52 Culture by Steam acting on loose Stones. 



September 12. — I have just received a letter from Mr. 

 Lauder, the gardener at Castle Semple, in answer to mine 

 about the pines in the steam-pits, and the substances in which 

 the pots are plunged. Perhaps the information it contains 

 may be of some service to you, before you make use of what 

 I formerly stated. He says, " The pines that I planted in a 

 bed of soil in one of the steam-pits are looking remarkably 

 well. The tall-growing kinds are placed in the back of the 

 pit, and the queen pines in the front. Although the queen 

 pines are only last autumn's suckers, they are now (Sept. 9.) 

 the largest and finest-looking plants that I ever recollect to 

 have seen; indeed, few gardeners that have seen them will 

 believe that they are not yet a year old. And what makes 

 them look better than the other plants in pots, and wrought 

 with leaves or tan, is, that there is not a single damaged leaf 

 to be observed upon them ; whereas those last mentioned have 

 their leaves invariably injured more or less, by removing them 

 so often to renew the bottom heat. I have got the pots with 

 the holes in their sides ready for the fruiting plants, and will 

 have the different kinds put in next week. 



" With regard to the substances for plunging the pots of 

 pines in, I am of your opinion that light gravelly soil is better 

 than either rotten leaves or tan bark. As a proof of this, I 

 may mention, that I have plunged the two long thermometers 

 in the same steam-pit, the one in the earth hi which the pine 

 plants are growing without pots, and the other among the 

 rotten leaves in which the pots with pines are plunged ; and 

 the result is, that the thermometer in the bed of earth stands 

 several degrees higher than the one in the bed of rotten 

 leaves, although both the thermometers were plunged exactly 

 to the same depth." 



I am sorry Mr. Lauder has not stated the exact number of 

 degrees indicated by the thermometer placed hi the earth 

 above that among the rotten leaves, and I intend to write to him 

 to specify the difference ; but an opportunity having occurred 

 of sending you this, I was unwilling to lose it. It will be next 

 autumn before the results of the experiments which I formerly 

 mentioned to you, as now in progress at Castle Semple, can 

 be properly ascertained. If I am spared till that time, I shall 

 be happy to communicate them to you. — J. H. 



