298 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 14, 1881. 
contains both oil and an alkali, and so forms a substitute for soap with 
water. It is thus used in Portugal and Spain, as the American Aloe 
is much grown in South Europe. The flower stem cut vertically makes 
a good razor strop, in consequence of the silicious particles it contains ; 
while the fibre of the leaves is of considerable value, and is called 
Pita. Lastly, cattle are fed on the bruised leaves in dry seasons. 
THE LOQUAT. 
Fruit culture both under glass and in the open air receives 
much attention in England, yet though the varieties of the fruits 
already established in gardens are being continually increased, 
few efforts are made in a systematic manner to extend the number 
of distinct kinds in use. With the exception of Bananas there 
have been scarcely any general additions to the ordinary fruits 
from under glass. The edible Passifloras, such as P. edulis and 
P. quadrangularis, have also been tried, but by no means ex¬ 
tensively, and the same may be said of the Eugenia Ugni, which 
some years ago was brought prominently into notice, but is now 
comparatively neglected. Many other famed tropical and sub¬ 
tropical fruits might be mentioned which aie grown in a few 
establishments more as curiosities than for any practical purpose, 
and yet there is little doubt that if more attention were paid to 
them satisfactory results would be obtained, and many a dish of 
novel and richly flavoured fruits could be added to the dessert, 
which are either now quite unrepresented or are obtained from 
importers, such fruits being usually deficient in their most gratify¬ 
ing characteristics. It is only in the largest establishments where 
such could be grown at all extensively, but there are few gardens 
in which some could not be tried with little additional trouble 
and expense. Difficulties invariably attend the early efforts in 
cultivating foreign plants of any kind, and perhaps in most 
instances it is less easy to obtain fruit-bearing exotics in satis¬ 
factory condition than it is to grow good specimens of plants that 
are chiefly noted for their ornamental foliage or beautiful flowers, 
yet it has been more than once proved by energetic and skilful 
gardeners that such difficulties can be overcome. There are few 
if any such fruits which could be profitably grown for sale or as 
a main crop in gardens in this climate, nor is it likely that they 
will ever be extensively tried with that object, but as an occasional 
and welcome novelty for the table they might receive more at¬ 
tention than is at present accorded them. 
One of these neglected fruits is the Loquat, the Eriobotrya 
japonica of botanists, which, though known in this country for 
nearly one hundred years, generally admired for its handsome 
foliage and famed for its fruit, has been rarely grown except as 
an ornamental tree or shrub in the open air or in glass structures. 
Partly owing to this, and partly to the season at which the flowers 
are produced, fruit has been rarely ripened even under glass, and 
still more rarely out of doors, so that much interest is attached to 
any instance in which it has been matured under either of those 
conditions. The most recent recorded occurrence of the fruiting 
was that noted a week or two ago on page 255 of this Journal, 
where it is stated that a specimen of the Loquat was then bearing 
fruit in the garden of the late Sir Henry Watson Parker at Stawell 
House, Richmond, Surrey, now the residence of Lady Parker. By 
the liberality of the owner the public were permitted to inspect 
this specimen, and many persons availed themselves of the privi¬ 
lege. The tree is 9 or 10 feet high, in a pot about 11 inches in 
diameter, and it bore a dozen bunches of eight or ten fruits each 
at the ends of the branches, where the long rich dark green 
leaves were clustered as they usually are in specimens of moderate 
size. The tree had been previously m a stove, where it flowered 
in late autumn last year ; and having received careful attention 
a crop of fruits was set which gradually advanced to about 
the size of Apricots, and became fully ripe towards the end 
of March, then assuming a fine orange tint. They were not 
only larger than many we have seen, but possessed a much richer 
flavour than any we have previously tasted. As they each con¬ 
tained a single seed, it is probable the variety is that referred 
to by Fortune as the one most highly valued by the natives of 
China and Japan. There is a great difference in the quality of 
the varieties, some being comparatively worthless ; and wherever 
this or any other foreign fruit is intended to be grown, a point of 
great importance which is frequently overlooked is the selection 
of the variety. The great defect in most of the fruits of the 
Loquat which are occasionally seen in the metropolitan markets 
is their insipidity or even unpleasant flavour, due probably to 
their having been gathered in an unripened condition ; but were 
all as fine as those grown at Stawell House there would soon be a 
demand for them in this country. The engraving on page 297, 
prepared from a specimen kindly sent by Lady Parker, represents 
one of the clusters of fruit the full size, and conveys a very good 
idea of the fruit which, as we have remarked, is a pale orange tint 
on the surface and slightly downy. It is extremely juicy, and 
possesses a sweet, rich, sub-acid, vinous flavour quite distinct 
from any other fruit. 
