FORTUNE — OBSERVATIONS ON THE KUMQUAT. 



49 



of treatment we attribute the loss of so many valuable orchids 

 which we are now reintroducing at great expense. A more cor- 

 rect knowledge of their natural habitats is now enabling us to 

 adorn so well the tables of this room at these Tuesday meetings. 

 I may mention, as an illustration of the subject, a circumstance 

 relating to the cultivation of the Tree Peony in China. This beau- 

 tiful plant is a native of the more northerly parts of the Chinese 

 Empire, where the winters are extremely cold. Large quantities 

 of it are brought south to Canton and the other southern towns 

 every autumn, where it blooms well the first year, but the first 

 year only. The winter is too warm for its constitution ; and if its 

 cultivation is further attempted in the new climate, it only dwin- 

 dles away and eventually dies. In practice, the Chinese simply 

 throw the plants to the rubbish-heap when the blooms fade, and 

 order from the north a fresh consignment every autumn. 



In no country in the world is the artificial cultivation of the 

 Vine more successful than it is in England. The reason of this 

 is, that its natural requirements are thoroughly understood and 

 supplied. When we can say the same regarding many of the 

 tropical and other fruits which we now see so seldom, although 

 the plants themselves have been long in our possession, those 

 fruits will soon be common enough. In addition to the Pine and 

 the Grape, we shall have the Mangosteen from Singapore, the 

 Bombay Mango, the Leechee, Longan, and Yangmae of China, 

 and a number of other fruits from various parts of the world, which 

 will add to the enjoyment and interest of the dining-table. Put, 

 first of all, we ought to be successful with the Kumquat and some 

 small oranges from the temperate parts of China, as they come 

 from a climate more nearly resembling our own than that of the 

 other plants to which I have just alluded. 



In concluding this paper, which, I fear, has already been too long, 

 I. will just add a few remarks on the cultivation of the Kumquat 

 in this country. Erom what I have stated of its native country 

 you will naturally come to the conclusion that it is a much hardier 

 plant than the Common Orange. In the country where the Kum- 

 quat is found in the highest perfection, the Common Orange will 

 net survive the winters. And, on the other hand, the Kumquat 

 when cultivated in the south of China does not succeed, although 

 the Common Orange is found there in the greatest perfection. 

 The cold winters of the north which kill the Orange are favour- 

 able to the constitution of the Kumquat: both plants require 



VOL. II. G 



