PINE APPLE—FRUITING HOUSE, 357 
nial course, while the vacancies in either may be made up 
from the other. That this is practicable, at least in gar- 
dens where there are two fruiting-houses, may be seen 
from the tabular compendium of culture given at p. 361. 
Fruiting-House.—About the beginning of August, the 
plants, now two years old, are shifted for the last time. 
“The pots are from twelve to fourteen inches in diameter, 
and the balls are preserved entire. About eight or ten 
days:-previously, the bark-pit of the fruiting-house should 
be cleared out, the old tan screened, if necessary, and fresh 
material supplied. The pots are then plunged into the bark 
as deeply as can be done with safety, and the plants are so 
treated as to keep them ina growing state during the whole 
of autumn. In winter, the nocturnal temperature is kept 
at 60°; but towards the end of January it is gradually 
raised to 70°. This rise, however, should follow, and not 
precede or be a cause of the vernal growth of the plants. 
About the middle of February, the second fruiting-house 
may be prepared for the reception of the plants in the 
biennial succession-pit. These are existing in a mild tem- 
perature, and start during the general progress of the 
season. 
That period at which pine-apple plants first show their 
fruit-stalks, or, as it is technically termed, start, is the 
most critical in their whole culture. It is generally desi- 
rable that this should happen at a certain age, and at a 
particular season ; but these are circumstances over which 
the cultivator can searcely be said to havea direct control, 
and accordingly, while the most successful, can hardly 
deem themselves beyond the reach of failure, the less skill- 
ful are very liable to err. We are not aware that the 
rationale of starting has been investigated on the princi- 
ples of vegetable physiology; and it is certain that the 
