September 3- l8o8> 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



573 



ECONOM 



PLANTS OF CENTRAL AFR 



New Dessert Apple, Langley Pippi 



( 



1 reDort on the British Central Africa Protectorate just issued Dy tne 

 THBan nffir e contains some interesting notes on the exotic economic trees and 

 l°T C ultTvat'ed in the Residency Ground, Zomba, by the Government Botanist 

 u T Mabon) who says : The collection of exotic plants grown at Zomba pos- 

 1 -1 economic value is not at present very extensive, but it is being steadily 

 *fi , xhe Coffee-disease Regulations in force prevent plants or seeds being 

 rted from several tropical centres where we could obtain many valuable 

 h' P °' and the long journey from England hinders us from obtaining plants in 

 WardL cases from the Kew establishment or any of the large nurseries, except 

 the consignment is taken in hand by some officer of the Protectorate, or the like, 

 who is making the voyage out and sees it safely through. The authorities at Kew, 

 having such unusual opportunities for distributing seed?, frequently forward 

 valuable material to us, and many of the items mentioned in the accompanying 

 list emanated from Kew, either as seeds or plants. The list as it stands forms an 



i 



Dessert apples are so highly appreciated by a large section of the 

 community towards the end of the summer that varieties ripening during 

 August and September are of special value, and any important addition 

 to the somewhat meagre list of early apples is assured a hearty welcome. 

 Therefore it is not surprising the fine variety presented to public notice 

 by Messrs. J. Yeitch and Sons at the second of the two August meetings 

 of the Royal Horticultural Society under the name of Langley Pippin 

 should have created much interest and obtained recognition from the Fruit 

 Committee. This variety, as recorded in the issue of the Gardeners' 

 Magazine of the 27th ult., originated from a cross between Cox's 

 Orange Pippin and Mr. Gladstone, and it is of interest to add to the 

 information given on page 554 that the former was the pollen and the 

 latter the seed-parent, and, further, that the influence of the pollen- 



interesting record of the cultural possibilities in the climate of the Shire High- parent is strikingly manifest. The fruit is of medium size, as indicated 



lands. There are but few countries where one can see such an essentially cool and by the accompanying illustration, roundish, inclining to conical, the skin 



northern type of vegetation as Lawson's cypress (which bears seeds in enormous pale yellow, brighter on the side next the sun, where there is a highly- 



quantities) growing alongside such an essentially tropical type as the gutta percha coIoured chee k composed of scarlet streaks and crimson mottlings ; the 

 nf Malava (Dichofisis putta). Although it is true the latter does not reach its . .. * . 



n oper defrree ot development, yet it is perfectly healthy, and it points to the fact ^ 15 open, with long segments set in a shallow and slightly plaited 



•hat in the lower and warmer region on the Shire River it would be a valuable depression ; the stalk short and fleshy and obliquely inserted in a slight 



cu)ture cavity. The flesh is whitish, tender, and with a pleasant crisp flavour 



Many of the items mentioned are only represented by one plant, and 

 many of them are not old enough to have reached the fruiting period. Some of 

 the introductions grow with surprising vigour. For instance, eucalyptus, the 

 seeds of which were sown about six years ago, are now over sixty feet high, and 

 would yield very capable timber if required. The well-known blue gum 

 [Eucalyptus globulus) is not, however, a success here, but it seldom is in these 

 latitudes below the 5,000 feet level. Still there remains numerous equally good, 

 and even better, members of this useful genus which we can cultivate with suc- 

 cess. Mauritius hemp (Furcrira gigantea) and sisal hemp {Agave rigida var. 



salatta) grow with great freedom, and while it would scarcely pay to cultivate 

 these valuable fibres at present for the European market, yet if any textile indus- 

 tries arise locally there can soon be plenty of raw material at hand to supply them. 

