November 14. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
127 
“ The particular Palm to which the minstrel drew my 
attention was the cajour, or Date-tree, which thrives 
luxuriantly in the tropics. The fruit that it produces 
must he too well known to need a description of it in 
this place. In Syria and Arabia, and other countries of 
Asia Minor, the Date fruit arrives, when at maturity, to a 
greater state of perfection than it does in more sultry 
latitudes. When the bark of this Palm is pierced it emits 
a copious discharge of a white saccharine fluid, which closely 
resembles metlieglin or mead in flavour. The same, if per¬ 
mitted to stand for some time, exposed to the air, rapidly 
ferments, and if indulged in freely produces intoxication. 
The common turtle dove (Tartar aldrovandi) for the most 
part selects this particular Palm wherein to construct its 
nest and carry on the duties of incubation. A large variety 
of ornithivorous snakes, continually on the watch for squirrels, 
birds, and such animals as are wont to resort to this um¬ 
brageous Palm, take advantage of its inviting properties, 
and the heedless tenants of its welcome branches thereby 
too frequently fall, unconsciously, unsuspecting victims to 
the willy craft of the serpent’s stratagem. The turkool, 
or Fan Palm, is so denominated from the near resemblance 
the leaves of this tree bear to a fan, aud as the above little 
toilet accompaniment first found its way into this and other 
vernacular countries from the East, so it is highly probable 
tlrat it owes its origin to the existence of the ‘ Fan Palm,’in¬ 
asmuch as the leaves of the latter tree, when rescinded, reduced 
in size, and dried, are commonly used in eastern climates for 
agitating the air in close apartments, thereby producing a 
succession of smart currents of the atmospheric medium. 
The fruit of the turkool is like a pomegranate, and ripens in 
February and March, at which season, when the nuts are 
tapped, the same afford a liberal supply of an agreeable 
flavoured juice, which, if taken in the mornings, fasting, is 
said to operate advantageously on patients who are labouring 
under scorbutic ailments. The same, if suffered to ferment 
like the former, proves of a highly intoxicating nature, and 
is used by the natives as a substitute for yeast in the manu¬ 
facture of bread. This Palm has been received under the 
distinctive name of the Ivory Palm, on account of the nuts 
which it produces, when perfectly ripe, and subjected to the 
skilful lathe-craft of the the turner, evincing a hard, com¬ 
pact, and beautifully white enamelled appearance, possessing 
the complexion and character of ivory, insomuch that it 
would puzzle a person of no ordinary share of discernment 
to detect the difference between the actual animal and the 
vegetable proximate eburnine resemblance. The toparra 
areca, or Beetle Palm, is cultivated very generally throughout 
the tropical districts of India proper. It is of stately growth, 
and like the rest of the genus is destitute of lateral branches, 
but determines in a vertical tuft of long graceful leaves, like 
those of the Cocoa Palm. The nut, when ripe, is about the 
l size and of the shape of a horse chesnut, exceedingly hard, 
: and when cracked and exposed to view presents to the eye 
the aspect and appearance of a fractured nutmeg, being 
interlaced with white veins throughout a light brown 
I ligneous substance. The above nut possesses a very 
stringent property, and is used by the natives of both sexes 
I in the character of a sialologue. The same, when introduced 
into a clear charcoal fire, calcined, and afterwards triturated 
finely in a mortar, is adopted by the better order of natives 
as a dentifrice, and possesses the properties of whitening 
the enamel of and preserving the teeth. With slaked shell 
lime, catechu, and cardamum seed it is incorporated with 
the leaf of the paun plant, which forms an indispensable 
feature in the domestic economy of a native establishment 
in India.” 
THE MINIATURE FRUIT-GARDEN.* 
The sixth edition of this very useful book upon a most 
interesting subject is now before us. There is much that is 
new in it, and deserving of general perusal. The following 
are examples:— 
ROOT-PRUNING OF PYRAMIDAL TEAR TREES ON QUINCE STOCKS. 
