THE GARDENER. 



[Feb. 



THE WEATHER. 



The most severe frost experienced in this country since 1860-61 occurred 

 from the 8th January to the 17th, inclusive. The ten days gave, at 

 Drumlanrig, 247?,° frost, and a trifle more than 24i° of frost for each 

 day. On the 16th there were 31^, •'^nd on the 17th 34°, or 2° below zero. 

 At Tweed Vineyard there were 42°, or 10° below zero. At Meadow- 

 bank, near GLasgow, there were 35^° frost on each of the mornings of 

 the 17th and 18th. At Springwood Park, near Kelso, there were 44° of 

 frost ; and from all parts we hear of excessive cold. The results to 

 plants must be disastrous, but cannot be fully ascertained until there 

 is a complete thaw. 



craUnftan 



FORCING DEPAETMENT. 



Pines. — "When a really aristocratic 

 dessert has to be made up, a Pine- 

 apple is indispensable, and the season 

 is at hand when it is more difficult to 

 have a variety of fresh fruits fit for 

 the table than any other ; and Pine- 

 apples are more useful and valued 

 than at any other time of the year. 

 There are two ways of getting ripe 

 Pines in April and May. The one is 

 to start a batch of Early Queens into 

 fruit in December or January, and 

 push them on as rapidly as weather 

 and other conditions will allow. 

 There is no other Pine that we know 

 of so serviceable for this work as the 

 good old Queen. Another way of 

 getting ripe Pines at the time named, 

 is to take good care of all the Smooth 

 Cayennes and Charlotte Pvothschilds 

 that start into fruit in the late 

 autumn — say in November. We 

 invariably have a dozen or two come 

 into fruit that month, and could 

 have more with the greatest ease, 

 if it were necessary. By keeping 

 these in a bottom-heat of from 85° 

 to 90°, and an air temperature of 

 65° when cold, and 70° when mild, 

 they swell fine fruit, and ripen at the 

 same time as Queens started early, as 

 referred to above. For this method 

 of getting spring fruit, we know of no 

 sorts so suitable as the two named. 

 All plants that have just started, or 

 are swelling off fruit, should have the 

 temperature named above steadily 

 maintained ; and the soil and air 

 should be constantly moist. Put air on 

 early in the day when the weather is 

 sunny, but always shut up early, so 



as to have the glass at 80° for a time. 

 All autumn suckers that are well 

 rooted in 6- and 7-inch pots should 

 be shifted into their fruiting-pots 

 before the middle of this month. 

 We think pots larger than 11 inches 

 lead to a waste of soil, expense in 

 pots, and extra labour, without yield- 

 ing any desirable result whatever. 

 An 11-inch pot full of healthy roots, 

 well fed, we have always found 

 superior to any larger sizes. The 

 soil should be a rather light loam, 

 with a good deal of the finer par- 

 ticles separated from it, and a 6-inch 

 potful of bone-meal to every bushel of 

 soil. Use it in a dry warm state, and 

 I ram it firmly into the pots. One of 

 the cardinal points in producing good 

 fruiting Pine-plants, and swelling off 

 large fruits, is to have a j)ot full of 

 fine fibrous roots, to be well fed ; and 

 we always find this in light rather 

 than in heavy tenacious loam. Any 

 suckers potted during winter, and not 

 yet filling their pots with roots, should 

 be encouraged with a bottom-heat of 

 85°, and an air temperature of 65° at 

 night. Keep them near the glass, 

 and avoid crowding them. The batch 

 of Queens to be started into fruit next 

 month may have a slight increase of 

 temperature, and rather more mois- 

 ture. Smooth Cayennes, to start in 

 summer, must not be kept too dry 

 or cool, or they may start prema- 

 turely. Just keep the soil from being 

 very dry, and let the temperature be 

 as near 60° at night, all weathers, as 

 possible. The bottom- heat for these 

 should not exceed 80° for the present. 



