CHAPTER X 

 FRUIT CULTURE 



BOTANISTS define a fruit as consisting of the ovary and whatever 

 other parts of the flower persist at the time the seed is ripe. A 

 number of plants, however, such, for example as the Tomato, 

 Cucumber, Vegetable Marrow, Peas, and Beans, are classed by 

 horticulturists as vegetables, although the edible portion com- 

 plies with this definition. Horticulturally, only those fruits 

 which are juicy and contain considerable quantities of sugars and 

 organic acids (malic, citric, and tartaric) are regarded as coming 

 under this category. The common hardy fruits of the British 

 Isles include Apples, Pears, Plums, Damsons, Cherries, Medlars, 

 Gooseberries, Currants, Raspberries, Strawberries, Blackberries, 

 Loganberries ; and it is noteworthy that, excepting Medlars, Goose- 

 berries, and Currants, all these fruits are members of the great 

 natural order, Rosaceae, characterised by the regular perigynous 

 flower, the gamosepalous five-sepalled calyx, the polypetalous 

 five-petalled corolla, the many stamened androecium, and the 

 apocarpous gynoecium. Among the less hardy fruits which 

 nevertheless in some parts of the country may be satisfactorily 

 grown out of doors in sheltered positions, are the Fig, Grape, 

 Nectarine, Peach, and Apricot. 



Of the fruits above mentioned the following only are generally 

 suitable for cultivation in a school garden : 



The Apple (Pyrus Malus), the Pear (Pyrus communis), the 

 Plum (Prunus domestica), the Cherry (Prunus Cerasus), the Goose- 

 berry (Ribes Grossularia) the Currant (Ribes rubrum and Ribes 

 nigrum), and the Strawberry (Fragaria vesca). It is suggested, 

 however, that in school gardens, where there are facilities for the 

 training of Blackberries along wire fences, some experimental 

 work might be carried on in the direction of the domestication 



and improvement of this fruit. It would appear that there is 



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