November and December 

 iast, with its agreeable aromatic flower ; and there, an exceptional frost 

 notwithstanding, it had set abundance of fruit, which were not ripe 

 ibtfore he was obliged to leave. Such is the estimation in which it 

 is held, that quantities are preserved at Grasse (some of which Mr. 

 Bateman exhibited). He could call on the noble President as a wit- 

 ness to its merits, he having partaken of an omelette au Ntfiier du 

 Japon {Japanese Medlars), and pronounced it excellent. 



Mr. Fortune, from the fact of the different climates in which the 

 Xioquat flourishes, was of opinion that it might be easily cultivated in 

 an artificial way in countries lilie our own, where the climate is not 

 fluitable to its requirements. " What, then," said Mr, Fortune, "are 

 ihose requirements ? I believe them to be rest in winter, and parti- 

 cularly a hot summer and autumn. This rest in winter may be given 

 i)y cold, or by dryness, or by both combined. In proof of this I may 

 mention that the tree succeeds admirably in the north-west provinces 

 of India. I met with it in the Government garden at Saharunpore in 

 ae fine condition as it is seen in China or Japan. Further, I believe 

 it succeeds perfectly in the south of Europe, in the north of Africa, 

 and in the islands of the Mediterranean. In all those countries it 

 has the two essentials — namely, a cool or dry winter, and a warm 

 enmmer and autumn. 



" In the latitude of London the Loqnat is all but perfectly hardy. 

 A tree growing against a south wall, and without any protection what- 

 ever, used to be in the garden of the Society at Chiswick twenty or 

 thirty years ago, and may still be there. It rarely produced any 

 JblosBoms, and never fruited. It wanted something more than our 

 northern climate could supply. What that something is 1 have ali*eady 

 indicated in describing the climate of its native country and of those 

 other countries in which it is found to be at home. Give it the tem- 

 perature and the rest it receives in any of those countries, and this 

 ixee will not only flower freely, but also produce an abundance of fruit 

 in due season." 



In a book which had been kindly lent him by the Linnean Society, 

 the " Jardin de Malmaison," edited by M. Ventenat, and published 

 at Paris on the 30th Germinal of the year xi. of the French Republic, 

 corresponding to our 30th of April, 1803, there was a figure of the 

 plant in flower ; but it had been figured before that by Thnnberg, and 

 indeed the plant itself was introduced into England by Sir Joseph 

 Banks in 1787. This work, however, came to us under circumstances 

 of peculiar interest, for there was an interesting letter from M. Ven- 



tenat written by desire of Madame Buonaparte, afterwards the Emprese 

 Josephine, to Sir James Smith, President of the Linnean Society, 

 begging his acceptance of a eopy of the work, and regretting that as 

 almost all the plants at Malmaison had come from England, there 

 was nothing that would be new to him. A hope was, however, ex- 

 pressed, that as orders had been sent out to all countries of the globe 

 to collect plants and seeds, he should be able to do better by-and-by. 

 (This hope was frustrated by the battles of Nile and Trafalgar, which 

 placed the empire of the seas entirely in thepower of England.) Allusion 

 was also made to a very choice herbarium formed by Madame Buona- 

 parte, and in which she took a lively interest, anil to which it was 

 hinted any addition would be most welcome. Sir James, with true 

 English gallantry, in reply offered to the illustrious lady his sincere ac- 

 knowledgments, and promised to send anything that could be spared, 

 either dried plants or seeds, that would he likely to interest her. 



To proceed with the subject of the Loquat. It did not appear to 

 have fruited at Malmaison. This, however, was reserved for the 

 county with which he (Mr. Bateman), was connected — Staffordshire, 

 for on February •2nd, 1S19, a letter from Lord Bagot was read before 

 the Horticultural Society, in which an interesting account was given 

 of the flowering and fruiting of the plant at Blithfield, and high testi- 

 mony to its merit. Sir William Coke, who was on a visit to Lord 

 Eagot, had been in the habit of eating large quantities of it in Ceylon, 

 but never tasted any so good as Lord Bagot's. The tree which fruited 

 was wintered out of doors and then taken in in October, and plunged 

 in the tan bed of a stove. 



