JAN.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 93 



as the pine-apple, Sec. are still worse off; for, if the roof is kept on, 

 they are rendered good for nothing, and if taken totally off, both 

 them and the bark-bed are exposed to heavy rains, which destroy 

 the heat of the one, and consequently injures the health, vigour, and 

 fruit of the other : therefore all stoves ought to be constructed with 

 sliding roof as well as front lights. 



Nursery and Succession Stoves. 



Besides the main bark-stove already described, it is very con- 

 venient to have one or two smaller, such as a nursery-pit, and a 

 succession stove, particularly where there are large collections, 

 and more especially in the culture of pine-apples ; one serving as a 

 nursery-pit, in which to strike and nurse the young off-spring 

 crowns, and suckers of the old pines for propagation ; the other as 

 a succession-house for receiving the year old plants from the 

 nursery-pit, and forwarding them a year to a proper size for fruit- 

 ing, as succession plants, to furnish the main stove or fruiting- 

 house every autumn, to succeed the old plants then done fruiting. 



These smaller stove departments prove materially useful in the 

 culture of pines, particularly to raise and nurse the youup; plants, 

 until arrived to a proper age and size to produce fruit; then moved 

 into the main stove or fruiting-house, which being thus supplied 

 from these smaller stoves, with a succession of fruiting plants an- 

 nually, without being crowded or incommoded with the rearing of 

 the said succession plants, proves a particular advantage, not only 

 in the culture of the fruiting plants, as they often require a higher 

 degree of heat than the succession plants, at particular times, in 

 order to forward and improve the growth of their fruit ; but it is also 

 making the best advantage of this main department, to have the 

 bark-bed instantly filled with fruiting plants only, producing a 

 full crop of proper sized pine-apples every year, which could not al- 

 ways be effected with such certainty and perfection without the 

 aid of these succession stoves ; because the pine-plants in their 

 infant state require sometimes different management from the 

 fruiting plants, particularly in respect to the degree of fire-heat, 

 which, in general,, should be more moderate than for the fruiting 

 plants, lest too much should force them into fruit in their minor 

 growth, when incapable of producing such in any tolerable per- 

 fection. 



Therefore, these smaller succession stoves may be erected as 

 appendages to the main house, or may be detached at some little 

 distances, as may be convenient; though if the situation admits, 

 it may be both more convenient and ornamental to join them in a 

 line with the main stove, one at each end, and nearly of the same 

 construction, but smaller both in length, width, and height, if 

 thought proper : these are sometimes formed in the manner of a 

 common detached bark-pit, without any upright glasses in front, 

 having a wall all round, five or six feet high behind, gradually slop- 

 ing at each end, to about four feet in front, and with only sliding 

 glasses at top, more particularly the nursery stove, commonly and 



