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Sir George & The Park

The Banana, Mango and Other Exotic Fruit

The first recorded fruiting of the banana at Staunton was in 1828, under the careful care of the Gardener Mr. A. Scott.

In 1843, Mr Scott showed a bunch of bananas at a Meeting of the Horticultural Society of London that weighed 129lbs - that's about 54kg or eight and a half stone.

In 1847, in the Society's Journal they wrote:

‘Of the kinds that are fruited here, perhaps the Mango is the only one entitled to the character of a first-rate fruit; but others are equal, if not superior, to several of our common kinds, independently of their being the produce of species belonging to very distinct tribes of plants, and thus interest and variety is added to the dessert, which ought always to give them a strong claim on our attention, even if it should ultimately be found that but few of the more rare tropical fruits excel those usually cultivated for the table.'

‘Bananas are now common, and, although not high flavoured, they form an important addition to our list of hothouse fruits. Five different varieties have been fruited here, but of those perhaps Musa Cavendishii is the most useful. But a magnificent growing variety cultivated here (under the name of Musa maxima merely for distinction, and in the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens known as the St Helena Banana) where it can have room for its noble foliage, superior to any sort yet introduced. The foliage of this variety rises to the height of 30 feet, and the clusters of excellent fruit are from 80 to 130lbs weight, and in quality equal, if not superior to that of Musa Cavandishii; like that variety it keeps some time, whereas some of the sorts very soon rot when grown in a moist stove.’

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