Mr. Bateman believed that he was the next to fruit it about the 

 year 18*27 ; but it was turned out at once in a corner of a tan bed 

 bricked off. It flowered freely, but fruit did not set well ; only a 

 dozen were produced, but these were delicious, juicy as a Grape, with 

 the colour of the Apricot, and in flavour a combination of both. 

 Afterwards, the larger the tree grew the fewer were the fruit ; there 

 were only five in the second year, and none in the next, and becoming 

 tired of this the tree was grubbed up. Perhaps if tlie flowers had been 

 artificially fertilised more fruit might have set, but there were no 

 bees or insects to do it in our winters as at Cannes. Mr. Loudon also 

 mentioned one or two instances of fruit having been produced, but 

 between that time and this, a period of forty years. Rfr. Bateman said 

 he had only heard of it some three or four times. The fruit was occa- 

 sionally to be seen in Covent Garden Market, but it was very bad. At 

 Malta the sailors touching there made themselves ill by gorging them- 

 selves with the fruit, which they call Kill-Johns ; but these were not 

 fair examples, and we might assume that when properly ripened it 

 is an exceUent fruit. The only question is how to obtain it. 



The plant, Mr. Bateman added, is nearly hardy. There was a fine 

 plant of it against a wall in the garden at Chiswick, hut it was killed 

 by the severe winter of 1837-38. and it never flowered. No doubt at 

 one period the tree requires great heat, and that a rest either by 

 starving or roasting is also required. Mr. Fortune recommends " a 

 cool and dry winter, and a warm summer and autumn ;" but here we 

 are met by the difficulty that not only as hitherto artificially culti- 

 vated, but as acclimatised in Provence, the tree always flowers in the 

 winter and ripens fruit in the spring. Either, therefore, this consti- 

 tntional peculiarity must be changed and overcome, or means must be 

 found to make it set its fruit more freely. Its winter flowering, though 

 a difficulty, is also an advantage, as such flowers and fruit are desir«- 

 able. Mr. Bateman concluded by inviting suggestions on the subject. 



Mr. Saunders believed the Loquat to be a very wholesome fmit, 

 indeed, as much so as the Peaches, which would have evil results if 

 partaken of, as the sailors did, in excess. With regard to the Euca- 

 lyptus, if the leaves were broken they would be found very aromatic, 

 for they contain a powerful essential oil. The trees were fast-growing, 

 and the wood of nearly all the species was verj' strong, durable, and 

 heavy, sinking in water. Some of them grew upwards of 2(Xt feet in 

 height. Mr. Berkeley had drawn attention to a remarkable specimen 

 of Scilla campanulata, and he would just add that all spring flowe^re 

 had developed themselves this season in an unusual manner. 



CULTURE OF ALLOPLECTUS CAPITATUS. 

 This may well be recommended to any one desiring to grow 

 a very beautiful stove plant. Under good treatment it rissB 

 from 3 to 4 feet high, attains from 2 to :i feet in diameter, and 

 is remarkable for the singular beauty of its flowers as well aB 

 for its handsome foliage. The flowers are small and tubular, 

 of a pale yellow colour, each inserted in a large brilliant crim- 

 son calyx, and the whole borne in large heads. The leaves are 

 of great size, of a fine deep green ; the midribs and stalks, like 

 the calyx, are of a bright crimson. It is a native of Columbia, 

 and was introduced by M. Linden, of Brussels. 



Its culture is similar to that of the Gesneras. It requires 

 a light but rather rich soil. I have found it flourish well in 

 chopped turfy loam, fibrous peat, decayed vegetable mould, and 

 a little silver sand. J ree drainage is essential ; and when the 

 plants are potted in early spring they should have a gentle 



I watering, and be placed in a moist heat. They grow rapidly, 

 and may be encouraged with plenty of heat and a free use oi 



J the syringe. 



