of Durham, Northumberland, a?id Newcastle upon T^ne, 27 



4. Detail of a Tried to grotu the Pine-apple tvithout Bottom Heat. 

 By the Rev. R. H. Williamson, Newcastle. 



Six small pine plants were, on March 2., shifted into very 

 large pots ; two into middle-sized, and two into such as would 

 barely admit fresh earth about the balls. One of each of 

 these was placed on the back flue, on inverted pots, so as to 

 stand near the glass. The other three were placed on the 

 hottest part of the flue, also near the glass. About mid- 

 summer, those in the smallest pots were shifted, and, at the 

 end of March twelvemonths, they and those in the middle- 

 sized pots were shifted again ; the plants in large pots being 

 merely earthed up. The plants on the back flue never did any 

 good ; that in the large pot grew rapidly to a large size, was 

 earthed up in the August of the second year, and ripened a 

 large, well-flavoured fruit in the January following. The re- 

 maining two plants were shifted in September, and were, at 

 the time the paper was written, perfectly healthy, but not 

 quite so strong as those of the same age in the bark-bed. The 

 experiment was made in an old ruinous house, and, the ex- 

 perimenter observes, should be repeated under more favourable 

 circumstances, in order to ascertain what may be done with 

 fire heat without the aid of tan, dung, or leaves. 



Our opinion, derived from observation, and from hearing 

 the remarks of the most skilful and experienced pine growers, 

 is, that no good will ever be done by fire heat applied in the 

 mode, either of Mr. Williamson, or of Mr. Knight. Some- 

 thing may be effected by applying fire heat in a vault, or 

 under a mass of masonry covered with sand, ashes, or leaves ; 

 but this can seldom be worth while now that the system of 

 heating by hot water is becoming so general. This system 

 will, probably, in the end, render Newcastle, and the other 

 coal districts, the chief sources for supplying London, Paris, 

 and the great towns and cities of Europe with forced fruits 

 and vegetables, and with pine-apples, and other tropical fruits. 

 It is in the order of things, that those productions, the chief 

 cost of which is heat, should, where heat is cheapest, be 

 produced in the greatest abundance, and at least expense. 

 New and unforeseen applications of steam may convey these 

 productions to the most remote parts of Europe, uninjured 

 either by the mode of conveyance, or the time occupied. 



(To be continued.) 



