THE GUAVA. 
785 
ARTICLE IX.—THE GUAVA, (PSI'DIUM CATTLEI'ANUM,) 
BY MR. J. SMITH, 
126 
Gardener , at Snelston Hall , Derbyshire. 
Amongst the numerous exotic plants in our hot-houses, not many 
have a greater claim on our attention than the Guava, (Psidium 
Cattleianum,) Fig. 126. Although this is a highly ornamental 
evergreen shrub, it has hitherto 
been hut very slightly noticed; 
its dark shining foliage and 
pendulous branches, render it a 
very conspicuous object in the 
green-house or conservatory: 
and its fruit, when fully matu¬ 
red, makes an agreeable variety 
in the desert; for which reasons 
I think, it well deserves an ex¬ 
tensive cultivation. By keep¬ 
ing a few plants in pots, they 
will in two or three years hear 
a great quantity of fruit. 
Young plants must be first 
planted in small pots, and then 
into larger, as the small ones 
become filled with roots; at 
length they should be planted 
into large pots or tubs, where 
they may remain for many 
years without further removah 
when they will not fail to produce abundant crops. By confining 
their roots in pots or tubs, the fruitfulness of the trees is promo¬ 
ted. To ripen the fruit well off, it is advisable in the autumn to in¬ 
troduce two or three plants at a time into a forcing house, where 
the temperature is not less than 60 deg. Fahr. The Guava flourishes 
best in a rich loamy soil, it should he copiously supplied both at the 
roots and over the top with water. By this mode of treatment, a 
succession of ripe fruit may he obtained through the winter season. 
We have several young plants here, and amongst them is one about 
four feet high, which was put into a peck pot early in the spring, 
and is now loaded with not less than ten dozen of fruit, in their dif¬ 
ferent stages of growth, which have a very imposing appearance. 
4 N 
