August 8, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
779 
COMMON CORAL-TREE. 
The utility and showiness of this plant for flower 
bedding is becoming more and more apparent as the 
cultivator comes to understand its management. Of 
course in greenhouses the fine effect it is capable of 
producing is lost by the practice of dotting a plant 
here and thereabout thehouse amongst other subjects. 
Better results would be obtained by arranging it in 
groups or masses. Plants in pots never, however, 
acquire the same vigour that they would if planted 
out. This it is not always convenient to do under 
glass, and the next best alternative is to preserve 
the root-stocks through the winter where frost cannot 
injure them, and after starting them in spring to 
plant them in sunny positions in the flower garden. 
Here they make vigorous growth, and flower splen¬ 
didly during July and August. 
Some beds in the London parks attest the practi¬ 
cability of this plan. The flowering shoots attain a 
height of 3 ft. or more, with a proportionate thickness, 
and terminate in a long raceme of deep crimson-red 
flowers. The species is a native of Brazil, is more 
largely cultivated than any other both in this country 
and probably on the Continent, and is so nearly 
hardy here, that it can often be preserved with a 
straw covering in the open ground during winter. 
We may well envy the warm summer of our Conti¬ 
nental neighbours, for in Paris one may sometimes see 
woody stems 6 ins. to 8 ins. thick, bearing a large 
head, reaching a height of 8 ft. The wood must get 
better ripened than with us and can therefore better 
resist the winter. 
CITRON-GROWING IN 
CORSICA. 
The site usually selected in Corsica for a plantation 
or garden is a sheltered valley, at an altitude of not 
more than 200 ft. to 300 ft. above the sea level, 
facing south or south-west, the north and north-east 
winds which blow strongly during the winter months 
having to be carefully guarded against; or an equally 
well placed hill-side not too much exposed. Accord¬ 
ing to a consular report, a constant supply of water 
is an absolute sine qua non, this being usually insured 
by damming a small rivulet, should there be no 
spring in the neighbourhood, and constructing reser¬ 
voirs and tanks of size proportional to the area to be 
planted, which is never large, its extent being usually 
limited by the local conditions, and extending from 
a few square yards to as much as three or four acres 
on rare occasions. A space of at least twelve to six¬ 
teen superficial yards being requisite for each tree 
naturally limits the number of trees to the space 
available. In many places in the Cap de Corso 
district, in the northern peninsula of the island, 
where the natives are a harder working people and 
more intelligent than in the south, the gardens are 
surrounded by high stone walls, divided by inner 
walls, and again sub-divided by stiff fences of dried 
brushwood closely wattled ; no more than four trees 
sometimes occupy these small plots, to which the 
soil has at times been brought in baskets at the cost 
of much time and labour, in order to take advantage 
of a sheltered situation. 
Produce of the Cedrat Tree. 
This careful protection is seldom seen in the 
southern portion of the island, the lazy character of 
the people resting satisfied with what nature has 
done for them in the way of situation, shelter, and 
supply of soil and water. Frequently in the Cap de 
Corso and Dalagna districts, the principal fruit 
cultivating regions of Corsica, the trees are protected 
during the winter by branches and mats spread from 
wall to wall, and in nearly all cases a piece of stiff 
wattled brushwood is erected as a protection above 
the walls. The produce of a Cedrat tree naturally 
varies in the amount and size of the fruit according 
to the situation of the garden, the soil, and the care 
and attention devoted by the grower ; but a single 
tree of matured growth frequently returns as much 
as £10 to £12 per annum ; these figures alone show 
how remunerative a culture that of the Citron may 
be made, although the original outlay for making 
the garden, which is nearly alwaj's terraced, 
frequently involving considerable labour for masonry, 
walls, &c., as well as for the tanks and water con¬ 
duits, may have been very considerable. 
Preservation of the Fruit. 
