198 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



The platform upon wliich to place the plunging materials can be 

 formed with wood, but slate or iron is the most preferable, for they 

 are more durable, and at the same time allow the heat from the 

 pipes to ])ass through more readily. AVhen planks are used, a space 

 of an inch or so should be allowed between each, and a few pieces of 

 slate laid over the space to prevent the plunging materials from 

 passing through, I have dealt with these minor details moi-e fully 

 than may appear necessary, but it is these minor matters that fre- 

 quently occasion so much trouble to amateurs. 



Heating the pine pit must now engage our attention, and I would 

 now avail myself of the opportunity of saying that one of the prin- 

 cipal points in pine-growing is to have a good command of artificial 

 heat. For a house nine feet wide there should be a flow and return 

 four-inch pipe, extending the whole length of the house, on each 

 side next the outside wall, and a flow and return on one side of the 

 walk. AVitli this amount of piping the top heat will be well pro- 

 vided for, and for the bottom heat a flow pipe underneath the walk 

 on one side and the return on the other will suffice. They must, 

 therefore, be kept low enough to admit of their passing under the 

 pathway at one end without having to "dip," for with "dips" in 

 the pipes the circulation does not go on properly. To economize the 

 fuel as much as possible, and at the same time effect a considerable 

 saving in the labour of attending to the fires, the pine pit should 

 form an adjunct to the greenhouse or vinery, as the several struc- 

 tures can be heated by means of the same boiler. The pine pit 

 should be nearest the boiler, and the pipes must be provided with 

 valves, so that each house can be heated independently of the other, 

 or altogether, as may be necessary. Tan or leaves are the most suit- 

 able plunging materials, but as the bottom heat is supplied with 

 hot water, cocoa-nut fibre refuse, or even sand, would do very well 

 for plunging the pots in. 



Having described the best form of pit for the amateur, I will 

 proceed to oifer a few hints on the selection of the sorts, and the 

 management of the stock during the several stages of growth. Of 

 the comparatively large number of pine-apples in cultivation, there 

 are only two that are of real service to the amateur, and these are 

 The Queen and Smooth Cayenne. The first-mentioned is best for 

 afibrding a supply of fruit from spring until autumn, and the other 

 during the winter. The Providepce, Enville, and other large sorts 

 which are met with at the exhibitions are quite unfit for cultivation 

 in a pit such as that described above, for the plants take up a lot of 

 room, and the fruit is coarse and inferior in flavour. A good start 

 may be made with suckers ; indeed, if strong, they are preferable to 

 plants, as they are lower in price and cost less for carriage. The 

 principal point is to obtain them perfectly free from mealy bug and 

 scale, for when infested with either of these pests they are prac- 

 tically worthless, and should be destroyed. The suckers should, if 

 possible, be all obtained from the same place, and a guarantee that 

 they are quite clean obtained. The present moment is most favour- 

 able for purcha^iug suckers, for if they are in good condition they 

 will make suflicient progress to admit of their being potted again 



