THE PINE APPLE. 



General management. The crowns and suckers, 

 when they are detached at irregular seasons, as 

 in winter, or very early in spring, are planted in 

 any spare corner of the bark bed, till a number is 

 collected, when they are planted in pots, according 

 to their sizes, and plunged in common hot-beds, 

 or pits. Mr. Andrews has no particular months 

 for shifting, no fixed sizes of pots, and no prede- 

 termined manipulation as to shaking the plants out 

 of their balls, or otherwise. He is present at every 

 operation himself; and acts as the case requires. 

 He encourages forward plants, by giving them 

 larger pots than the rest ; sometimes he looks over 

 the nursing-pits, and selects the most vigorous 

 plants, shifts them, and puts them into a stronger 

 heat, leaving the others for some weeks longer : 

 the balls of earth he does not disturb, if they do 

 not appear hard, the roots injured, or the plant 

 enfeebled. Sometimes he takes off the bottom of 

 the ball, and the bottom roots, paring off any part 

 of the stump of the plant which may appear de- 

 caying ; at other times, he contents himself with 

 removing the surface-mould, and top-dressing. In 

 general, he places the plants somewhat deeper in 

 the pots at each shifting. 



The plants which he removes to the fruiting- 

 houses are shifted, for the last time, about nine 

 months before the fruit is expected ; their pots are 

 generally twelve or fourteen inches in diameter ; 

 but not of the usual proportion in depth, to lessen 

 the risk of overheating from the tan. The depth 