Before entering on the subject of root-pruning of pear 
* The Miniature Fruit Garden, or the cultureof Pyramidal FruitTrees; 
with instructions for root-pruning, &c. By T. Rivers, of the Nurseries, 
Sawbridgeworth. Longman and Co., 1854. 
trees on quince stocks, I must premise that handsome and 
fertile pyramids, more particularly of some free-bearing 
varieties, may be reared without this annual, biennial, or 
triennial operation. I have a large plantation of pear trees 
on the quince stock, which bid fair to make very handsome 
and fertile pyramids, yet they have not been root-pruned, 
neither do I intend to root-prune them; but I wish to 
impress upon my readers, that my principal object is to 
make trees fit for small gardens, and to instruct those who 
are not blessed with a large garden, how to keep their trees 
perfectly under control; and this can best be done by annual, 
or at least biennial, attention to their roots, for if a tree be 
suffered to grow three, or more years, and then root-pruned, 
it will receive a check if the spring be dry, and the crop of 
fruit for one season will be jeopardised; therefore, those 
who are disinclined to the annual operation, and yet wish to 
confine the growth of their trees within limited bounds by 
root-pruning—say once in three years—should only operate 
upon one-third of their trees in one season ; they will thus 
have two-thirds in an unchecked bearing state, and those 
who have ample room and space, may pinch their pyramids 
in summer, and suffer them to grow to a height of fifteen or 
twenty feet without pruning their roots. I have seen 
avenues of such trees in Belgium really quite imposing. 
Pryamidal pear trees on the quince stock, where the fruit 
yarden is small, and the real gardening artist feel pleasure in 
keeping them in a healthy and fruitful state, by perfect 
control over the roots, should be operated upon as follows :— 
A trench should be dug round the tree, about eighteen 
inches from its stem, every autumn, just after the fruit is 
gathered, if the soil be sufficiently moist; if not, it will be 
better to wait till the usual autumnal rains have fallen ; the 
roots carefully examined, those inclined to perpendicular 
growth cut with the spade, which must be introduced quite 
under the tree to meet on all sides, so that no root can 
possibly escape amputation, and all the horizontal roots, 
except those that are very small ami fibrous, shortened 
with a knife to within a circle of eighteen inches from 
the stem,* and all brought as near the surface as possible, 
filling in the trench with compost for the roots to rest 
on; the trench may then be filled with the compost; 
well-rotted dung and the mould from an old hotbed, equal 
parts, will answer exceedingly well; the surface should then 
be covered with some half-rotted dung, and the roots left 
till the following autumn brings its annual care. It may be 
found that after a few years of root-pruning, the circum¬ 
ferential mass of fibres will have become too much matted, 
and that some of the roots are bare of fibres towards the 
stem of the tree; in such cases, thin out some of the roots, 
shortening them at nine inches or one foot from the stem, 
this will cause them' to give out fibres, so that the entire 
circle of three feet or more round the tree is full of fibrous 
roots near the surface, waiting with open mouths for the 
nourishment annually given to them by surface dressings 
and liquid manure. 
Tims far for the gardener, who does not mind extra trouble, 
who, in short, feels real pleasure in every operation that tends 
to attain his end ; but it is not every amateur gardener that 
can do this, nor is it always required in the south of England, 
except for small gardens and in rich moist soils, in which 
pear trees are inclined to grow too vigorously, but with our 
too often cool, moist summers in the northern counties, 
annual root-pruning is quite necessary to make the trees 
produce well ripened wood ; in other cases, as I have before 
observed, shortening the shoots in summer, taking care to 
produce a handsome pyramidal form, and if they are inclined 
to grow vigorously, occasional (say biennial or triennial) 
root-pruning with the spado will be quite sufficient. 
The following will be found a good selection of Pears 
for pyramidal trees on quince stocks. These things may be 
planted in rows, five or six feet apart, or a square may be 
allotted to them, giving each plant five to six feet, 
which will be found amply sufficient for root-pruned trees. 
Some few esteemed sorts of pears do not grow well on quince 
stocks, unless “ double-worked,” i. e., some free-growing sorts 
are budded on the quince, and after having been suffered to 
grow for one or two seasons, those not so free growing are 
* If they have not spread to this extent the first season, or even the 
second, they need not he pruned, but merely brought near to the surface 
and spread out. 
