310 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



duced into Europe from southern China about 

 1827. It is now extensively cultivated in all 

 tropical and sub-tropical countries. It furnishes 

 a large proportion of the Banana fruits sold in 

 this country, and which are imported from the 

 Canary Islands. "Bananas are largely grown 

 in the islands of Grand Canary and Teneriffe. 

 They flourish only on land that is irrigated and 





ft * M> 



1M 



Fig. 1092.— Chinese Banana. Bunch grown at Sherwood Park, 

 Tollbridge Wells. 



in warm localities near the sea-coast. The sort 

 almost exclusively cultivated is the Chinese 

 Banana. This is a shorter and stouter plant 

 than the tropical Banana, but produces very 

 large bunches of fruit. There are often 150 

 to 250 ' fingers ' to a bunch. The suckers are 

 planted at 8 to 10 feet apart. The first crop 

 is obtained in eighteen months after planting. 

 After the fruit is gathered, the stem is cut down 

 and a sucker is allowed to grow up in its place. 

 . . . The exports in 1893 from Grand Canary 

 alone were 217,095 bunches." (Dr. Morris.) 



The Chinese Banana is cultivated in a few 

 gardens in England for its fruits, and when 

 well managed produces bunches weighing nearly 



a hundredweight. Such a bunch is shown in 

 fig. 1092. This was grown at Sherwood Park, 

 Tunbridge Wells. It contained 275 " fingers ", 

 and its weight was 105 lbs. The stem which 

 produced it was 7 feet high. The plant was 

 grown in a border 4 feet wide and 2 feet deep, 

 with a flow and return pipe for bottom-heat. 

 The soil was old pasture loam, and the plant 

 was fed with liquid manure and with several 

 top-dressings of Thomson's Vine Manure. The 

 temperature of the house in winter was from 

 65° to 70°, and in summer from 70° to 85°. 

 Plenty of water was supplied. 



A house for Banana culture should be span- 

 roofed, 20 feet high and 18 feet wide. It should 

 have three paths formed of iron-gratings, below 

 which should be the hot-water pipes in cham- 

 bers, the walls of which should form the sides 

 of the beds. These should be at least 3 feet 

 deep, and contain a foot of drainage and 2 feet 

 of soil. The tall growers (M. sapientum vars.) 

 should be planted along the sides of the central 

 path, and the short ones on the outside. Plants 

 in pots might be grown on the border against 

 the side of the house. The hot-water pipes 

 should be sufficient to maintain a stove tem- 

 perature in all weathers. Too much ventilation 

 is bad, and shade will rarely, if ever, be needed. 

 The soil in the borders will require to be re- 

 newed about every three years. 



CHAPTER XX. 



ORANGE, LEMON, &c. 



Origin — Treatment — Propagation —Insects— List 

 of Varieties. 



It is not generally known that excellent 

 fruits of both the Orange and the Lemon may 

 be grown in this country at no greater cost 

 than it takes to produce good Peaches and 

 Grapes. Mr. Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, has 

 cultivated a collection of varieties for many 

 years, and the large richly-coloured fruits he 

 sometimes sends to exhibitions are a proof of 

 what may be accomplished under glass in this 

 country, whilst those who have tasted properly, 

 grown English Oranges can testify to their 

 excellence as dessert fruits. 



The genus Citrus comprises five tropical 

 Asiatic species, and two Australian. Of these 

 only three are of horticultural value, namely, 

 C. medica (the Citron, Lemon, and Lime), C. 

 decumana (the Shaddock or Pomalo and Grape 



