Book I. 



PINERY. — FRUITING DEPARTMENT. 



527 



2S03. Temperature. Speechly is not definite on this subject ; but observes generally 

 that nothing is so prejudicial to fruiting plants as making large fires to force them to 

 grow in the winter season; the fruit-buds they send up are small, and the stems 

 weak. (2V. on Pine, p. 41.) 



Standard Temperature for the Fruiting- 

 House. 



Average Monthly Temperature of M'PhaWs 

 Fruiting-House. 



2804. Abercrombie observes, " As long as it would be danger- 

 ous, or at least not desirable, to have the plants show fruit, 

 the temperature should be kept reduced to that of the suc- 

 cession-pit. But a capital elevation, in the course of heat 

 maintained here, must be made for about eight of the last 

 months which the plants will remain in the house ; 

 that is, just as it becomes fit to excite them into fruit, 

 and during the whole period of fructification. In the an- 

 nexed Table, it will be observed, that August, September, 

 October, November, December, are set down twice. 

 Against the first series of these months is marked the 

 temperature at which it is proper to aim when the plants 

 have been transferred to the fruiting-house in the July- 

 preceding, or the current August or September, in order 

 that they may not start into fruit at the beginning or 

 middle of winter. Contrasted with this, the second series 

 respects a distinct pit appropriated to late fruiters ; plants 

 which have been removed from the succession-house 

 some months, and in which the object of culture is nearly 

 finished : however the decline of the natural season pro- 

 ceeds, a high course of heat must be continued, to ripen 

 the fruit on these. As to the maximum of artificial heat 

 for plants already in fruit, the degrees expressed are merely 

 to indicate, that it would be an unnecessary expense to go 

 higher ; but should the natural climate not supply a greater 

 heat, to go five or ten degrees higher, so far from being at- 

 tended with danger, would be beneficial to ripening pines, 

 particularly in allowing air to be given with greater security. 

 So the maximum in the last column is chiefly to be ob- 

 served for the sake of fresh air, which will do more good 



than a greater heat. He adds : " The fruit will not swell off fine, if the heat from the flues be too 

 languid to support the prescribed minimum temperature, until the full dominion of summer supersede 

 the aid of the furnace altogether." 



2805. M'Phaithas given tables of the temperature in 

 his hot-house, or fruiting-pinery, for every day in the 

 year, from which we annex the accompanying monthly 

 average. In January the thermometer stood at from 

 63 to 66 degrees in the morning ; from 68 to 85 de- 

 grees at noon ; and from 64 to 74 degrees in the even- 

 ing, and so on. On the tables from which the above is 

 extracted, M'Phail observes, " that the thermometer 

 was hung in the middle of the hot-house, shaded from 

 the direct rays of the sun." He does not offer these 

 tables as exact rules to be followed ; nor deny that the 

 pine-apple can be ripened in a different degree of 

 heat than that described ; but he asserts, that such 

 heat and management as he recommends will bring the 

 pine-apple to good maturity. " Had I kept a register 

 of the thermometer another year, and compared it 

 with that which I kept for twelve months, and have herein given, there would have been a difference ; 

 the heat of every day, week, or year, would not have been alike ; nor to cultivate the pineapple, or any 

 other plant, is it necessary that it should be so." 



2806. Nicol, in January, keeps the fruiting-pit at the same temperature as the succession department, 

 (from 60° to 65°,) lest the plants should start into fruit. In February, he requires a " lively, but not 

 violent bottom heat, in order to start the plants into fruit :" the temperature of the air he raised gradually 

 to 75°, not allowing the thermometer to pass 80°. From 72° to 75° is his temperature for Marcli and 

 April. In May, June, July, and August, he requires 75° mornings and evenings, and 80° or 85° at noon. 

 In September, after fire-heat becomes necessary, he keeps as nearly to 65° as possible, and in sunshine, 

 by the free admission of air, to about 70° or 72°. In October, November and December, he lowers the 

 temperature to £10° mornings and evenings, and 65" in sunshine. 



2807. Griffin, as before observed, endeavors to keep the air of his fruiting and succession houses as 

 near as possible to 60°. 



2808. Baldwin says, " The fruiting-house, during the winter, should be kept at about 70° ; it may be 

 left in the evening at about 75°, and it will be found in the morning at about 65°, so that no attendance 

 during the night will be required.'' {Cult of Anan. p. 19.) 



2809. Covering at nights. Speechly observes, that many small hot-houses are covered by large sheets of 

 canvass, by the help of a roller and pulleys ; " but where hot-houses are large, this mode of covering 

 cannot so well be adopted ; therefore the most general method is to use light covers of wood, or frames of 

 wood, covered with painted canvass : the covering the whole of the roof of a hot-house in this manner is 

 very troublesome, and attended with great expense ; nor indeed is it absolutely necessary, as I have ob- 

 served above. When either of the above methods are practised, it should be done with discretion. In 

 many places the covers of the hot-houses are sometimes, in a snowy, dark, severe, or rainy season, per- 

 mitted to remain on for many days together, which is very detrimental to the plants, as they will in time 

 draw themselves weak by the continuance of such a practice; for it is observable, that plants grow much 

 faster in the dark than in the light ; and this is manifest from the progress of plants when first they arise 

 from seed, in the open ground, in the spring of the year, when they do not grow half so much in the day 

 as in the night. But here it must be observed, that the sun and light give maturity to the nightly pro- 

 gress of plants, and the want of them soon causes the plants to grow languid, weak, and, in time, to die. 

 It is also a bad practice to continue to cover hot-houses late in the spring of the year, which is injudici- 

 ously done in many places, even so late as the middle of the month of May ; for as the covers are seldom 

 taken off till aftersix o'clock in the morning (the hour that laborers come to their work at most places), 

 it makes the hot-house night too long at that season of the year, when generally there are great numbers 

 of the fruit of the pine in blossom ; for it should be remembered that light, as well as warmth, is essen- 

 tially necessary to promote the growth of plants. In large double-pitted hot-houses, the covering of the 

 lower lights may be effected with great ease, and this is found to be of use on a double account ; first, 

 because the pine plants in the front pit, by standing very near the glass, are in the most need of covering in 

 severe weather ; and, secondly, because the front pit is generally used for succession plants, which require 



