308 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



kept rather dry at the root, and its slow growth is Von- 

 sidered objectionable by some cultivators. 



Lady Beatrix Lambton. — Leaves tall and robust, straight 

 and erect, dark-green, covered with whitish mealiness; 

 spines strong, widely set, about four to the inch. Flowers 

 purple. Fruit pyramidal or conical, with a moderate-sized 

 crown ; deep-orange colour in the prominent parts, rich- 

 yellow in the furrows; flesh pale-yellow, remarkable for 

 the abundance of its juice ; flavour rich and excellent, 

 even in mid-winter, and is superior to Cayenne and Char- 

 lotte Rothschild when ripened in May, though kept for a 

 considerable time in a temperature of 60°; average weight 

 9 lbs., though fruit weighing 11| lbs. have been grown. 

 One of the handsomest of the larger varieties of Pine- 

 apple, free-bearing, and more robust in growth and less 

 spreading in habit than Smooth-leaved Cayenne. 



Montserrat (Red Ripley). — Leaves longish, green tinged 

 with brown; spines dark, of medium size. Flowers purple. 

 Fruit cylindrical, often broadest at top, weight from 4 to 



7 lbs., very mealy, pale-orange tinged with copper-colour; 

 flesh pale-yellow, solid, juicy, and of excellent quality. A 

 good winter Pine-apple, and, like the Black Jamaica (with 

 which it is often confounded), swelling its fruit better 

 than most others at that season. 



Otaheite. — Leaves long, erect, terminating abruptly, 

 dark brownish-green, very mealy beneath; spines medium, 

 very regular. Flowers lilac. Fruit longish, inclined to 

 oval, deep orange -yellow, attaining 4 lbs. to 7 lbs. in 

 weight; flesh pale-yellow, very juicy and well-flavoured 

 A good winter sort. 



Prince Albert. — Leaves tall, erect, much fluted, dark- 

 green with gray streaks, mealy below; spines large, about 

 four to an inch. Flowers pale-blue or lilac. Fruit large 

 and handsome; yellow suffused with red; flesh yellow, 

 very juicy and melting, the flavour exquisitely rich ; 

 average weight about 6 lbs., but it can be grown up to 



8 lbs. Suitable for summer and autumn use, from July 

 to November. It does not keep well after becoming quite 

 ripe. 



Queen. — Leaves very short, broad, of a bluish -grei n, 

 very mealy ; spines strong, set widely apart. Flowers 

 lilac. Fruit cylindrical, of a rich deep-yellow; flesh pale- 

 yellow, juicy, sweet, rich, and excellent : weight from 

 4 to 8 lbs. One of the most generally cultivated, and the 

 best and most useful for general purposes. Its flavour, as 

 a summer and autumn Pine, is not excelled by that of 

 any other kind, and it keeps in good condition for three 

 weeks after being ripe. In winter it does not swell freely. 

 and at that season it is generally deficient in juiciness 

 and flavour. Ripley Queen is stouter in growth, and 

 produces rather larger fruit; while the Moscow Queen is 

 dwarf er, with smaller fruit. 



Ripley. — Leaves rather long, broad, dark-green tinged 

 with reddish-brown, mealy; spines middle-sized. Flowers 

 purple. Fruit ovate, slightly compressed at both ends, 

 of a pale copper-colour; flesh pale-yellow, sweet, rich, and 

 of an agreeable flavour; weight 4 lbs. or 5 lbs. 



Russian Globe. — Leaves rather short, broad, dull-green 

 tinged with dark-brown, mealy; spines long, thinly set. 

 Flowers lilac. Fruit globular, sometimes tapering to the 

 summit, dark -orange, very mealy; flesh bright-yellow, 

 very juicy, sweet, rich, and highly perfumed. 



Sierra Leone. — Leaves long, broad, bluish -green fre- 

 quently blotched with a darker colour; spines short. 

 Flowers purple. Fruit cylindrical, very mealy, of a dull 

 ochre-colour; flesh very pale, yellow, tender, juicy, and 

 sweet; usual weight about 6 lbs. 



Smooth-leaved Cayenne. — Leaves long, spreading, broad, 



dark -green, brittle, smooth or with very few spines. 

 Flowers pale-blue. Fruit very large, cylindrical or some- 

 what barrel-shaped, dark orange -yellow; flesh pale-yellow, 

 rich, and excellent. A handsome fruit, averaging from 

 7 to 10 lbs. ; one of the best varieties for supplying ripe 

 fruit from October to May. It swells more freely and is 

 more juicy in winter than any other Pine. 



St. Vincent's. — Leaves long, broad, pale-green, mealy; 

 spines medium. Flowers purple. Fruit bluntly pyramidal, 

 slightly mealy, dull-yellow; flesh pale-yellow, juicy, rich, 

 sweet, and highly flavoured; weight from 3 to 5 lbs. 

 Suitable for winter fruiting. 



Thoresby Queen. — Leaves very broad, taller than those 

 of the Queen, upright and compact in growth, purplish- 

 green, with a very light-coloured mealy surface; spines 

 very fine and thickly set. Flowers purplish-lilac. Fruit 

 large, roundish- ovate, shorter and stouter than that of 

 Charlotte Rothschild, which it otherwise resembles; flesh 

 firm, moderately juicy, deep orange-yellow, flavour good, 

 not very highly perfumed, but equal to that of Moscow 

 Queen. Is much cultivated in the Midland Counties, and 

 j>roduces fruit of from 6 to 8 lbs. weight. The plant is 

 very distinct, being dwarf, close-set, and stout in habit, 

 with broad mealy leaves and a very small crown. It pro- 

 duces suckers freely, and is easily started into fruit. 



Trinidad. — Leaves very long, reflexed, broad at the 

 base, and tapering regularly to the apex, dull-green much 

 tinged with reddish - brown, mealy ; spines numerous, 

 middle-sized. Flowers lilac. Fruit of a tall, conical 

 form, dark-orange; flesh pale-yellow, sweet, and tolerably 

 well flavoured. Perhaps the largest known fruit pro- 

 duced in Trinidad, weighing 26 lbs. Though large and 

 showy it is inferior in quality. 



White Providence. — Leaves long, broad, light bluish- 

 green; spines small, numerous. Flowers purple. Fruit 

 oblong or oval, very mealy, reddish-yellow; flesh white, 

 sweet, and juicy, but not highly flavoured. The fruit 

 attains a very large size, frequently weighing 10 lbs. or 

 12 lbs., and one grown by Mr. Mills weighed upwards of 

 15 lbs. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



BANANA. 



Origin — Importance in the Tropics — Cultivated at 

 Kew — Treatment. 



The Bananas of commerce are the fruits of 

 Musa sapientum, of which there are many 

 \arieties, and M. Cavendishii, the Chinese 

 Banana. There are about forty described 

 species of Musa, but only few of these have 

 edible fruits, and these seem to have migrated 

 with man into all the climates in which they 

 can be grown, and are universally cultivated in 

 tropical countries for purposes of shade and 

 food. 



"The Plantain or Banana, with which as a 

 tree no one can be unacquainted, is the prin- 

 cipal fruit consumed by the inhabitants of the 

 torrid zone; and from its nutritious qualities 

 and general use may, whether used in a raw or 



