Culture of the Tomato, or Love- Apple. 277 



shine to elaborate such an amount of water into proper rich 

 sap, we must endeavour to control the element that we have 

 power over, and curtail in the first instance the water, so that it 

 may bear a right proportion to our limited supply of sunshine. 



Earth being also under our control, the roots must not be 

 allowed to run wild all over it, and be fed with any scraps or 

 slops that may come in their way, but be confined to a definite 

 space, and kept in every respect under control as to quality of soil, 

 drainage, and roofing; for, among other advantages that some 

 vine borders possess (those of Sir Simon H. Clarke, for example), 

 the roof of reed covers over the leaves and dung is, perhaps, 

 not the least essential, especially to the early ones. But to 

 return to the wall trees: in order to make these tractable, I 

 am convinced that a space of fruit border 12 ft. by 6 ft., and 

 18 in. deep, is more than sufficient for a full-grown peach treej 

 which small space may be readily roofed as above described : 

 and when the fruit border is placed on brick arches and con- 

 fined by walls of the same, beveled to form a bed for the earth 

 of the form of the frustum of a pyramid inverted, the seasons 

 will have extremely little to do with the crop, as all the elements 

 will be under control as much as in a stove, and it will be the 

 fault of the conductors, and not of the climate of any county in 

 England, and even a great part of Scotland, if wall fruit be 

 scarce any longer. 



Alton Towers, Easter Monday, 1842. 



Art. XII. On the Culture of the Tomato, or Love-Apple (Lyco- 

 persicum escule?itum), so as to insure a Crop in cold Situations and 

 dtdl 'wet Seasons. By C. B. 



Of this plant, which is a native of South America, and was 

 introduced into this country in the year 1596, there are three 

 or four varieties, namely, the erythrocarpum, or red-fruited ; 

 the chrysocarpum, or yellow-fruited ; and the leucocarpum, or 

 white-fruited ; with a globe variety, &c. Of these, the red- 

 fruited is held in the highest estimation, on account of its su- 

 perior size and beauty. It is cultivated extensively about Naples 

 and Rome, for the use of its fruit in sauces, stewing, and soups, 

 and is one of the most common articles used in Italian cookery; 

 it is likewise very much used in France, as well as in our own 

 country, making an excellent sauce for fish, meat, &c. It is 

 cultivated to a considerable extent near London, there being 

 scarcely a gentleman's garden, either large or small, in which 

 the love-apple may not be found growing and bearing fruit in 

 abundance ; although very often the fruit will not come to ma- 

 turity in cold situations and bad seasons, owing, in a great mea- 



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