Jannarr 1>^. 1^77. J 



JOUaXAL OF HORTICDLTDRE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



51 



one of these two. My only motive for interfering in this 

 matter is that honour may be given to whom it is most jnstly 

 due, and that this excellent Grape may not be sent ont under 

 a false name. I may also state that Mr. D. P. Bell has only 

 had it in his possession during the last few years. — Eoeeet 

 Bowie, The Gardens, Chillingham Castle. 



SPECIAL FLOWER SHOWS. 

 At page 24, last week, " D., Deal," says the Kose " alone 

 of all flowers can support a distinct show for itself." This is 

 a mistake. Several varieties of florist flowers, such as the 

 Anricnla, Tulip, and Carnatiou, have supported distinct shows 

 for half a century, and they still do so. These beautiful 

 flowers also possess this advantage over the Rose, they thrive 

 near towns where the Rose dies outright. Some of the shows 

 also ofttimes have a good balance on the right side. Rev. J. 

 B. M. Camm, who kuows country Rose shows well, says, in 

 the Journal of last year, page 507, " Country Rose shows 

 generally betray failure more or less in some form ;" for 

 instance, " Hereford, where the largest balance ever forth- 

 coming was id." It ought not to be forgotten either that at 

 the Crystal Palace on April '21th next will be held a show ex- 

 clusively for Auriculas. — J. Douglas. 



THE PINE APPLE AND ITS CULTURE. 



Although no longer personally engaged in the culture of 

 this important fruit, I nevertheless look with great interest on 

 what is being done as well as what is said relating to it. I 

 have on more than one occasion asked for information respect- 

 ing the management and culture of the Pine Apple, now im- 

 ported in such large quantities from St. Michaels, and am 

 obliged to your correspondent " M." (page 4) for his inform- 

 ation on this point, as well as for the article as a whole ; but 

 I differ with him on the probable effect these imported Pines 

 will have on the culture of those hitherto grown in this country. 

 " M." seems to think that the growing of IPines will only be dis- 

 continued in a very few places, whereas I apprehend they will 

 be given up in a great many, and their culture will be com- 

 menced in few or no new gardens, as those imported from St. 

 Michaels being pretty good and the cheap rate they are offered 

 places them in a favourable light with all with whom pounds, 

 shillings, and pence have much influence, and this is a very 

 important body. Besides which, the importers of this fruit 

 seem fully alive to what is wanted in England ; and though at 

 first the period for which these Pines were forthcoming was a 

 limited one it has since been very much extended, and by-and- 

 by I have no doubt but they will be to be had all the year 

 round. In future it behoves home growers to try and produce 

 Pine Apples when they are most of all wanted, and especially 

 when foreign Pines are not forthcoming. Of course the re- 

 quirements of individual cases must determine what is wanted, 

 but in general Pines are most acceptable when other tropical 

 or choice fruits are scarce : hence the advisability of growing 

 a good proportion of plants for winter fruiting. 



Although never an extensive Pine-grower, I have always en- 

 deavoured to spread those I did grow over the greatest possible 

 space ; and how far I have succeeded may be judged by the 

 fact, that although I only grew two kinds of late — Queens and 

 Smooth-leaved Cayennes, I find on looking over the records of 

 the six years ending December, 1875, there were only three 

 calendar months during that period in which no ripe fruit 

 was cut, these being September and October, 1872 — both 

 months in which this fruit usually is most abundant — and 

 February, 1874 ; the greatest number of fruit cut in one year 

 being in 1871, when I find 171 were cut, 162 of these being 

 Queens and 9 Smooth-leaved Cayennes ; the total weighing 

 450 lbs. 4 oza. avoirdupois, which gives an average of 2 lbs. 

 10 ozs. each, a weight, though not to be compared with fruit 

 uenally sent to exhibition, is nevertheless very fair when all 

 are told. I may say here that I am no great advocate for very 

 large fruit. A Queen of, say, 3 Iba. ripened at the time of year 

 when this fruit ij in perfection is, in my opinicn, large enough. 

