76 BRITISH MODES OF CULTIVATING 



gether in a large heap ; and after fermenting a few 

 weeks, they may be put into the pit for the pines. 

 They should be well shaken, and trodden down 

 gently when they get into a fermentation, which 

 will keep them from sinking quickly afterwards, 

 and prevent them from heating violently. When 

 the heat in the bed declines much, it may be in- 

 creased by turning and shaking the leaves over 

 with a dung-fork. 



" It sometimes happens that tanner's bark heats 

 too violently ; but when that takes place, it is 

 either because there is too great a body of it put 

 together, or because the heat of the flues is too 

 close to the bed. If a tan bed get into a violent 

 heat, it will not keep its heat so long as if it heated 

 moderately ; for it must lose its heat as hastily in 

 proportion as it is deprived of its moisture by vio- 

 lent fermentation. 



" It frequently happens that Pine Apple plants 

 designed to bear fruit do not show their fruit early 

 enough in the spring or fore-part of summer, to 

 ripen their fruit before winter, when there is not 

 sunshine enough to give the fruit any flavour. 

 This may happen because the plants have not come 

 to a proper growth, or their roots may have been 

 injured by too violent a bottom heat, or by being 

 over-watered, or they may have been shifted 

 too late, or been put into pots too large for 

 their roots to have filled them before the end of the 

 growing season. To make Pine plants shew their 

 fruit at an early time in the spring, some authors 



