March  23,  IS'njt. 
243 
.lOURNAL 
OF  HOIITICULTUIIE  AND 
COTTAGE  GAIWENKR, 
I  0  trained  forward  as  leader,  and  the  laterals  or  Bide-growihs  from  the 
rod  1)0  trained  one  on  each  side,  pinchinj^  them  at  one  or  two  joints 
Iteyond  the  show  for  fruit,  this  heiii  r  the  object  to  test  the  varieties,  and 
afterwards  kjep  the  laterals  pinched  to  one  leaf  as  jiroduced.  It  is  not 
wise  to  alio  the  Vines  to  curry  many  bunches  the  fir-t  year,  but 
regulate  the  bearing  according  to  the  \igour  of  the  \'ines. — Ghoweu. 
TECOMA  .lASMINOlDES. 
Although  by  no  means  a  new  plant,  Tecoma  jusminoides  (fig.  (iO) 
is  unknown  in  some  gardens.  When  properly  managed  it  is  a  beautiful 
plant  for  greenhouse  decoration,  and  is  usually  much  admired.  The 
flowers  are  produced  freely,  and  vary  from  white  with  a  rosy  centre  to  a 
uniform  pink  hue,  differing  in  the  brightness  of  tint,  and  some  of  the 
best  marked  oF  these  variations  have  received  distinctive  names.  The 
plant  succeeds  in  a  compost  of  turfy  loatn,  peat,  ami  sand,  or  good  leaf 
soil  can  bo  substituted  for  the  peat  if  more  convenient.  Planted  out  it 
grows  freely,  but  it  also  thrives  in  a  pot,  needing  thorough  drainage  in 
any  case.  ' 
SOUTH  AERKAN  ERUIT. 
1)UKIN(J  the  last  month  connoisseurs  in  fruit  have  had  the  opportunity 
of  enjoying  what  is  to  most  a  new  luxury.  This  is  the  tinest  fruit  or 
Cape  Colony,  some  of  which  has  been  placed  upon  the  Londun  market. 
T'here  are  still  great  ditliculties  in  the  way  of  its  transport,  as  freezing 
destroys  it,  and  the  maintenaned  ot  a  cold  chamber  at  a  proper  tempera¬ 
ture  gives  more  trouble  than  the  steamship  companies  like,  liut  what 
does  arrive  in  good  condition  is  incomparably  good.  The  large  heart- 
shaped  Plum,  as  full  of  juice  as  a  Peach,  Apricots  with  a  double  share  of 
Apriot  flavour,  Peaches  without'  a  suspicion  of  the  bitterness  ot 
Californian  Peaches,  and  Williams’  Hon  Chretien  Pears,  are  the  most 
prized.  'I'here  are  also  three  varieties  of  Grape,  small  Hlack  Cluster 
t/rajies,  and  two  largo  varieties,  with  Muscat  tlavour,  one  black  and  the 
other  white,  all  grown  out  of  doors,  but  not  inferior  to  English  hothouse 
Grapes. 
The  Cape  has  a  great  advantage  over  California  for  profitable  fruit 
growing.  Its  seasons  are  the  converse  of  ours.  While  we  are  freezing, 
I  lie  ISouth  African  sun  is  ripening  the  orchards  and  vineyards  ot  the  Old 
Colony.  Nature  does  so  much  for  the  Cajie  farmers  that  wo  wonder  that 
ihey  have  not  done  more  lor  themselves.  The  perfect  climate  prtiduces 
fruit  of  a  flavour  unsurpassed  in  (juality,  and  iii  (juantities  as  great  as 
Nature  almost  unassisted  will  grant.  In  Jariuiiry,  when  des.-ert  on 
English  dinner  tallies  is  supplied  mainly  by  the  dried  fruits— the  Kaisins 
ot  California  ripened  in  the  previous  sumriuT,  dried  Plums  from  H>>siiiu, 
or  dried  Figs  from  Ionia,  with  only  tlio  Orange  and  hothouse  Grapes  to 
give  juice  and  lusciousness — the  colonials  aie  picking  the  last  of  the 
Strawberries  uml  Apricots  for  themselves,  and  making  ready  for  sale  or 
export  exactly  the  kinds  which  those  who  are  compelled  to  eat  dried  fruit 
here  and  in  the  United  Stales  would  welcome  most  eagerly.  Early 
Grapes,  exquisitely  flavoured  Pears,  early  Peaches,  fresh  Figs,  Plums  ot 
II  size  and  flavour  surpassing  any  grown  in  this  country  except  in  the 
hottest  summers,  are  ripening  on  the  trees  of  the  ‘‘Old  Colony.” 
February  at  the  Cape  produces  the  finest  of  English  Peaches 
and  Nectarines,  mainly  ot  tho  lute-ripening  varieties,  which  are  as  a  rule 
the  very  best  in  flavour,  even  of  these  choice  fruits.  The  ditference  is  that 
wihat  can  only  bo  grown  in  perfection  under  glass  here,  or  under 
exceptionally  tunny  walls  in  lavourablo  seasons,  is  there  produced  iii 
abundance  oil  standard  tices.  This  fruit  can  be  in  Loudon  wiihin  a 
mouth  of  beii  g  gathered,  and  packed  in  cold  chambers  is  uroiighl  here 
with  the  bloom  still  on  the  Plums,  which  look  and  taste  as  liesh  a-)  it 
gaihered  in  the  garden.  This  is  at  a  time  when  the  east  wind  is  whistling 
iiirough  the  streets,  and  not  a  bud  as  yet  appeared  on  our  own  Plum  uiul 
Peach  trees.  It  is  in  February,  also,  that  tlie  Ca])e  Grapes  come  lo  per- 
leclion,  ami  have  the  best  and  truest  flavour.  Gf  tlieso  lUc  Colony 
prnduces  One  variety  in  rude  abundance,  and  does  produce  a  lew,  and 
might  produce  a  great  quantity,  of  very  high  quality. 