A considerable loss in prices ia frequently sustained 
by small growers owing to the absence of the neces¬ 
sary conveniences for temporarily preserving the 
fruit previous to its subjection to the treatment by 
which it is prepared for the market. This pre¬ 
servation consists in steeping the fruit in casks of 
brine, composed of sea water with a certain ad¬ 
mixture of salt, and possibly other saline chemicals, 
which remain a trade secret among the buyers and 
preservers, and which differ according to each 
individual's method of treatment. It is impossible to 
obtain any data on this process of the treatment of 
the Citron, as the buyers naturally object to impart¬ 
ing information only obtained by them after long 
experience, and frequently after considerable losses. 
I have, however, ascertained that all that is really 
necessary is sea water with an admixture of salt, 
varying according to the bulk, condition and mois¬ 
ture of the gathered fruit. For the ordinary Citrons 
the fruit is sliced in halves to permit the brine per¬ 
meating the inner rind; but the finer qualities of 
fruit, such as weigh from 2 lbs. to 3 lbs., are fre¬ 
quently preserved whole, and as such form not only an 
elegant but extremely delicious adjunct to the table. 
These whole fruit are in great request in Algeria, 
Egypt, Turkey, and among all Oriental peoples, and 
high prices are obtained for the choicest fruits thus 
candied. They differ as much from the ordinary 
candied Citron sold in grocers’ shops in England as 
the choice vintages of Bordeaux, such as those of the 
Chateaux Margaux and Lafitte, do from the vin 
ordinaire or manufactured wine served at an ordinary 
Continental table d'hote. 
The Candying Industry. 
The principal centre of the Citron candying in¬ 
dustry is Leghorn. Italy enjoys a considerable 
advantage over Corsica in this industry on account 
of the drawback allowed on the sugar used in the 
process of candying : this almost amounts to a bounty 
on the export. The manufacturer pays duty on his 
sugar in the ordinary way, but the amount of draw¬ 
back returned is calculated on the amount of sugar 
estimated to have been used in candying the Citrons. 
This estimate, being always considerably in excess of 
the real amount consumed, is equivalent to endowing 
the Italian candied Citron industry to that extent. 
A Few Diseases. 
A few remarks on the diseases to which the 
** Cedrat,” or Citron tree, is subject, and which have 
recently caused much loss in the Balagna, one of the 
richest fruit-producing districts on the west coast of 
the island, may not be out of place in a report on this 
subject. These remarks are taken from a special report 
on the subject made by M. Massimi, Professor of 
Agriculture for the department, and kindly placed at 
my disposal by M. Bonnefoy-Libour, Prefect of 
Corsica. The “ Cedrat,” or Citron tree, is Subject to 
various diseases—white-root, fumagine, or smut, 
kermes, oscine, &c., but of all the diseases that of 
white-root is the one most to be dreaded and guarded 
against. It is due to a fungoid growth which attacks 
the cortical tissues of the root, exhausts this tissue, 
and ends by destroying the plant after an interval of 
more or less time in proportion to its powers of 
resistance to the disease. Its first attacks are recog¬ 
nised by the discolouration of the leaf, which turns 
yellow, and develops ulceration at the base of the 
stalk. Another sign of the attack of the fungoid 
growth may be recognised by the condition of the 
roots of the suspected tree. Exposed to view these 
roots appear tender, damp, and inclined to rot. 
Treatment of the Roots. 
In order to cure the trees of white-root various 
measures have been at different times adopted, of 
which the following are the most approved:—The 
first step to be taken is to prune to the quick all 
roots deprived of vitality, after which an equilibrium 
should be established by proportioning the branches 
to the roots which remain unaffected. The tree 
should then be surrounded by a deep trench, with a 
free passage for the overflow of water. A second 
measure consists in cutting off the affected roots and 
applying a preparation of boiling tar to the exposed 
stump. This treatment gives the best results, and 
is, as may be seen, easily applied and suitable to all 
plantations. A third method frequently used in 
Portugal is the aeration of the roots. After carefully 
trenching round the main stem in order to expose 
the principal roots, the hole is filled with stones of 
the size of the fist, or still better with lumps of 
charcoal, the efficacy of which against decaying 
matter is well known, after which the trunk of the 
tree is embedded to the height of fifteen inches with 
the same stones or lumps of charcoal. These stones 
or lumps are placed at sufficient distance from each 
other as to allow of the passage of the air, which 
then penetrates to the roots of the tree and 
prevents them from being affected by the fungoid 
growth . — The Globe. 
