642 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
June 9, 1894. 
Society. I mentioned the botany excursions because 
these provide many a pleasant afternoon journeying 
through some of the different parts of the adjoining 
counties, and one such excursion I particularly 
remember was a visit we made to the chalky district 
around Reigate in Surrey, where we found a very 
rich and varied flora. These outings prove of great 
benefit, and are organised for the purpose of gaining 
a knowledge of British plants and their habitats, and 
are always under the leadership of one of the officials 
who know them by heart. The club exists not only 
for collecting, but also to afford experience in drying, 
mounting, and correctly naming specimens, for 
prizes are offered, and in this competition runs very 
high. Taking things collectively then Kew life may 
be said to be a very busy one for those who really go 
in for self improvement, and what with the employ¬ 
ment, long hours, lectures, attendances at the library, 
and the essays young fellows are asked to give, the 
botanical rambles and the dressing of plants, life at 
Kew for the first twelve months is not altogether a 
bed of roses. 
I have often been asked about the appointments 
which are made from time to time, particularly those 
abroad. Well, as I have said before, Kew is a place 
for the advancement of knowledge bearing upon 
gardening and plant life, and to no better place could 
any young man go who takes this as his chief aim. 
But like true English nature £ s. d. is put first, and 
young fellows get carried away with the thought 
that they will by going there have nothing to do, and 
are quite confident that they are sure to get a 
Government appointment after having served their 
two years, and this is how a large majority get 
disappointed. The vacancies abroad are compara¬ 
tively few, but, of course, when they do occur a 
young gardener or a sub-foreman is elected. In 
the case of the latter they are always sure of 
a situation at home or in the colonies, so that you 
will see at once that the advantages in this way are 
not so numerous as many are led to believe. 
In the case of anyone being sent to a foreign 
station he has not only to be a gardener, but must 
be as it were a jack-of-all-trades. He must have a 
knowledge of horses, be able to give estimates for 
building, road making, land surveying, and perhaps 
to decide in the law courts, so if he has not had the 
education he must needs have his wits about him. 
And I must also add that before entering Kew it is 
much better if the student has passed through a 
course of botany before going there. 
-- 
THE TRADE IN TROPICAL FRUITS. 
The subject of the importation into this country of 
tropical fruits has occupied a considerable amount 
of attention for many years past, and more particu¬ 
larly since the period of the Indian and Colonial 
Exhibition, in i886, and, notwithstanding that a good 
deal has been done in this direction by bringing 
freshly-gathered fruits in fast-going steamers, the 
variety has not yet become very great, and there are 
numerous products of the tropics the flavour of 
which is totally unknown to the ordinary English 
palate. 
There are, no doubt, difficulties in the way of 
bringing these products of far off climes to our shores 
in a proper condition, under which they would 
recommend themselves for consumption in the 
English market, but there are many fruits that might 
be well preserved in syrup, in a similar manner to 
that which is now so successfully accomplished with 
the Pineapple from China, Singapore and the 
Bahamas. Some fruits especially lend themselves 
to this kind of treatment, having little or no flavour 
to recommend them in their fresh state, but when 
treated with syrup or candied with sugar the flavour 
is developed or increased to such an extent that the 
fruit becomes much more valuable. As an instance 
of this may be mentioned the fruits of the Rose Apple 
orjambosa {Eiijenia jambos), a. small tree of India, 
but cultivated in many tropical countries, where it is 
planted for hedges, for the purpose of giving shade 
and for ornament, as well as for the sake of the 
fruits, which have a rose-like fragrance, with usually 
but very little taste. These fruits, though called 
Rose Apples, would more properly be called rose 
Pears, as they are more or less Pear-shaped, but they 
vary very much in size and colour, some being white 
while others are rose-pink. They are produced in 
very great abundance, and in many countries are a 
waste product, the insipid taste of the fresh fruit 
being no recommendation to them. Preserved, 
however, in sugar or syrup, and formed into 
"candied Rose Apples,” they become quite a tasty 
fruit, though they have never appeared in the English 
market. Closely allied as they are to the guava 
(Psidiumguyava), we might expect them to be of some 
value, for these latter fruits are not unknown to us, 
being sliced and bottled in syrup, as well as 
preserved in tins and sold under the name of Geneva 
Cheese. There seems no reason then why the Rose 
Apple should not become an article of commerce in 
this country if it were preserved in syrup, or crystal- 
ised guavas might likewise be utilised to a much 
greater extent than they are. Indeed, throughout 
the whole range of tropical fruits which the stay-at- 
home Englishman does not get a chance of tasting, 
there is a wide field for experiment. Mangoes 
(Mangifera indica), in their numerous varieties, litc is 
[Nephelhim litchi), longans (Nephelittm longanum), 
rambutans [Nephelium lappaceum), and a host of others 
might be mentioned which are common enough in 
their own countries, and which we sometimes see 
here, but only in small quanties, and, for the most 
part, too expensive for general use. 
