Culture of the Pitie-apple at Versailles. 19 



de rechaufs), several short beds are placed one against the other, so as to 

 form together an immense square bed. The individual beds of this large bed 

 are 6 ft. broad ; therefore, when the frames are placed, the space of 2 ft. is 

 left vacant between them for the paths. These paths are filled with manure 

 as high as the frames, to warm the air within, according as the temperature 

 requires, till the fine weather sets in. 



About 8 in. of soil is put upon the bed in the frames. This thickness of 

 soil is sufficient. The roots, after having penetrated tiiis soil, may without 

 injury extend into the bed ; but, though they grow to the length of several 

 feet, they rather tend to spread horizontally than to extend downwards. 



Before unpotting the offsets to plant them in the frames, some of the lower 

 leaves are removed, in order that the rudiments of roots covered by the bases 

 of these leaves maybe at liberty to expand. The plants, once established in this 

 man ner, require little further care. The roots find sufficient heat in the bed during 

 the summer, and the temperature of the air from the month of April is always 

 increasing. Therefore, in a very short time, all the labour that is required 

 is to give air and a great deal of water and shade. The leaves become red 

 during the great heats, if they are not shaded for two or three hours during 

 the middle of the day. Canvass (a transparent kind of cloth) is the best 

 to break the rays of the sun without intercepting the light. The temperature 

 from the middle of July to the middle of August is sufficiently high to 

 admit of the lights being kept partially open during the night, and to allow of 

 plenty of water being thrown on the heart of the plant, and in the axils of 

 ^he leaves, where it is preserved as if it were in pots. 



3. Shelter to assist the OiJeration of the Renewal of the Roots when the 

 plant is grown, and to preserve it when rooted till it is taken into the fruiting- 

 house. 



This shelter should be of sufficient dimensions to admit a person to enter 

 it. Its breadth should be at least 8 ft., to contain the path, the bed, and the 

 flues. It is half-sunk that the air may be preserved rather moist. The sum- 

 mit of the front wall is accordingly on a level with the exterior soil, and the 

 back wall, which is 6 ft. high, rises only 4 ft. above the soil. This back wall, 

 in its lower part, is built in arches, the spaces being filled with plates of 

 metal, by means of which, when it is necessary, dung placed on the outside 

 transmits its heat into the interior. This heat is preferable to that of fire, 

 and is sufficient, when the season is not too severe in winter, to preserve a 

 moderate temperature in the air, suitable to plants that are not intended to 

 be forced, but only to be preserved till their turn comes of being placed in the 

 fruiting-house. 



Before potting the plants whose roots are to be renewed, the wounds that 

 have been made in the stock, whether by pulling off the leaves to display the 

 new portion of the stock which is to produce the new roots, or by removing 

 the little offsets which are found, when the leaves are removed, situated at 

 the axil of each, are allowed to dry for several days. In planting the stock, 

 it is plunged two thirds of its depth in the pot, and the mould is to be dry 

 rather than moist, because too much moisture is dangerous when vegetation 

 is in a state of repose. Before plunging the pots in the tan which covers the 

 bed, this bed must have attained a warmth of 30° of Reaumur (100'' of Fahr.). 

 This high temperature is necessary to cause a rapid developement of the 

 roots. Care must be taken, in the meantime, to stop up the chinks in the 

 lights with moss, and to cover the lights with mats, that neither the exterior 

 air nor the sun may fatigue the plant. At the end of ten or fifteen days the 

 roots are sufficiently developed to allow of a little water being put on the 

 mould of the pots, and at the same time to give a little air and light. The 

 proportion of water for the roots, and the quantity of air and light for the 

 plant, increase as the roots begin to grow. At the end of two months, the 

 plant, abundantly provided with roots, may be set for fruiting. 



In order to have ripe fruit throughout the year, the plants are distributed in 

 series, ranking according to size, and these series are set for fruiting succcs- 



c 2 



