80 XOTKS UPON 



near the front wall, and trained on wire trellises, fifteen inches 

 from tlie glass. 



The sorts of Pine-apples chiefly cultivated here are Queens 

 and Ca3'ennes. The smooth-leaved Cayenne is preferred to the 

 prickly-leaved. The Pine-plants are mostly planted out of the 

 pots, in soil above a bed of leaves of oak and beech, from whicli 

 the requisite bottom heat is solely derived. The soil is about a 

 foot thick, and is composed of rich friable loam, mixed with some 

 pigs' dung. Some of the Pine-apple leaves were four feet long, 

 and of a very liealthy dark-green colour. These were in a bed 

 planted in October, 1852 ; and in eighteen months from that time 

 the fruit will be all cut; or, if any are not then ripe, such will be 

 taken up and ripened off in pots, in order to allow the house to 

 be cleared, so as vines, the Black Hamburgh and Muscat of 

 Alexandria, which are trained at the back, may have a month's rest. 

 A mode of growing vines on a slate-shelf at the back wall of a house 

 near the light is likely to answer well. The vines appeared to be 

 growing in pots ; but in reality they were in bottomless earthenware 

 cylinders. The shelf is covered with good I'ich loam to the depth 

 of two inches, and on this the cylinders containing the plants are 

 placed. In this way, when the roots require to travel in quest of 

 fresh nourishment, not being confined like those in pots, they can 

 proceed beneath the lower edge of the cylinder, and feed on the 

 stratum of soil placed on the shelf. Into this they emit 

 abundance of fresh roots, capable of supplying plenty of nourisli- 

 mont to the branches; for the temperature of the soil on the 

 shelf must be nearly that of the atmosphere of the house. 

 Besides, moisture can be more uniformly applied to the principal 

 feeders than could be the case if the roots were all confined in a 

 pot ; for, in the latter, the centre of the ball of soil is apt to get 

 dry, and then it must be saturated by a pressure of water before 

 it can be moistened throughout. The roots of a plant may be in 

 soil containing just sufficient moisture, and then, all other circum 

 stances being favourable, its fruit will be well-flavoured. That 

 condition of soil is possible by the above arrangement ; but in a 

 pot the roots must be frequently saturated, and consequently the 

 flavour of the fruit must be thereby deteriorated. 



The Cherry-houses run north and south. The variety employed 

 for forcing is the May Duke, Bigarreau, and Black Tartarian. 

 Tiie trees are forced every second year. When the fruit is' 

 gathered, they are planted out in a compartment of the garden 

 near the houses, where they can be readilv svringed and watered. 