Whatever the Mango may be in its fresh state—and 
opinions are very much divided upon it by those who 
are qualified to speak from having eaten the fruits in 
their own countries—it is certain that preserved in 
syrup, as we sometimes see it in this country, it is 
tasty and a good addition to our rather limited 
course of dessert fruits in the winter season ; besides 
this the Mango can be converted into an excellent 
jelly, and when we are told by the superintendent of 
the Botanicah Department in Jamaica, in a bulletin 
issued from that department, that " tons of the fruit 
of the common Mango are wasted every year,” a 
justification seems to exist for bringing this subject 
prominently forward, and for the benefit of those 
who have the opportunity to try the experiment, and 
who may have the materials at hand, the recipe 
given in the bulletin before mentioned is here re¬ 
produced. " Pare and boil the Mangoes, and when 
the pulp is soft, take it from the seeds and press it 
through a brass or copper wire sieve (iron wire spoils 
the colour) with a wooden spoon, weigh the pulp, and 
with an equal quantity of white sugar boil until it 
jellies, then pour or ladle into bottles or jars. The 
fruit must be frequently stirred during the first, and 
constantly during the second, process. The pulp 
should be thick after it comes through the sieve, if not, 
it must be reduced by more boiling before the sugar 
is added. The Mangoes are better green, but they 
should be perfectly full; a little lime juice can be used, 
if desired, for flavouring.” 
The aril, or fleshy portion of the litchi, which, in 
its fresh and ripe state, is such a delicious morsel, 
could scarcely be treated in this fashion, but after 
the shell has been removed, and the stone taken 
out, the fleshy portijn could be placed in tins and 
soldered down, as is done successfully with Pines ; 
and there is no doubt that so treated there would be 
a large European demand for them. The longan 
and rambutan might be preserved in the same way, 
though it is possible they would not meet with the 
same favour as the litchi. Among species of Passi- 
flora, there are several well-known fruit-producers, 
natives of the West Indies and the neighbouring 
South American continent, which, like the Rose 
Apple, would probably be improved by preserving in 
the manner already referred to; the same may be 
said of the fruits of the Naseberry,or Sapodilla Plum 
(Achras sapota), a native of tropical America, but 
now cultivated in other parts of the tropical world for 
its excellent fruit, which, when dead ripe, has some¬ 
what the taste of a Medlar. The Japanese Kaki, or 
Date Plum (Diospyros Kaki), is another fruit having 
some botanical affinities to the last, and, like' it, 
must be fully ripe before it is fit for eating. A 
large number of varieties of the Kaki are cultivated 
both in China and Japan, and when preserved in 
sugar, as is done by the Japanese, they are much 
valued. They are also eaten fresh, or dried in the 
sun. 
