The herald., 1894-01-07

mer, plenty of water and manure, oe
ing one OF the grossest feeding plan u
the vegetable kingdom; under sue 10
eral culture it will fruit much ear =r
Good strong suckers should b. SO
early in April. and ii grown Win
rush during the same summer, tn,
flower spathe should appear the follow
ing summer--it is Importance to accom-
plish this, as flowers appearing in winte
or late autumn run poor chance of de
veloping the fruit during tie winter. Ii
ripening the fruit, much is gained By
cutting the bunch when fully developed
ss to size, but still green, and hanging
it in q warm room; the starch in ths
fruit is quickly transformed into sugar
and the aroma increased to q surprising
degree. The Cayendish, or dwarf Chi
nese banana, also bears good fruit and
is much grown in the Sandwich Islands
have seen plants growing at San Diego
and Montecito. but / did not learn ol
any fruit having been produced.
The Cherinoyer or Peruvian custard
apple, the fruit OF Anona cherimolia, is
indigenous in the temperate Andeau
regions of Peru, and does not req uire a
hot climate for its best development,
though it is cut back with frost. The
fruit, when ripened off the tree, has a
fine aromatic flavor OF delicate con-
sistency, very sweet, with a trace OF
sub-acidity. Unfortunately the quality
varies somewhat in varieties from seed.
First class fruit, however, is produced
by trees growing on Mr.. Jacob Miller's
place in the Cahuenga, also at Santa
Barbara and Montecito. Mr.. Miler's
trees are nine years old and have been
in bearing for several years. Every
spring for the past three years he has
kindly sent me few fruits and, having
eaten the cherimoyer in the tropics, l
can unhesitatingiy pronounce those
grown on his place as excellent.
Several parties in the Cahuenga, sppre-
ciating this fact. have set out a numbe
of trees. | think there is no doubt q
moderate production OF this fruit would
bring fancy prices.
The strawberry guava, or botanicaIly
psidium cattleyanum, is now pretty well
known and can hardly be classed as a
tropical fruit. | desire, however, to
call your attention to what is known in
Florida as the yellow cattley. This
plant, out of fruit, can hardly be dis
tinguished from the strawberry guava,
as the foliage is the same and the habit
of the plant identical, forming an arbor-
escent shruu. The fruit, how ever, W iiiiiiie iiiiie
the same in shape and size. ia of bril-
liant yellow color, and in my opinion is
superior to the strawberry guava. A
certain acridity, more or less common
in the skin of the strawberry guava, is
quite wanting in this yellow variety.
observe that in one of the bulletins of
the agricultural department this yellow
form has been given specific rank un-
der the name of psidium lucdum.
This plant, species or variety as may be,
is quite as hardy as the strawberry
guava, and is we'll worthy of more ex-
tended culture. The strictly tropical
guavas are much tenderer, producing
larger fruit and in many varieties, some
with round fruit, yellow with pink pulp.
emitting q powerful and to some persons
dieagreeable odor; some with quite a
tart flavor, while still others lack acidity
wholly and are quite sweet. This sec
ton offers quite field for trial Person
ally, am much interested in them,
and have raised collection from seed
received from different, tropical coun-
tries for trial culture. The guava is a
good wholesome fruit and makes excel
lent jelly, especially the varieties OF
psidium guayby.
Another little-known fruit is the pro-
duct of casimiroa edulis. This tree en-
dures slight irosts unharmed. 1t is in
digenous in northwest Mexico ana ia
remarkable among the aurantiacex, pro-
ducing green colored flowers, and super
icially bears little resemblance to an
otherwise weli-marked order of plants.
The fruits are the size of apples, and
are esteemed III that portion of Mexico
where 1t is common; according to some
botanical authorities it is not considered
altogether wholesome, possessing mar
scotic properties. The pulp is described
ss possessing delicious, melting, peach
like taste. An interesting account has
been published in a recent number of
the Gardeners Chronicle of the fruiting
OF this tree for the first time in one OF
the gardens of the Riviera in southern
Europe. Commenting editorially.
doubts are expressed as to the narcotic
properties Of the fruit, owing to its ruta-
ceous afinities. The tree grows well
with me as raised from seeds received
from Vera Cruz.
The most OF us are no doubt familiar
with the Litchii as distributed in
dried state by the Chinese. This fruit
is the product of a tree belonging to a
genus OF Sapinducia know as Nephelium
Litchii, and is confined to southern
Asia and the Indian archipelago. |
have eaten the fresh fruit in Singapore,
and thought it pleasant and refreshing /:
it is certainly consumed in enormous
quantities in southern China. The tree
is an evergreen and does not attain a
large size. seldom exceeding 18 to 20
feet, bearing alternate, pinnate glossy
leaves with pRnicles of small flowers at
the ends OF the branches, producing
punches OF globular, warty-skinned
fruits each fruit contains a single seed
covered with feshy arillus which is
the edible part. The fruit varies much
in quality as grown from seed, and is
grated by approach or marched by the
Chinese. Imported grated plants are
offered by importers of Chinese and
Japanese plants in San Francisco. A
good healthy young tree is growing at
Mr.. kinton Stephens place at Monte
cito, and large and equally vigorous
one on the grounds of the Park nursery
at Pasadena. l think neither of these
plants have yet fruited however, there
Is no doubt the tree will flourish in
sheltered places in Southern California.
Taking up the Eugenias, a genus of
myrtaceous shrubs and trees, we have a
large field for experiments. Many
species bear more or less valuable fruits
Eugenia MITCHELL hourishes with Mr..
klnton Stephens at Montecito. This