©IcamruTs Inn it t(m IPartir 
of Bctence. 
Proliferation of Lilium candidum. — Some 
bulbs of the White Lily have been grown for many 
years in a garden at Kew. Some years they bloom, 
but in others the flowers get destroyed by the Lily 
Disease before they expand. This year a vigorous 
stem presents a curious phenomenon. The flowers 
have all undergone median proliferation. The first 
and third flower from the base have actually become 
branches. Four of what should be white perianth 
segments have become green, are inserted in proximity 
but on different levels of the axis. From the axils of 
the lowermost set arise four peduncles, and from the 
third set three peduncles, all terminating in a cone 
of numerous segments, with a green stripe down the 
middle. The apex of the main axis terminates in a 
greatly-elongated cone of similar segments. Now, 
there can be no question that all of the above cones 
of segments consistof metamorphosed flowers. Vege¬ 
tative arrest has only been partial, just sufficient to 
show an attempt at the production of flowers ; but 
instead of the segments being six in number with six 
stamens and three carpels, all have been transformed 
into organs half-way between perianth segments and 
leaves, inserted at different levels upon the stem in 
the same manner as leaves ; the green colour is deve¬ 
loped as the organs in question get old.— F. 
Origin of the name Citrus. — The botanical 
and generic name of the Orange and other congeners 
was arrived at in a curious and roundabout way. 
It was first applied to the Citron (Citrus medica). 
When the Greeks, under Alexander the Great, 
founded some kingdoms in the heart of Asia they 
became acquainted with the Citron, the fruit of 
which was imported to Greece. Theophrastus, a 
Greek botanist, called it Medicon melon, or the 
Median Apple, from Media, the country from 
whence it was obtained. The fruit was not reckoned 
edible, but the Greeks used it for laying in their 
clothes-chests to keep away moths from their 
woollen garments; and they gave it the popular 
name of Kitrion. Now they used the resinous and 
aromatic wood and shoots of several Coniferous trees 
for the same purpose. Kedros was the name applied 
to this wood, which was chiefly that of an Arbor 
Vitae, now named Callitrisquadrivalvis, also known as 
Thuja articulata. Having never seen the tree which 
bore the Kitrion, or Golden Apple, the Greeks believed 
the latter were the fruits of the Arbor Vitae above 
named, hence the name Kedros. The latter was the 
popular not the scientific Grecian name ; and later 
on when the Romans became acquainted with the 
fruit and tree they corrupted Kedros into Citrus as 
we now have it. Had the old Greek and Roman 
writers ever seen the tree which bore the fruit, they 
would never have given it the name of Citrus. The 
latter was simply the result of a firmly-rooted and 
popular but erroneous supposition as to what tree 
bore the fruit. 
Rayless Wild Chamomile. —The long and 
generally conspicuous rays of the flower heads of 
many composites are usually considered by natural¬ 
ists as a means of of attracting insects to effect the 
fertilisation of the florets. It is evident however that 
the Wild Chamomile (Matricaria Chamomilla) can 
perpetuate itself without any visible means of attract¬ 
ing insects. A variety with small yellow disc like 
heads, entirely devoid of rays, has been able to 
perpetuate itself for many years in various parts of 
Kew parish. Like the typical form it frequents waste 
ground and can even establish itself on gravelly places 
where grass refuses to grow. Horses and other 
animals seem to avoid it, even when the herbage 
around is closely cropped. The comparatively strong 
odour of Chamomile, which pervades all parts of the 
plant, probably enables the latter to escape with 
impunity. Whether this odour would attract insects 
is not evident, but the rayless variety never fails to 
produce seeds in abundance every year. — F. 