All these fruits just referred to are comparatively 
well known to travellers, but there are others not so 
well known that have equal or even stronger points 
to recommend them, such, for instance, as the Kei 
Apple, the fruit of a shrub, native of the Cape of 
Good Hope and Kaffirland. It is a fleshy, globular 
fruit, about the size of a Walnut, and is much used 
by the natives when fresh, on account of its agree¬ 
able acid taste ; it is also used as a pickle, and, when 
ripe, made into a really good preserve. Another 
South African fruit, which has been described as the 
best native fruit of the country, is the Amatungula 
(Carissa grandiflora) ; they vary in size, from that of 
a large olive to a small round Plum, they have a 
reddish colour at first, but change as they ripen to a 
dark violet hue. The flavour is an agreeable sub¬ 
acid, and they make excellent preserves, which are 
much valued in Natal, where the fruit is known as 
the Natal Plum. 
These thoughts concerning new sources of fruit 
supplies in the winter season, when fresh fruits are 
practically unattainable, are brought to mind more 
vividly by the exposition, in the shops and markets 
of London and other large towns, of delicacies, in the 
shape of preserved and crystallised fruits, which are, 
for the most, the French exports. When we see the 
fleshy fruits of the Almond, the small Cumquats, 
Chinois, Apricots, Pears, Cherries, and even the 
common Chestnut, which, in its fresh state, is so 
indigestible, treated in the way they are, it is sur¬ 
prising that something has not been done to extend 
the list, and develop the resources which are ready 
for use.— Society of Arts Journal. 
-- 
AUCUBAS. 
Among hardy evergreen berry-bearing plants these 
when well done have few rivals, yet, strange to say, 
there are comparatively few who know much about 
them, and they are rarely met with now in perfec¬ 
tion. Shortly after the introduction of the male 
variety, a goodly number of kinds made their 
appearance, some with very striking variegation and 
others which bore a most plentiful crop of berries on 
plants in small pots which made them most suitable 
subjects for room and conservatory decoration. It 
seems a pity that so many of these should have 
fallen into comparative obscurity, considering that 
the Aucuba has few rivals as a town plant in fore¬ 
courts and shrubberies, and for pot plants in 
windows and on balconies it is most valuable. If 
other than the common kind were brought into more 
general use the Aucuba would, I think, become yet 
more popular, especially if seen well berried as it 
might be if only a little extra trouble were taken with 
them. If those who have a stock of the common 
kind would procure a male plant and artificially 
impregnate the female flowers with pollen taken 
from it, they would add to the beauty of those they 
already possess, and by sowing the seed when ripe, 
would secure a stock of young plants among which 
some variation will be sure to appear. Choose 
bright sunny weather in which to fertilize the 
flowers with a slightly damp camel hair pencil. 
A small male plant grown under cover will produce 
pollen sufficient for a goodly number of female 
plants, and I have known instances where a male 
plant having been planted in a garden has fertilized 
the plants in neighbouring gardens most abundantly, 
and made the owner wonder considerably when they 
found, much to their surprise, that Aucubas would 
bear berries.— Japonica. 
TiE VE@ETIiLE iAEBEN. 
Late Peas. 
Prized as are the earliest dishes, the latest lots are 
often more difficult to obtain, but in some sheltered 
gardens it is astonishing how remarkably well these 
do if the season be favourable even till November. 
But it is not all places that are so well situated, and 
in some it is almost useless to attempt trying to get 
very late crops, as both frcst and damp are trouble¬ 
some. However, a dish of Peas so late in the season 
is very acceptable, and those who have to supply a 
variety of vegetables are almost bound to make the 
attempt. The question then arises which are the 
best varieties to grow for that purpose. After being 
supplied with some of the finest marrow kinds, people, 
as a rule, do not care to go back to the inferior 
round-seeded sorts, yet most growers advocate sow¬ 
ing these for the latest supplies. These, no doubt, 
would do for those whose palates are not of the 
most fastidious, but where those of the most 
squeamish have to be served, something of a 
better quality is needed, or complaints would soon 
be loud and long. 
Late Peas of the finest quality are by no means 
the easiest crop to grow, for as the seed must be 
sown during the hot and dry weather, when some^ 
