THE HOTHOUSE PINEAPPLE igg 



culture, I do not hesitate to say tliat I prefer the planting out here in our drier 

 atmosphere. It involves less trouble, and the plants will make a quicker and 

 stronger growth. 



The instructions as to soil, perfect drainage, etc., given for bed planting 

 apply also to pot culture. The size of the pots should be taken into considera- 

 tion. A twelve-inch pot is ample for the final shift, or what is generally called 

 the fruiting pot. Nor is it well to give too small shifts, as the potting soil is 

 best used in a fairly rough state. Repot from six-inch to nine-inch and from 

 nine-inch to eleven-inch or twelve-inch, thus allowing space to use the compost 

 in a rough, lumpy state. Firm potting is essential, and the watering should be 

 done carefully until the roots penetrate through the new compost. Do not 

 pot Pines in cold soil — warm it up first. I need not go into details here as to 

 feeding and general culture, for what is good for the Pine in the bed is also good 

 for the Pine in the pot. The latter may require somewhat more feeding, but 

 otherwise the culture is the same. Bottom heat is equally essential for best 

 results. While we might grow a few Pines in one end of a plantstove, without 

 bottom heat, there would be no comparison between the two. The same shaped 

 beds as recommended for planting out will be about right for the pot system. 

 Plunge the pots into some light material; tanbark is excellent and will keep 

 wholesome for a year, and the slight odor given off by the bark seems agreeable 

 to the pines. The most important point to bear in mind, here as elsewhere, 

 is perfect drainage. The pots should be carefully crocked, so as to ensure a 

 perfect outlet for all surplus water, particularly when transferring to the fruit- 

 ing pot, for the plants will remain in these, their largest pots, for a long time. 

 If a Pineapple plant is not looking happy, the cause will generally be found in 

 clogged or imperfect drainage, showing plainly the importance of this simple 

 matter. 



INSECTS 



Insects are not, as a rule, \ery troublesome in the pinestoxe, if the proper 

 amount of moisture has been maintained. The best antidote is a steady tem- 

 perature with enough moisture to keep up a healthy growth. Very curiously, 

 scale attacks a sickly plant in preference to a healthy one. But in any case, a 

 sharp watch should be kept for any insects that may appear and means should 

 be adopted at once to check their spread, but there is not much danger of this 

 if the spray or syringe is used effectively. It is fortunate that this is so, 

 for the pineapplehouse when the plants are full-grown is more like a little 

 forest than a collection of plants. The cheapest way and the one best for the 

 health of the plants, is to adopt precautionary measures, even though the plants 

 be clean. I have found a weak solution of whale oil soap for syringing the 

 foliage, say once in three or four weeks, admirably effective in keeping the 

 foliage clean and healthy: a piece of soap about the size of an egg to four gal- 

 lons of water. 



Mealy bug should be watched closely, for it will increase very rapidly in 

 the pinestove temperature. It works its way around the axils of the leaves and 

 then into the fruit. There is also a fine scale which is even more destructive 



