OF RESTING. 325 



Vines out of the vinery, and takes the sashes from his 

 Peach and other forcing-houses, when the artificial sea- 

 son of growth is over, in order to prepare them for the 

 duty of a succeeding season ; although this operation 

 is performed in summer, its effect is to expose them 

 to dryness, which arrests their growth, and favours 

 the deposit in their wood of the matter required for 

 the produce of a succeeding year. 



The effects of a very dry atmosphere are necessa- 

 rily an inspissated state of the sap of the plant ; and 

 this in all cases leads to the formation of blossom 

 buds and of fruit. It thus operated upon some 

 Pine-apple plants in Mr. Knight's garden, to such an 

 extent as to cause even the suckers from their roots 

 to rise from the soil with an embryo pine-apple upon 

 the head of each, and every plant to show fruit, in a 

 very short time, whatever were its state and age. 

 Very low temperature, under the influence of much 

 light, by retarding and diminishing the expenditure 

 of sap in the growth of plants, comparatively with its 

 creation, produces nearly similar effects, and causes 

 an early appearance of fruit. 



The operations of forcing are essentially influenced 

 by these facts ; and, by a skilful alteration of the 

 periods of rest, we are enabled to break in upon the 

 natural habits of plants, and to invert them so com- 

 pletely, that the flowers and fruits of summer are 

 obtained to load our tables even in winter. Of this, 

 the following instance, taken from a paper by Mr. 

 Knight, in the Horticultural Transactions (vi. 232), is 

 a sufficient illustration. 



