202 



JOUENAL OF HOETICTJLTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



[ September 14, 1871. 



thousands of ponnds. The accompanying engraving gives a 

 glimpse of a vista in the Pinetum. 



The manner in which those and various other works of the 

 most extensive kind have been furnished, are lasting proofs of 

 Mr. Glendinning's abiUty. The Pinetum was originally about 

 thirty-six acres, with a circuitous walk of nearly two miles, 

 commencing at the house and terminating at the flower gardens. 

 There are also shrubberies attached of about twenty acres and 

 enclosed by iron railing, and more recently about eight acres 

 have been added to the Pinetum, making it at the present time 

 somewhere about sixty- four acres. When in its most complete 

 state the arboretum contained more than three thousand 

 species and varieties, but year after year deaths were allowed 

 to occur ia the Pinetum unnoticed, instead of being promptly 

 repaired by the purchase of fresh specimens, so that when Mr. 

 Begbie succeeded to the head-gardenership two years since, he 

 fonnd that no less than nine hundred of the specimens were 

 gone. Lady EoUe would not allow the labels, marking where 

 they stood and recording their names, to be removed, but they 

 remain as a record of neglect, and her ladyship has requested 

 Dr. Hooker, of Kew, to collect as many as can be procured 

 of the species and varieties that are lost, and to do as much as 



possible towards restoring the Bicton Pinetnm to its original 

 strength. 



We shall recur to the arboretum on a fatnre occasion, but 

 will now pass to another speciality of Bicton. 



Its Pine Apples have been celebrated for many years. Even 

 in Mr. Glendinning's days, now between thirty and forty years 

 since, they were well grown in heat derived from leaves and 

 tan, without the more modern system of having properly con- 

 structed pits with a good command of top and bottom heat. 

 There is now a fruiting Pine pit heated with hot water and 

 divided into seven compartments, each containing from twenty- 

 five to thirty fruiting Pines. Sixteen varieties were grown 

 here when the management devolved on Mr. Begbie in May, 

 1869. Monster sorts and monster fruit had been produced 

 annually, and carried or sent to all the principal fruit shows 

 in this country, and even to Paris, with the most gratifying 

 results, as they turned out to be mostly prizetakers and grown 

 by express. For various sufficient reasons it is unlikely that 

 any of the Bicton Pines will be seen again on the exhibition 

 boards. 



Monster Pines were grown and obtained many prizes, anot 

 were so grown in very high temperature, strong or rather heavy 



The Obelisk is only a Landmark. 



soil, and often staked in the pots to keep them in position and 

 from tumbling out. The system was kept up by waterings, 

 steamings, and syringings, a large copper garden engine having 

 often come into use twice daily, showing that large Pines can 

 be grown with but few roots, and will grow and swell up well, 

 aided chiefly by atmospheric moisture ; but this extra size is 

 obtained at the expense of quality in the fruit. The plan is 

 now different. 



As above stated, there are seven compartments for fruiting 

 Pines. Largo suckers are secured in succession as often as 

 may be required — seven times in the year if preferred, taking 

 thirty suckers at each time, care being taken that the suckers 

 are of good size and healthy. They are detached from the 

 stools, the bottom leaves carefully stripped and trimmed ready 

 for potting, which is done as soon after as circumstances will 

 permit. The pots for suckers are 7 and 8-inch pots, new, or 

 thoroughly washed, carefully drained, and over the drainage 

 are placed a few pieces of turfy loam. 



The soil used is tnrfy loam, rather light, with all the fine 

 earth shaken out of it, and to which a sprinkling of boiled inch 

 bones has been added, and a little soot placed over the pieces 

 of drainage turf. The sucker is placed rather low in the pot, 

 and the soil rammed, so that when finished the plants are quite 

 firm. The next operation is to get them plunged in succession 

 pits as soon as possible. At Bicton all snccession Pines are 



grown in rough deep wooden pits, using leaves and a litils 

 stable manure for heating purposes, than which nothing can 

 answer better. 



The batch having been plunged about July 1st, they ara 

 kept and wintered in their 7 and 8-inch pots according to size, 

 and about the middle of March following, if all has gone well, 

 the pots will be almost full of healthy fibrous roots. Eleven 

 and 12-inch pots are used for the fruiting. The plants are 

 moved quickly into a warm potting-shed, repotted in well 

 drained pots, using turfy loam as before, rather light than 

 heavy, a proper proportion of boiled inch bones added, and a 

 small portion of soot. The soil is rammed in as hard as it is 

 generally done with Heaths, but care is taken that the ball of 

 earth is not injured. The plants are placed as deeply in the 

 pots as possible, and the leaf beds being well turned up, and 

 fresh sweet well-worked leaves added, the pots are plunged in a 

 bottom heat of SO" to 85°, which is maintained until the pots 

 are full of roots, when the plants will be broad-leaved, stubby, 

 healthy subjects, so cheering to a practical gardener. 



By the middle of June, if not sooner, the plants should ba 

 rested for two or three week?, after which, if all is right as to 

 sorts, they may be introduced to the fruiting-pit — say twenty- 

 five or thirty Black Jamaicas and Smooth Cayennes. Thus 

 treated they will start freely into fruit, and prove most useftil 

 during the winter months. Others, snob, as the Queens, iollow 