 Seeds of the celebrated China grass {Boehmeria nivea), a fibre very much in 

 demand now, have been ordered, and it is intended to demontrate that it is a 

 profitable culture that might be grown in Nyassaland with the object of exporta- 

 tion to the European markets. Arnatto (Bixa orellana) fruits with great profusion ; 

 the seeds are used in the arts as a dye and as colouring agent for butter ; the sup- 

 ply at present, however, from colonies like the West African, exceeds the demand. 



Fruits are of a very important culture in all tropical countries, and the indica- 

 lions point to the Shire Highlands being suitable for raising the fruits of many 

 diverse countries. The mango (Mangifera indica) grows with much luxuriance, 

 hut as all the existing plants at Zomba have been introduced recently they have 



■'t yet reached the fruiting stage. One tree. is expected to yield some fruit this 



ear. The same applies 10 oranges, avocado pear, andguavas, although at present 



ne tree of the latter is maturing fruits. (On the Buchanan Estate, close to the 

 residency, oranges bear with great profusion, and up till recently peaches were a 

 Kreat success there.) The granadilla (Passiflora quadrangularis) fruits freely, and 

 the fig (hrcus Carica) seems quite at home. The grape vine grows well, and is a 

 recent introduction ; we expect to see it fruiting next year. Bananas, it need 

 hardly tie remarked, bear with great abundance. Up to the present this is practi- 

 cally the only fruit the native grows. 



. ^^° tic T tim . ber trees are ver y promising. The red cedar ( Juniper us virginiana) 

 ana west India cedar ( Cedrela odorata) do extremely well, and are important in 

 tew ot the expected development of the tobacco industry, as they supply material 

 irorn wnich hrst-rate cigar boxes can be manufactnred. Kauri pine {Dammara 

 lI , » a t ' mber of great value and utility, promises to become a great success 

 M,K J° r se , edllD g s Planted a year ago have reached over three feet in height. 



XK ny f T ry We "' The g ° 0d ° fficeS ° f Kew have been "quested in 



Apple, Langley Pippin. 



1 US a J la 5. ge <l uantit y o f se eds in order that we can grow it on a con- 



( iSll, ? • D f r v Str ' bute U over the Pr °tectorate. The splendid Mlanje cedar " 



east 7 nrSfTi ] grows with un exampled vigour at Zomba, which is at rrn „ Fertilisation of Fruits. 



"*Sr ^ 7Zl*f k^J h K abi - tat '- k L S V " y imere5ting to find U doiDg ^irit^^he action of the 

 . V ere ' and Points to- the fact that m time the hills of Nyassaland above the 



The fruit has probably ripened this year under the influence of the recent 

 hot weather rather earlier than it otherwise would have done ; but 

 whether this be the case or not the variety is unquestionably a valuable 

 addition to the early dessert apples, for it combines productiveness with 

 its other good qualities. 



Seeds 



from ttl l fZ \ 2? ™? successfully forested with this excellent timber. 



missionar « J j 1 , Je hav ? ^ w »dely distributed among Government officers, 

 Southern Afric P ,anters m the Protectorate, as well as to various parts ol 



N 



from the Cape 



travelling at t r \ Crd °f J u,y ' J ust re ceived from a correspondent who is 



*»" be of im^r« ap f u ,h - C h . enefit of his heaUh » ,h e following remarks, which 

 locality « m-Si ? horticulturists, occur: "The scenery of Durban and the 



too, is irlnA J Can . lma P ne none more beautiful in the world. The 



villeas twU„r * n . e begonias average five feet in height and the bougain- 



w in bloom all the year round, the latter being one glorious 



mass of 



anrur..- 



purple. 



cross rrniiinn — - Cross fertilisation is effected, as every 



eardener knows, by the action of the pollen of one plant upon the stigma of 

 another. The nature of this action is, said Mr. J. Cranmer, in an address to the 

 TrUh Gardeners' Association, highly curious. Pollen consists of minute hollow 

 balls or bodies : their cavity is filled with fluid, in which swim particles of a figure 

 varving from spherical to oblong and having an apparently spontaneous motion. 

