JULY] THE HOT-HOUSE. 479 



carefully loosened to a little depth, breaking the earth small with 

 the hands, and at the same time add thereto, if not done in any of 

 the preceding months, some fresh compost ; then level the surface 

 neatly. 



This dressing will do the plants more good than many people might 

 imagine ; but in particular to such as are in small pots. 



GATHERING AND SOWING SEEDS. 



Collect all the different sorts of seeds as they ripen, spread them 

 upon paper in a dry shady place, and when sufficiently hardened, let 

 them be carefully preserved in their pods or husks, or in paper bags, 

 till the proper season for sowing them. 



The seeds of geraniums, and of any other quick growing kinds of 

 green-house plants, may now be sown, and if properly attended to 

 will attain to a neat size before winter. 



THE HOT-HOUSE. 



PINE- APPLES. 



The pine-apples being now arriving at maturity, it may not be un- 

 acceptable to give some account, of the different varieties. 



Of the 'bromelia there have been many distinct species described, 

 viz : the B. ananas, B. pinguin, B. karatas, B. lingulata, B. humilis, 

 B. acanga, B. bracteata, B. nudicaulis, B. paniculigera, &c. ; but as 

 the first species is the only one cultivated on account of its fruit, I 

 shall confine myself exclusively to it, at least for the present. 



From the Bromelia ananas, or pine-apple, as it is called, on 

 account of the resemblance of the shape of its fruit to the cones of 

 some species of pine-tree, particularly to that of the Pinus pinea, or 

 stone-pine, there arise six principal varieties which have been culti- 

 vated for their fruit, &c. 1. The variety ovata, or queen-pine. 2. 

 The pyramidalis, or sugar-loaf pine. 3. The lucida, or king pine. 

 4. The glabra, or smooth pine. 5. The serotina, or late pine; and 

 6. The viridiSj or green pine. 



The queen pine is the most commonly cultivated, but seems daily 

 to decrease in esteem. Its flesh is of a fine yellow color, but in the 

 hot summer months it is very apt not to cut firm, is liable to crack 

 in the middle, and often contains an insipid watery juice ; but when 

 it ripens late in the season it is not so subject to any of these defects. 



The sugar-loaf pine is easily distinguished from all the others by 

 its leaves having purple stripes on their inside the whole length. The 

 fruit is paler when ripe than the former, inclining to a straw color. 

 This was brought from Brazil to Jamaica, where it is esteemed far 

 beyond any other kind. But of this there are three varieties. 1. 

 The brown leaved. 2. The green leaved, with purple stripes, and 

 spines on the edges. 3. The green leaved, with purple stripes and 