 Smooth CayenntB run much la-ger, but plants of it increase 

 very slowly ; thus I find whereas nine of this variety were cut 

 in 1871, and all encouragement possible given to multiply and 

 increase them, we had only eighteen cut iu 1875. Of course 

 a number of good plants were in store at the latter period, but 

 I do not think any omitted fruiting that were expected to do 

 80, and as we always allowed the old stools to remain as long 

 as they famished suckers. I merely point oat how slowly this 



variety propagates itself compared with Queens, as of tho 

 latter any number might have been had during that time, 

 whereas it was customary to cut off" the old leaves from the 

 stools of Cayennes, place the plants in smaller pots, and plunge 

 them in the warmest part of the bed. Once or twice I believe 

 I adopted the plan recommended by some of laying the stool 

 horizontally on a box of light soil for the shoots to rise 

 from the side ; but even that is a very slow process, and one 

 I cannot recoromend as preferable to allowing them to remain 

 in an upright position. Might I ask other practical growers 

 how they succeed in increasing this variety ? My plants, I may 

 observe, were all grown in pots and in a tan bed that was 

 turned some two or three times a-year, and more or less new 

 tan added ; and about once iu two years the old tan was sifted 

 and the fine matter taken away, putting back the rough that 

 did not pass through a sieve of something less than half an 

 inch square in the mesh. The fresh tan was usually allowed 

 to drain a day or two in a shed, when it was mixed with the 

 old in the manner of trenching, which in fact the operation 

 resembled. 



With regard to the starving system, as it is called by your 

 correspondent " M.," I may say that I have found it very 

 good practice to withhold water from some of the Queens in 

 early summer which were wanted to show fruit as soon as 

 possible. This, however, was only done iu a medium degree, 

 and not to the extent to deserve the name " starved," but 

 checked ; and the limited quantity of water given to the whole 

 iu autumn and winter did not lender it necessary to make any 

 distinction with these. Your correspondent is quite right 

 about the uncertainty of Queens fruiting, for it is often pro- 

 voking to see large fine-looking plants, instead of showing 

 fruit, surround themselves with a host of suckers, most of 

 which are not wanted. I often think those that are what I 

 would call overpotted are most liable to this, but it is not 

 always the case. Another evil I have sometimes had to con- 

 tend with iu Queens — their liability to have overgrown crowns. 

 This I believe is often caused by too much syringing, or keep- 

 ing up too damp an atmosphere in the house or pit they are 

 growing in. Smooth Cayennes have naturally large crowns, 

 but there is a medium iu these too ; and the smaller they can 

 be made to be the prettier in my opinion they look, although 

 iu that of housekeepers in general who have the fruit to set 

 up for table a large crown is almost as important as a large 

 fruit. Black Jamaicas have also large crowns, but it is so 

 many years since I had much experience with this sort that 

 I have almost forgotten its peculiarities ; but it used to be 

 extensively grown iu the neighbourhood of Manchester, where 

 it was a special favourite. 



Of the last paragraph of " M.'s " very useful article, that 

 relating to insects, more may be said, as notwithstanding the 

 almost thousand and one specifics for the destruction of 

 insects, they are certainly more fatal to this than most 

 insects are to other fruits, not but that the Pine is vigor- 

 ous enough to stand against them and live ; but what a life I 

 and with what disgust does the grower of healthy good plants 

 look upon the white-scale-covcred sickly plants ; and yet how 

 often is the scale introduced unknown amongst a mass of 

 Pines. I confess having had it twice so introduced, on 

 one occasion the gift of a pretty variegated specimen of, I 

 believe, the Sugar-loaf Pine, quickly infested a housefull of 

 healthy fine plants, and a hundred fruiting-sized plants had 

 to be thrown away and a fresh stock had to be worked-up 

 again. On another occasion the vermin made its appearance 

 without my having known how it was introduced, and a 

 further destruction of plants followed. With mealy bug I 

 have not had so much to do, but the lesson given above led 

 mo in all cases when such was possible to insist on the Pine 

 having a house or pit entirely to itself, or where Vines had to 

 be grown in the same place to take especial care that they 

 were free from all the pests affecting the Pine. Furthermore, 

 I advise that all Pino houses or pits be separated entirely from 

 structures devoted to the culture of exotic plants, as there are 

 but few collections of those that can be called perfectly free 

 from insects, and " prevention is easier than cure." 



With regard to the difficulty of having ripe fruit in the 

 dead winter months, there is not so much trouble this way as 

 might be supposed. I find that the number cut during the 

 month of December in the last six years were respectively two, 

 nine, one, seven, eight, and two, and something like the same 

 for January. 



Having described my sufferings on two occasions with 

 white scale, I may relate one on the other side, which though 



