THE PIXE APPLE. 19 



Temperature from this time till the 20th of the 

 January following, from 5.5 to 64. 



Temperature from January to March not under 

 55. Lowest degree admissible during winter 42. 

 Highest summer heat 10,5. 



Temperature of the bark hot-beds, in which the 

 plants are placed to fruit when air is given, 103. 



Ordinary summer heat for the fruiting plants 96. 



In Holland and Flanders, at the present day, the 

 Pine Apple is never grown in any other manner 

 than in pits and hot-beds. The crowns and suckers 

 are struck and forwarded, from three to six, or nine 

 months, in hot-beds, and afterwards removed to pits. 

 These pits differ from ours in being rather steeper in 

 the roof, and generally the fruiting pits have a pas- 

 sage at the back, with a flue against the back wall, 

 and an entrance door to the passage at one end. 

 In some the passage and flue are in front, and in 

 others a passage and flue are conducted round the 

 house, leaving the pit in the middle ; but this is 

 rather an uncommon form, and chiefly to be met 

 with in pits or stoves for ornamental plants. The 

 fuel in general use is peat, and the glass is well 

 covered with boards and matting or canvas or 

 thatch every night after sun-set, excepting in the 

 wannest part of the season. 



The soil used by the Dutch is good garden earth, 

 mixed with a third part of well-rotten hot-bed 

 dung, or cow dung, and a sufficient quantity of 

 sand to render it free and pervious to moisture. 



-c 2 