 Thl «La is composed of a very lax tissue, the intercellular passage of which has 

 r«2ffd£S5Th«. the moring particles of the pollen. When a gram of 

 J *, comes in contact with the stigma it bursts and discharges its contents among 



tClax tteue upon which it has fallen. The moving particles descend through the 

 he lax tissue upon them ^ ^ foutes specia ly 



de Sued by Na e for this service, unto a little opening in the integuments of the 

 designed by waiure deposited there the particles swell, increase 



s^e Lar2e into radical and cotyledons, and finally become the 

 g t ™ y rhat ir't wh 5 is to give birth, when the seed is sown, to a new indi- 

 SSS* Sucht w : S mo<3e B 5 which the pollen influences the stigma, and 

 t S the seed a practical consequence of greater importance necessarily 

 subsequently the s e ^ P ™ £ new variety m taUe chU ny 



f °f nnllen « mal parent, and that at the same time it will acquire some of 

 after its ^""01™ £ > fe ^ D , tfce „ en 



the Pecuhanues of he « P . ^ ^ ^ Greengage . Tne 



P"-, which experiments of this kind must be confined are, however, 



to JL^«ee«5*~ fertilisation will not at all, or very rarely occur 

 u". ^Lr/nTsoecies, unless these species are nearly related to each other. 

 SSta^fhvSSSd between the apple and the pear, or the quince and the 

 We have no hybrids m gooseberry and currant. On the other hand, 



pCar ' 1U 0 bta?ned by the intermixture of two pre-existing varieties, are 

 new varieties, obtainea y _ ^ _ tha ^ ekher It is> there f ore , 



varices of fruit that gardeners 



L l «H^«t foTthe "improvement of their stock. By*fhis operation the pears that 

 should trust lortM ^ rendered aj ddicious and ^ fertile as those of the 



are ripe "yP' f kin d of fruit, however delicious, that may not be deteriorated, 

 autumn. J nere _ ameliorated, by particular modes of man- 



tf Yet ^ the ewfv mn™w Si?* " Ve 0 clock ' *7 which hour 4t 15 0r h ° WC , Z Vh? after a given variety shall have been created, its merits may 



^ 10 k «p mSS^ you t^gr«o^ BEST" 3SS iS553 by , 



n v.v enoiei SL an £u" y extraordinary foliage plants and ferns exist in 



^s' varieties An,, ^ y j The common .eanna is a weed, and all the latest 

 14 citrus family i^n Suf 316 VC I y P ° pU ar here ' The n just now (the end of July) 

 *•« O' ripe orange !" l \ and , a J ear . ,y morn ing time the air is sweet with the 

 *»* falling off the tr'.^ • re P la ced shortly by the orange blossoms. Oranges are 

 l he s »eet lemons , 1 * ,ousanda ™ d rotti ng on the ground. Then there are 



r* 1 * 00 - It is snm—l. J , es » and lem °ns. The sweet lemon is unknown in 

 ^ .^our is onSSTSi Ia !;g er i han the . o rd inary lemon-the same shape, but 

 <lun,nated. Thtn^i^ ^ i aVOU ' that of a ,emon with all the sourness 

 u" glowing blossornf Ir £ Tan g e nne orange. The mango is in flower, and 



ft.^ Asparagus pIunTn .L"' ^.° U 5 Uet one has but to walk a few not less [J^^JL Mval ^ hlt existing varices of fruit that gardener 



J»« as cheap as^ran^Tin F i*l! OUnd & ov,in & wi!d « Pine apples are 



i» a beautiful coSm Tl fl En 8 Iand ' an f d ^nas are ten a penny. Altogether 

 ? weak ches?s uL° CrS frU L U ' but the te «ible humid heat tells on 



ill??' and it KoSSSS 11 !- J h ° Ugh f little tco hot in the day, it is cool 

 «chda,t „_! s . n ot desirable to be out after five o'clock, by which hour it is 



