1022 



Gardening for Amateurs 



Growing Fruits Under Glass 



BANANA. The Banana needs no 

 introduction to English readers, im- 

 ported as it is into the British Isles 

 in such enormous quantities all the year 

 round from the West Indies and other 

 countries. In those warm countries to 

 which the plant is indigenous or where it 

 is cultivated largely the Banana is a staple 

 article of food, and in this country its value 

 in the same way is increasingly appreciated. 



The Bananas are 

 vigorous and stately 

 plants. Some of 

 them, as, for exam- 

 ple, Musa sapientum, 

 grow 20 to 30 feet 

 high. Such as these, 

 however, occupy so 

 much space that they 

 are quite unsuitable 

 for small greenhouses. 



There is one Ban- 

 ana, however, named 

 Musa Cavendishii, 

 which is of moderate 

 size, and for which 

 accommodation may 

 be found in any glass- 

 house which is from 

 10 to 12 feet high, 

 and the same in 

 width. This fruit is 

 an exotic, and it is 

 useless to attempt its 

 cultivation unless 

 artificial warmth is 

 at command, say, not 

 less than 50 to 55 

 degrees Fah. in win- 

 ter. In summer it 



enjoys abundance of heat and moisture, both 

 in the atmosphere and at its roots. The 

 foliage of Musa Cavendishii is bold and 

 handsome, and the plant bears large clus- 

 ters of fruit. 



Imported Bananas are naturally gathered 

 before they are ripe, thus their flavour 

 deteriorates, and is not to be compared with 



A fine bunch of Banana in an English 

 greenhouse. 



that of the fruit grown and ripened in heated 

 greenhouses at home. The plant only bears 

 fruit once, the stem which produced the fruit 

 subsequently dies, but young suckers or 

 stems arise from its base. As soon as they 

 are about 2 feet high the suckers are taken 

 off with a few roots attached, and planted 

 singly in a large pot, or tub, or in a border, 

 under glass. The pot or tub should be at 

 least 2 feet wide and the same in depth. 

 The border ought to 

 be 4 feet wide and 

 3 feet deep, and effi- 

 ciently drained by a 

 layer of broken bricks 

 in the bottom. The 

 best compost for the 

 Banana is turfy loam 

 or chopped turf, to 

 each bushel of which 

 is added a quart of 

 bone-meal. 



In summer the 

 Banana needs a 

 generous supply of 

 water, and when the 

 fruit is swelling it is 

 benefited by weekly 

 applications of liquid 

 manure. In winter far 

 less water is needed, 

 though the soil must 

 not be allowed to 

 get really dry. 



Fig. Green Figs 

 are much sought 

 after and greatly 

 appreciated in this 

 country, but our 

 climate unfortunately 



precludes their being grown out of doors 

 in most counties. 



The Fig is not at all particular as to soil 

 or subsoil, but thrives best on a chalk sub- 

 soil. The mistake of planting in rich soil 

 must be guarded against, or the tree will pro- 

 duce an abundance of soft shoots and little 

 or no fruit. If a new border has to be made 