A brief review of the history of the Loquat may not be devoid 
of interest to some readers now the tree is under consideration. 
The species is a native of Japan and China, where it was found 
by Kasmpfer towards the close of the seventeenth century, and 
described by him under the name of Mespilus japonica. 
Many years subsequently the plant was more fully described 
by Thunberg under the same name, and a drawing was also 
published with that author’s “Flora Japonica.” In 17 81 it first 
appeared in Europe, living specimens being imported by the 
French and transferred to the National Garden at Paris, and 
two or three years later Sir Joseph Banks obtained some plants 
from Canton and consigned them to the Royal Gardens, Kew, 
thus introducing the plant to English cultivators. The stock 
appears to have been gradually increased by propagation and 
probably by subsequent importations, and early in the present 
century it was represented in many gardens. Since then it has 
become generally distributed, and is now by no means rare, 
especially in the southern counties, where it thrives against walls 
in the open air, and is rarely injured except by very severe frosts, 
such as we have experienced during the past winter. The first 
record we have of a tree producing fruits in England occurs in 
the third volume of the Horticultural Society’s Transactions, pub¬ 
lished in 1822. A letter is there printed from Lord Bagot of 
Blythfield, Staffordshire, which was read before the Society in 
1819, and recounts the fruiting of a tree in one of his lordship’s 
houses. Fruits were produced during several years, generally of 
very fine quality and extremely numerous, as many as twenty-one 
having been borne on one branch. The method adopted was to 
place the trees out of doors during the summer, removing them to 
a warm tan bed in September. The flowers generally expanded 
in December, and the fruit was ripe by April. But on one excep¬ 
tional occasion the flowers appeared in early summer. From that 
time until the present there have been few records of the produc¬ 
tion of fruit under glass. Loudon mentions one or two instances, 
and others have been noticed at wide intervals, but it is still an 
event of considerable interest. There are scarcely any well 
authenticated instances of trees maturing fruit out of doors in 
England, though in the south of France, Malta, and neighbouring 
regions it is produced in great freedom. 
At the recent meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society Mr. 
Bowell, the gardener at Stawell House, exhibited fruits from the 
Loquat referred to here, and was awarded a cultural commendation 
for them, the Committee being of opinion that they were the best 
flavoured ever submitted to their inspection. 
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HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
The cold winterly weather which has been prevalent now for some 
weeks has considerably retarded the flowering of the Apricot and 
the advance of other fruit trees in a corresponding degree ; indeed 
the blooming is likely to be a month later than it usually is, which 
augurs well for the fruit crop. Frosts may even in May yet occur 
to destroy the blossom and tender fruit, but it rarely happens that 
frosts after the middle of April are sufficiently severe to injure the 
fruit crop, particularly if a slight protection be afforded. Apricots 
in flower should have efficient protection; coverings that can be 
readily fixed and withdrawn are the most suitable, as the trees cannot 
be too fully exposed to light. Peach, Nectarine, and Plum trees, as 
they come into bloom should also be protected. The flowers of the 
Pear and Cherry should have similar attention. All necessary 
grafting should now be completed as quickly as possible, but owing 
to the unusual coldness of the weather fruit trees and stocks are 
only now beginning to grow freely. Fork over the soil of fruit tree 
borders to the depth of about 2 inches, as a loose surface admits of 
the freer admission of rain and air. 
FRUIT HOUSES. 
Peaches and Nectarines .—In the earliest forced house the fruits 
should be finally thinned, retaining one fruit to every square foot of 
