THE GUAVA, LO-QUAT, QRANADILLA, ETC. 597 



house placed in the direction of north and south ; and if the situation 

 is warm and sheltered, the roof and sides of such a house may be en- 

 tirely removed in the summer season, and the ground turfed over, so 

 as to give the trees the appearance of standing on a lawn. Only tall 

 standard trees are well adapted for this purpose. The winter tem- 

 perature for the orange is 48 with fire heat; but as the season ad- 

 vances it may be 15 or 20 higher ; and in summer it may vary be- 

 tween 60 and 80. The roots should never be kept in a temperature 

 so low as 40 ; at 45 a gentle circulation will be maintained, sufficient to 

 prevent the roots from perishing. As all the Citrus tribe grow naturally 

 in woods, and many of them in islands near the sea, a situation some- 

 what shaded is preferable to one fully exposed to the sun ; but a high 

 temperature during summer is essential to the perfect ripening and 

 luscious flavouring of the fruit. Orange-trees will bear exposure to 

 the sun if previously in good health ; but in all cases it would be ad- 

 visable to place a thin canvas screen between them and the rays of the 

 sun when the plants are first set out in summer, and especially when 

 they are trained against a wall. With regard to such plants as are 

 required to flower or fruit freely, exposure to direct solar light will be 

 necessary. In the management of orange-trees in large boxes and tubs, 

 great care is requisite to ascertain that the water reaches the roots of 

 the plants. By using comparatively rough turfy soil, more or less mixed 

 with fragments of stone, balls so compact as not to admit water poured 

 on their surface can hardly occur. When orange-trees in boxes are 

 placed in the open air in the summer season, the situation ought always 

 to be thoroughly sheltered and partially shaded, especially when the 

 trees are first exposed, otherwise the leaves will soon lose their deep 

 green. Good fruit cannot, however, be gathered off trees sheltered 

 under opaque roofs in winter, and removed out of doors in summer. 

 Where fruit is the primary object, the treatment of the orange should 

 be similar to that of the grape- vine. 



The Guava, Lo-quat, Granadilla, and other Fruits little known in 

 British Gardens. 



The Guava (Psidium, L.) : There are several species, but that which 

 has been found to succeed best in British stoves is Cattley's Guava 

 (P. Cattleyanum, Lindl.), an evergreen shrub or low tree, a native of 

 China, which produces abundance of fruit, about the size of goose- 

 berries, of a purple colour, juicy, and flavoured somewhat like the straw- 

 berry. It fruits very well in a large pot in loamy soil, in a light airy 

 situation, and the fruit ripens in autumn or in the winter season. It 

 does well on the back wall of a conservatory or other cool house, is 

 prized by some for dessert, and makes one of the best of jellies. 



The Lo-quat or Japan Quince (Eriobotrya japonica, Lindl.) is an 

 evergreen tree from Japan, of which there are some varieties that will 

 stand the open air against a wall ; but to ripen fruit they require the 

 heat of the peach-house in summer, and of the greenhouse in winter. 