Wine-making  is  an  ancient  in  lu-try  at  tho  (yape,  and  the  most 
remufkable  thing  about  Uie  Cape  Colonist’s  wine  is  that  though  it  has 
never  fa  en  pr.iperly  managed  or  developed,  the  growers  h  ive  alwajs 
succeeded  in  jiroducing  one  wine  of  high  quality,  'i  bis  is  the  Conslaiiiia, 
which  has  iii  it  the  guarantee,  which  no  one  seem»  ever  (piito  to  have 
uccep  ed,  that  the  Cape  climate  can  bring  to  absolute  peifeclion  the 
essential  vinous  constituents  of  the  Grape,  which  no  other  country  is 
quite  known  to  do,  except  the  port  wine  growing  district  ot  Portugal. 
Hoastiiig  sun.  good  soil,  and  soinething  else,  [irohably  a  very  dry,  pure 
uir,  do  this,  and  there  always  has  been  a  disirici  of  tlie  Old  Colony  wliere 
these  natural  ((iialilies  of  soil  and  climate  wore  so  far  apprcciui ed  as  to 
make  vineyard  planting  a  staple  indusiry.  Hut  it  is  one  ihing  to  grow 
(irapes  tor  wine,  and  another  to  grow  them  for  the  table.  At  tho  present 
iiioiiient  there  are  tons  of  little  black  vineyard  Grapes  arriving  <roin  the 
Cape.  'I'heir  condition  and  taste  are  im  object  lesson  both  as  to  what  the 
Cape  can  do  and  what  it  might  <lo.  'I'hese  are  ot  a  first-rate  flavour,  hut 
ot  all  sizes,  uiithiunefl.  crowded  on  the  clusters,  with  iiiuiiy  haif-ripe 
lusido  the  bunches.  They  are,  however,  iileasant  lo  taste,  and  remind 
the  buyer  of  the  days  of  vintage  abroad.  Their  flavour  i-i  also  evidence 
of  how  excellent  they  might  be,  if  properly  pruned  and  thinned.  Ijater, 
in  April,  very  fine  white,  or  rather  green.  Grapes,  grown  well  and 
carefully  packed,  come  from  the  Cape.  They  are  of  medium  size,  cf  a 
beautiful  clear  green  like  chrysnprase.  The  flavour  is  not  that  cf 
Muscat,  but  is  excellent  of  its  kind. 
For  early  winter  fruit  the  Cape  also  cpntribiites  varieties  which  are 
most  welcome  at  that  season.  Figs  ripen  in  J'fovember,  and  there  is 
practically  an  unlimited  market  for  fresh  Figs  in  London.  The  Cope 
colonists  are  anxious  to  develop  a  business  in  dried  ^^igs,  so  that  they  may 
rival  Smyrna.  The  Karoo  is  looked  upon  as^t^je  future  centre  of  Fig 
Fig.  60. — Tecoma  jasminoihes. 
growing  and  drying.  It  is  intended  to  introduce  the  Fig  insect  vihich 
assists  in  bringing  the  Smyrna  Figs  to  perfection.  But  we  think  that 
before  this  industry  is  developed  tho  trade  in  fresh  Figs  will  be  so  large 
as  to  repay  the  growers.  The  price  in  this  country,  even  in  the  natural 
season,  is  so  high  that  there  would  be  an  immense  margin  for  profit  if  they 
weie  offered  here  in  December.  In  early  winter  Cape  Strawberries  and 
Apricots  are  in  season  together,  the  former  being  in  perfection  in 
Novombcir,  while  the  latter  last  all  through  December.  It  is  maintained 
that  these  Cape  Apricots  are,  without  exception,  the  best  in  the  world. 
We  have  tried  them  both  fresh,  as  delivered  here,  and  preserved,  and 
this  experience,  limited  necessarily  to  a  few  cases,  entirely  bears  out  the 
claim  made  for  the  fruit.  It  is  incomparable. 
Loqiiats  in  October  and  Cape  Gooseberries,  a  wild  variety,  which  in 
the  form  of  preserves  is  almost  the  best  confiture  in  the  world,  make  up 
the  list  of  the  best  Cape  fruits,  and  we  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that 
these,  when  properly  cuhivaled  and  of  good  varieties,  are  some  25  per 
cent,  better  than  any  other,  except  certain  varieties  grown  in  England 
and  Western  Europe  under  glass.  It  is  worth  remembering  also  that  in 
addition  to  the  happy  accident  of  the  Cape  .autumn  occurring  at  a  season 
which  enables  its  fruits  to  be  sent  here  in  winter  and  early  spring,  there 
are  ditt’crences  of  season  in  the  colony  itself.  The  first  plateau,  which 
runs  all  round  the  coast,  produces  its  crop  at  an  interval  from  that  on  Ihe 
second  plateau,  while  the  roasting  heat  and  drought  of  tho  Western 
