GREEN-HOUSE PLANTS. 



367 



moved from the roots, which, are sure to be found in 

 a bad condition. These are then carefully pruned, 

 and fresh soil placed around them. Notwithstand- 

 ing the paucity of kinds to be found in English 

 gardens, great attention is paid to them in St. 

 Michael's, -where upwards of a hundred different 

 tinds of Oranges are to be found." 



The Orange as an ornamental tree in our green- 

 iouses has been of late years much neglected, but it 

 is curious to note that, although Orange-blossom has 

 lost none of its charms or attractions for the fair 

 sex of these realms, the 

 plant has lost favour with 

 cultivators, and conse- 

 quently we have to import 

 it in most instances for 

 bridal festivities, which is 

 •certainly a disgrace to Eng- 

 lish horticulturists. 



In the olden times of 

 ^English gardening, an 

 Orangery was considered 

 indispensable; and, although 

 the structures then used 

 were quite the reverse of 

 those used in the present 

 times, plenty of fine trees 

 existed in England. The 

 finest collection of Orange- 

 trees we have seen is that 

 in the Gardens of the Royal 

 Palace of Sans Souci, near 

 Potsdam in Prussia, where 

 they are accommodated ia a 

 noble house, about a thou- 

 sand feet in length, forty- 

 five feet broad, and about 

 twenty - five feet high. 

 These are cultivated in tuba, 



and during the summer months are all brought out 

 upon the terraces in front of the Palace, where they 

 produce a wonderful effect, and the air is quite laden 

 with the exquisite perfume of their blossoms. Some 

 very fine trees at Holland House, Kensingtrn, have 

 ior many years been treated in the same manner 

 with the best results. 



As before remarked. Orange-trees will thrive in 

 even poor soU, but they prefer generous treatment, 

 and the compost best suited for their healthy develop- 

 ment is a mixture of rich loam, leaf-mould, peat, 

 and manure, in equal parts. The manure should be 

 old, and obtained from cows, sheep, and fowls. This, 

 being in a nice friable condition, should be well 

 mixed, adding some sharp sand. It should be used 

 in a tolerably rough state, as these trees thrive best 

 in open porous soil ; thorough drainage is indispens- 



ClTBDS MbDICA, 



able. The whole of the Citrus family enjoy a liberal 

 supply of water when growing, and when given it 

 must be in such quantities as to penetrate the soil 

 thoroughly, yet before another watering the soil 

 should show signs of becoming dry. They enjoy 

 occasionally applications of liquid manure, or mulch- 

 ings of old cow-manure when in full growth will be 

 found very beneficial. 



Although Oranges like an abundance of light, full 

 exposure to the sun under glass is apt to bum the 

 young leaves or turn them yellow, which is very 

 detrimental to their appear- 

 ance, therefore some little 

 shading will be found ad- 

 vantageous during the hot- 

 test part of the day. 



The fruits of the several 

 varieties are largely im- 

 ported for the dessert-table 

 and various economic pui-- 

 poses, and of late years a 

 considerable quantity of the 

 young stems have been 

 brought to this country for 

 walking-sticks. 



C. Aiwantmm (the Sweet 

 Orange). — ^A bold-growing, 

 handsome tree ; leaves 

 winged, broadly oblong, and 

 shining green. Under cul- 

 tivation it produces im- 

 mense crops of golden fruit, 

 which are too well known 

 to need description. The 

 flowers are white and 

 deliciously fragrant, largely 

 used for decorations in 

 bridal festivities. Like all 

 plants that have been 

 long under cultivation, the Sweet Orange has pro- 

 duced many varieties, one of which is known as 

 the Malta, or Blood Orange, the fruits of which are 

 rather small, and the pulp is deep red or blood-colour 

 throughout. The Mandarin is another variety, 

 which fruits in quite a small state. Leaves ovate and 

 bright green. The fruits are small, deep orange- 

 colour, the rind is thin, and the pulp is very sweet. 

 It is called the Noble or Mandarin Orange in China, 

 and is largely grown in the Azores. The Sweet- 

 skinned Orange is another very distinct variety. It 

 has a small rich yellow fruit, the rind being soft and 

 very sweet. In the French shops this is sold under the 

 name of Pomme d'Adam, and called the " Forbidden 

 Fruit," but it is quite different to the fruit sold 

 in London under that name. The fruits of the 

 Sweet Orange are largely imported from Lisbon, 



