THE PINE-APPLE. 1 9 



at this season by the state of the plunging material. 

 Where the bottom-heat is supplied with hot-water pipes 

 in air chambers or tanks, the plants may require an occa- 

 sional watering ; but with the bottom-heat that I have 

 named the waterings required will be very few indeed. 

 Young stock is in very little danger of fruiting pre- 

 maturely from being kept dry, if all else be right ; 

 and in all other respects it is much the best prac- 

 tice even to err on the side of dryness. 



When the thermometer rises above 60° a little air 

 should be put on, always at the highest point of the 

 pit or house. But, unless during a continuance of 

 dull damp weather, the temperature should not be 

 purposely raised in order to admit of giving air. In 

 most pineries there is a sufficient amount of circula- 

 tion going on in the atmosphere through the laps of 

 the glass and other chinks to render systematic air- 

 giving, with the low temperature and dry atmosphere 

 that I have recommended, unnecessary. It is there- 

 fore only during sunny days, when the heat is raised, 

 that air-giving must be carefully attended to during 

 the season of rest. 



Under ordinary circumstances this is the winter 

 treatment to be recommended as that which ^will give 

 succession plants in the most robust and healthy con- 

 dition in spring, and that can be grown into the very 

 best fruiting stock by the following autumn. Scarcity 

 of intermediate plants may, however, in certain cases, 

 render it desirable to considerably increase the size of 

 the plants in order to gain time. When such is the 

 case they should be kept gently on the move aU winter 

 by keeping the temperature at from 60° to 65°, with a 

 little more moisture at the root than has been recom- 



