282 PINE CULTURE IN SOUTH WALES. 



admitted, and hence Mr. Barron says he would rather hear, even 

 in cold weather, the leaves rattling against each other, by the 

 abundance of air admitted, than have the plants in a confined 

 atmosphere from any inefficiency in the heating apparatus ; in 

 fact Mr. Barron says he finds he cannot admit too much air at 

 any season, and hence his present arrangement is a material 

 assistance to him, as the air being admitted by the side doors, it 

 passes over and between the pipes, and becomes heated before it 

 comes in contact with the plants. From this pit the Queen 

 pines which took the first prize at Chiswick in July last were cut, 

 and the smallest pine cut during the season was over four 

 pounds ; and at the present time (December) there is a smooth 

 Cayenne just ripening, which I think will not be much short of 

 seven pounds, and from a very small plant too. The Pines here 

 have rather more room than at Dowlais, being planted two feet 

 six inches to three feet apart ; and some of the Providences are 

 very fine indeed. On the whole, however, the plants are not so 

 large as at Dowlais, but they are exceedingly good, and will 

 doubtless, another season, produce to exhibitors some troublesome 

 fruit to beat. 



The Pine compost used at Singleton, as I have before 

 intimated, consists of peat, loam, and some rough leaf-mould, and 

 previous to use it is charred, the wood necessary for charring it 

 being mixed with it, and then being laid out thin, sufficient strong 

 manure water is added to thoroughly impregnate the mass with 

 ammonia, and it is turned frequently, so as to get thoroughly 

 ameliorated before use. 



It will thus be perceived that though Mr. Barron does not use 

 dung linings, he still has the advantage of a considerable portion 

 of ammonia in the atmosphere, for we know that charred materials 

 are great absorbents of ammonia, and hence with the stock stored up 

 in the soil and the quantity periodically supplied in watering and 

 syringing the plants, and damping the bed and pipes with weak clear 

 manure water, the plants are supplied with a quantity of nutriment 

 much in excess of what some years back would have been thought 

 advantageous for the culture of the Pine. In this pit the plants 

 are all planted out, some as suckers and quite small, but the 

 majority, after they have had one season's growth in pots — 

 in fact the pit is arranged every autumn after the principal 

 stock of fruits is cut ; then the largest of the succession plants are 

 planted out, and if they do not increase much in size of plant 

 afterwards it is very remarkable what splendid fruit they produce. 



