Something About Fruit Trees.

Manawatu Herald, 13 September 1894, Page 3

Something About Fruit Trees.

the pear. — Pynts communis. The wild tree is common over temperate Europe and Asia. The tree is long lived, specimens existing which are 200 or 800 years old. The pear was known in a number of varieties in the days of Pliny. The pear varieties number some thousand, but only a few are import ant. The Seckel and American variety, though the fruit is small, is unsurpassed in variety. The Bartlett is also popular, and the fleurre d'Anjott.

THE ORANGE. — UitrUS. There are three principal varieties of the orange : — the sweet or China orange, the bitter or Seville orange, and the Bergamot orange. The China orange is the ordinary market sorts. The Seville orange is used for making marmalade, its peel being specially valued. Its origin is referred to India, whence it spread to western Asia, thence reaching Spain and Italy, through the agency of the Moors and the Crusaders between the llth and 14th centuries. It is now cultivated iv nearly all tropical and sub-tropical lands". It has now become thoroughly wild in Florida, United States of America. The China orange was first brought into Europe from China by the Portuguese in 1547, and it is asserted that the identical tree whenca all the European orange trees of this sort were produced, is still preserved at Lisbon in the gardens of one of its nobility. Orange trees were first brought to Englaud and planted, with little success, in 1595 ; they are said to have been planted at Beddington park, near Croydon, Surrey. '

quince. — Fyrus Cydomot. The quince was known to the ancients, and it has been argued that the golden apples of the Hesperides were tjuirices. The Quince wM brought frofch Austria to England in 1378, tlie' Japan quince from Japan in 179 G. The seeds of the common quince are used in medicine and in arts, on account of their highly mucilaginous mi: gooseberry. — Ribes grossularia. The gooseberry is a native of Europe and Asia. It is extensively cultivated in Europe but does not thrive well iti America. Was introduced from Flanders in iG-io. currants. — Riles. Currants were introduced into England from Corinth about 1088. The hawthojn currant came from tJahada iti i 709. raspberry. - Rubuß idaus. The common garden raspberry, the first of the name is Rubus Idreus, a native of Europe and Asiatic fiussia. tt was cultivated by the ttoihahs iti the fourth century- is the source of the hest ra.phet-HeS. There is a wild raspberry in North America very similar to it, but not quite so tall. The fruit raspberry was introduced itito England among the early fruits. The Virginian mjfltottf abottt 1696 and the flowering raspberry ifl j 1700, from North America. strawberry. — Fragaria. This plant was introduced from the Levant about the year 1724. About six natural species are recognised. The F. Vesca is comftioH throughout the old world and northward in North America, it includes the Alpine strawberry, hautboy, and wood-strawberry, was probably the flrst cultivated and is the source of many artificial vavie- ! ties. The Virginian or scarlet strawberry is common eastward in North America. In Chili and along the Pacific coast from San Francisco to Alaska grows the Chili strawberry, which ! has been the source of valuable hybrids in France and England. The Indian strawberry peculiar in its yellow petals and tasteless fruit is only of ornamental value. The strawberry was not cultivated hy the ancients, its culture in Europe began probably in the luth or 16th centiirv.