MR. BARNES ON THE PINE APPLE. 261 



can hardly lay down a rule for the guidance of others. Under the 

 general system of culture in August and September, we hardly 

 ever look at the thermometer, but throw the lights open night 

 and day, that the wind may have free passage. 



The past season having been so fine, I am sorry that I did not 

 make a comfortable preparation in some snug corner out of doors, 

 and turn out a lot that started in May, allowing them first to 

 bloom. Judging from the usage my pines have had this sea- 

 son, I am sure they would have produced in this manner some 

 splendid fruit, and I shall not be satisfied until I have produced 

 Queen Pines out of doors equal to those I have forwarded ; and 

 I entertain no doubt as to the accomplishment of my object, even 

 without the aid of glass, after the plants have bloomed. 



At the bottom of the box I enclose a fair sample of the soil 

 which I generally make use of. It is put into the pots — bushes, 

 grass, herbage, and all — with some charcoal for drainage, and 

 some charred materials are mixed amongst it as we thrust the sods 

 into the pots ; we push it down with large rammers for tlie pur- 

 pose, but do not jam it together ; we endeavour to have it in a 

 condition to admit a free circulation of air and water, which is tlie 

 grand object. The kind of soil to be employed in the culture of 

 the Pine I find by experience is of but little consequence so long 

 as the natural herbage, heaths, or furze adhere to it when used, 

 and so long as it is collected healthily and harvested in good con- 

 dition, and preserved in that state until it is made use of; after 

 which the health of the plants, starting their fruit in due season, 

 and the swelling them off finely and of good flavour, depend 

 wholly on the system of applying heat, air, and moisture, with a 

 suflficiency of such gases as are most congenial to their well doing. 

 I make it a rule to adopt the soil of the locality where I reside 

 with the native plants attached for all purposes of culture. I 

 never go abroad for soils or manures. To be sure we cook a deal 

 of the food for our plants and brew their beverage, and apply it 

 in a clear and wholesome state ; we never apply it in a hodge- 

 podge state, or in such quantities as would surfeit a plant, for 

 nothing will produce disease faster than giving extreme appli- 

 cation of what is called manure, either solid or liquid. My 

 plan is, to keep the atmosphere changed so that I can breathe 

 comfortably myself, and I find in this the plants maintain that 

 kind of health and luxuriance which I delight in observing. If 

 I could not obtain surface soils with the natural vegetation in 

 my locality, I would collect furze, heath, brushwood, scraps of 

 faggot stacks, grass, or herbage of some kind, and some charred 

 articles, and work it in with the kitchen-garden and other soils 

 which I could get^ making it porous so as to admit the natural 

 gases : there can be no difficulty in managing these matters. 



