370 



THE TROPICAL FRUIT STOVE. 



Some of tlie fruits of the tropics have already fruited with us without 

 much difficulty, such as, for example, the mango, at Walcot Hall, by the 

 Earl of Powis ; the guava, by the late ^Ir. Cattley ; the jambrosade, by 

 Professor Thouin, in the Jardin des Plantes at Paris ; the banana, by 

 Mr. Richardson, at AValton-on-Thames, and in many other places, and 

 the granadilles, in almost every stove where their culture has been 

 attended to. 



In announcing to the Horticultural Society the success of the Earl of 

 Powis in fruiting the mango, Mr. Sabine observes, " It is with great 

 satisfaction that I have to address the society upon the subject of the 

 mangoes which have lately Ijeen communicated to us by the Earl of 

 Po\\is. Thus having succeeded in showing that this delicious fruit may 

 be produced under artificial management in Great Britain, and in sufficient 

 abundance to form a not unfrequent part of the dessert, is so important a 

 circumstance, that I feel called upon to acquaint the public as speedily as 

 possible with the result of this very signal triumph of skill and per- 

 severance over difficulties which have been hitherto considered insur- 

 mountable." — Hort. Trans, vol. \\. p. 550. The same success we hesitate 

 not to predict will follow the intelligent and scientific cultivator in the 

 case of most of the Tropical Fruits enumerated and treated of in the 

 following pages. 



STRUCTURES CALCULATED FOR THE CULTIVATION OF TROPICAL FRUITS. 



Light, heat, and moisture, are indispensable agents in the creation of a 

 proper atmosphere for the cultm'C of Tropical Fruit trees. These can be 

 commanded in abundance by the ordinary means in daily use. The 

 structm-e for this purpose would require to be of large dimensions, par- 

 ticularly in altitude, as some of the trees attain a considerable height, 

 such as the bananas, plantains, &c. There are others, however, which 

 can only be considered as mere shrubs, as the Indian fig, prickly pear, &c. 



A span-roofed house, therefore, is certainly the most eligible for this 

 purpose, as the centre will afford space for the taUest gro-^ing sorts, 

 wMe those of humbler statm*e can occupy the front or sides, where they 

 wiU enjoy a sufficiency of hght without shading their taller neighbours. 

 Such a house as that represented by our figm-e of a double span-roofed 

 conservatoiy (which see) is all that would be required for this purpose, 

 even upon the most extensive scale ; and in such a one the plants might 

 be planted out in the borders, but much better if grown in large boxes or 

 pots, and simk into a cavity under the surface level. By adopting the 



