370 FORCING GARDEN. 



cliately. Sometimes, late in the season, they are merely 

 thrust into exhausted tan, without pots, where they 

 remain till the following spring. In general the oif- 

 sets should be as large as possible. Speechly did not 

 break oiF his suckers before they were twelve or four- 

 teen inches long, and he reserved only the largest 

 crowns. These large suckers and crowns grow -with 

 greater rapidity, and come sooner into fruit, than those 

 of smaller size; and in this, in truth, consists the prin- 

 cipal secret of what has been called- the short method 

 of culture, by which fruit is obtained in a much briefer 

 space of time than usual. The soil employed in pro- 

 pagation is rather -lighter than that afterwards applied. 

 The pots may be from three to six inches in diameter, 

 and, to promote draining, shjould contain at bottom a 

 layer of shivers or clean graveL For some- time the 

 plants are shaded from the rays- of the sun, and in 

 about eight or ten days they receive a little water. 

 It may be laid down as an important general rule, in 

 .the culture of the pine-apple, that the progi-ess of the 

 plant sholild be carried on without intermission — 

 without a check, without allowing it to flag for an 

 hour. As already stated, the older and more common 

 routine of pine-apple culture embraced a period of three 

 years ; but recent improvements have reduced these to 

 two years, or even to eighteen months. This has. given 

 rise to two modes of preparatory management, which 

 we shall notice separately, premising that the treat- 

 ment in the fruiting-house is the same in both. 



Tynennidl course. — The plants which were potted in 

 autumn are kept in the nursing-pit during winter, with 

 a mild temperature, slight bottom-heat, and sparing 

 allowance of -rt'ater. About the beginning of April they 



