x THE PINE APPLE. 177 



ficient, except in very cold nights, when I have 

 found it necessary to light a very small fire to the 

 flue, to meet the decline of the steam in the morn- 

 ing, and this only to the fruiting-house in the 

 spring months, when the Pines begin to show their 

 fruit. In short, I have found no difficulty in keep- 

 ing up the heat of the house to sixty degrees, by 

 making up the fire to the boiler at ten o'clock at 

 night, and at six o'clock in the morning. 



" With regard to the bottom heat for the Pine- 

 plants, by steam from the same boiler, I find, by 

 allowing the steam to remain in the chamber be- 

 low the plants about two hours a day, the pit is 

 kept constantly at the temperature of from ninety 

 to ninety-five degrees, which I have found to be as 

 high as the roots of the plants are able to bear. I 

 would, therefore, say ninety degrees to be the stand- 

 ard height, which I have myself adopted* allowing 

 it to fluctuate down. If our succession Pine-pit 

 had been altered to have been heated by steam, as 

 the fruiting one is, which the boiler is perfectly 

 able to do, the saving in tan alone would more than 

 pay the interest of all the money laid out on erect- 

 ing the whole steam apparatus. 



" The above is my candid opinion on the sub- 

 ject, as far as my practice has enabled me to speak. 

 I am, &c. 



" JAMES DODDS." 



The best stoves for combining the culture of the 

 Pine and Vine in Scotland, have been constructed 



N 



