THE PINE-APPLE. 45 



sun early in the season than any I know, more especi- ■ 

 ally if kept gently on the move all winter. And rather 

 than allow the foliage to become bronzed, shade should 

 be applied for a time, as already directed. When 

 swelling off in winter, water at the root will of course 

 not require to be so frequently given as in summer, 

 and there should be no syringing. The evaporating 

 trays will keep the air sufficiently moist. Air must 

 be put on for a short time in the middle of every fine 

 day. 



PLANTS THAT MISS FEUITING. 



It not tinfrequently occurs that a few plants miss 

 starting into fruit along with the others, but continue 

 to grow, in spite of every effort to make them fruit. 

 The common practice is to throw these away. When 

 I have room to conveniently operate on these I cut the 

 plants over at the surface of the soil, and strip a few 

 of the leaves off them, and pot them deeply and very 

 firmly in fruiting-pots. They are slightly shaded for 

 ten days, by which time, with a brisk bottom-heat, 

 they begin to send out wonderfully strong roots, and 

 then the shading is discontinued, and they are watered. 

 In thiswaytheyare transformed into dzvarf strong plants, 

 and I always find that they start into fruit very soon 

 after, and swell off fine fruit. When I have found a set of 

 pines that have been drawn and are not likely to be got 

 to fruit satisfactorily, I have treated them in this way 

 instead of throwing them away, as is often done in such 

 circumstances. I fruited a quantity in the spring of 

 1869 which had been cut down the previous November. 



