November 14, 1865. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



397 



THE DURION. 



URIO ZEBETHINUS, the 



Diirioii, is tlio tropical fruit 

 to which I now wisli to draw 

 attoutiou as one likely to l)e- 

 come, hereafter, very useful 

 for the dessert. This tree, 

 of which there arc many varieties, is a native of the warmest 

 pai'ts of southern Asia, where it fi^'ows very rapidly, and 

 attains the height of ;iOfeet. The leaves are about 4 inches 

 long, very smooth at the edges, and shaped somewhat like 

 those of an Apple. The flowers, large and fragrant, are pro- 

 duced hi small hunches, and are of a yellow colour. The 

 fruit, wliich is covered with a hard loiotty rind, is about the 

 size of a child's head, and is not unlike a Chestnut in appear- 

 ance ; when ripe it becomes of a dark yellow, and cracks 

 at the top. Inside, the fruit contains five or six large cells 

 filled with the pulp mixed with seeds. This pidp or cream 

 is of a pure wliite colour, %"eiy thick, and highh' nutritious ; 

 the taste is peculiar, but very agreeable, and altliongh of 

 the very richest nature never palls upon the appetite, or 

 injures the most delicate digestion. For an invalid the 

 fruit is invaluable, its only drawback being the disagree- 

 able odoui- when ripe. 



When growing the Durion for fi'iut, it should be planted 

 out in a border witliin the stove, and is best trained up tlie 

 roof like a Vine ; indeed, where the room can be spared, 

 an entii-e house should bo devoted to ito culture, as few 

 plants will thrive under the shade it causes. When in full 

 bearing such a house presents a stiiking appearance, the 

 large fi-uit hanging down in aU stages of growth from 

 amongst the leaves and flowers. 



Unlike the Mango and Mangosteen. tliis tree requires a 

 season of complete rest, and du'cetly the fruit is all off', 

 which will be by the end of November, the temperatm-e 

 should be at once reduced, lowering it to from 60° to ti.5° 

 by day, and from 5.5° to (10° by night. No water must be 

 given unless the border becomes very (by. Never mind a 

 few leaves faUing, the trees will be all right, and the better 

 for it in the next spring, as it is vaia to expect fruit on the 

 Durion unless the tree has previously had at least two 

 months' rest. 



Towards the midcUe of February the trees will start 

 again, and the temperature must then be raised to from 

 75° to 80° by day, and from ('>-y' to 70° by night, at the same 

 time keeping the house close and moist, and watering 

 the plants frequeutlj'. "WHien the flowers open the tempe- 

 rature may again rise to from H5° to 90° by day, and from 

 80" to So° by night, giving air freely in fine weather, and 

 occasionally sjTmging the trees overhead. 



Tlie flowers nill set freely, and little attention will be 

 needed until the fruit is half gi-own, or about the size of an 

 No. 342.— Vol. IX., New Seedss 



Apple. Tliis is a critical time with the Durion, as much 

 fi-uit will then fall oil', sometimes nearly the wiiole crop. 

 The only way to prevent this is b}' maintaining a liigli 

 temperaiurc, and, at tlie same time, adiuiUing plenty of 

 fresli air. care being taken that the air is well «'armed by 

 passing over the hot-water pipes or flue Iiefore it reaches 

 the trees, as the least chill stops the new growth, and 

 materially injures the fruit. 



As the fruit ripens the heat may range between n0° and 

 0.')° by day, or even higher, and 80° and 8.5° by night. It 

 is of the greatest importance that the trees at this time 

 should be frequently syringed — twice a-day will be by no 

 means too often; imless tliis is done the smell of the ripe 

 fruit will bo very strong and revolting. The crop wiU 

 continue ripening for some weeks, all stages of the fruit 

 being seen on the trees at the same time. Wien ripe the 

 fruit must be cut, or it will soon putrefy, and aflect the 

 rest : by not attenduig to this many iine fruit may be lost. 

 It should also be eaten fresh from the tree, as it very 

 rapidly deteriorates, and wiU not keep more than twenty- 

 foiu- hours. If it is wished to send some of the fruit to a 

 distance it should be cut before it is quite ripe, and it will 

 then keep two or three days. 



On account of the great size and weight of the fruit it is 

 advisable to give it some support just before it ripens : this 

 may easily be managed by tying it up to the tree with two 

 pieces of matting, about an inch wide, placed crosswise 

 under the fruit, and tied over the branch. 



The border in wiiich the Diuion is planted should be 

 the entu-e length of the house, about :i feet wide, 18 inches 

 deep, and well drained. As this fruit delights in rich food, 

 the soil should consist of one half good leaf mould, one 

 quarter sandy loam, and one quarter rotten maniu'e taken 

 from a spent hotbed. These ingredients, thoroughly mixed 

 together, should be sifted through a sieve, adding now and 

 then a little charcoal, broken into pieces the size of a hazel 

 nut, and a few whole bones. In planting be careful to 

 spread out the roots, pressing the soil firmly around the 

 trees. When once fauiy established the trees will require 

 very little attention beyond renewing the top soil occa- 

 sionall}', and keeping the roots well watered. For a house 

 20 feet long two trees will be qiute sufficient. 



The Durion, though by no means so handsome a tree as 

 the Mangosteen, is, niien loaded with fruit, a very beauti- 

 ful object; the flowers, too, are very fragrant, emitting a 

 peculiarly grateful scent. The fruit is particidaiiy valu- 

 able for invalids, nnituig, as it does, in itself the flavour of 

 a dehcious fruit with that of a delicate animal food ; it is 

 also very useful for the dessert ; and as it bears freely with 

 proper treatment, and gi'ows rapidly after the first year or 

 two, it is, I think, well worthy of cultivation. 



One thing wliich baftles mfe is the pruning, and I have 

 little doubt that from not doing tliis properly I liave lost a 

 good deal of fruit. The Durion is a, puzzling tree, some- 

 tunes healing from the young wood, and sometimes from 

 the older branches. One tree will also occasionally bear 

 entu-ely from new wood, while its neighbour bears from 

 the old, or. more frequently, from both. The mode I have 

 liitherto adopted is to train a stem up each rafter (the 

 No. 894.— Vol. xnuv., Old SaniES. 



