B R O M E L I A. 



rnt3, !!.;t t' fv Ty.iy Lc r».rrn\\d .ir.il cl.ifTid acconlinjj to 

 circunilhiiccj, wiili'thf greater eafe and fafcty. Btfides, 

 many foits of plants, in any fituation, do niucli brttcr in 

 pots lliaii othcrvvifc; of llitf-: ate all of tlie fucculciit 

 tnbe, aniongll which is the jiine. 'I'hcre would alio fccm 

 ai.othcr rcafon, which is the loofc incoherent natiiic of tan 

 not :•:" r medium for the growth and lupport 



«.ffi. If. 



'I'll.- u'.u^l i)u:u.li of forming and rcnovntin)r or rifrcfiurg 

 thtfe briU are t!ic hrginniiiji; of the aiitwmii, as ScpteMi- 

 l>er, Oftobrr, and the following month, that ih.e hc:il may 

 be well kept up dininjj the winter, and in the fpnng, as 

 about the be^;iiniin;,' of Api;l ; a forking up being ■'ivcD in 

 the interval brtwcn thefe periods. 'I'lic pits in thole cafes 

 Ihould be . will filled up, lo allow for the failing 



that ;il« ■ , \cc, 



/■ /L-rfoHiri^lfv P.'.rilf. — Themod fuitable fort 



ofi. lijl tor the culture of the pine-apple plant is 



that of tiie liim vegetable kind, or fome conipofition in 

 which it is a principal ingredient ; a large proportion of 

 which IhouId always be provided in a proper Hate for the 

 purpofe. The molt bene licial kind is that which is obtained 

 from the decayed leaves of the oak, or a mixture of it with 

 that from thofe of afli, elm, beech, f\camorc, &c. This 

 mould is prepared by coUefting them as they fall in tl'.e 

 autumn, and placing them in a lieap, throwing a very little 

 light mould over them, to prevent their blowing away. 

 They (Iviuld rem.iin in this Hate during the wir.ter, and till 

 the b.-ginning of May, wtien they IhouKi be turned over and 

 mixed Well together. In this way, by the fpring following, 

 they will be reduced into a mould proper for ufe. This 

 Ihould, however, be fiftcd before it is employed, in order 

 to remove pieces of Hick or other improper matters. A 

 compoft of turfy vegetable mould with rich garden foil and 

 well roltt^ liable dung from a hot-bed, in the proportion 

 of one-thud of the latter, which have remained tojjcther for 

 a confiderable time, is likewifc recommended by fome. 

 Brown, ftrong, loamy earth, when reduced by long expofure 

 to the air, is another ufeful material j and pigeons' dung 

 that has been at Kail two years in an heap, and frequently 

 turned and expofed to the influence of the weather, may 

 be employed : alfo fhell maile, and fea or river gravel, 

 which has been lifted and kept in a dry place, having the 

 li/e of large peas, &c. may fonictimes be employed. The 

 proportions in which they are advifed to be made ufe of for 

 different p'.up ifes in the culture of tliefe plants by Mr. Ni- 

 col, are thele : " For crowns and fuckers entire Vfgetable 

 mould, with a little gravel at bottom, to ilrike in; after- 

 wards three-fourths vegetable mould, and onc-fonrth loam, 

 mixed with about a twciuieth part of gravel, and a little entire 

 gravel at bottom, till a year old. For year old plants, till 

 fliiftcd into fruiting pots, one half vegetable mould, one 

 half loam, to which add about a twentieth part of gravel, and 

 as much (licll marie with a httle gravel at bottom, as above. 

 For fruiting ir;, one half loam, a fourth vegetable mould, a 

 fourth pigeons' dung, to which add gravel and marie, as 

 above, and lay two iiich«s of entire gravel at bottom." 



Rai/in^tte I'larts. — This is the next point of material con- 

 fequcnce in the cultivation of thefe plants, and which is 

 effcfted cither by the crowns produced on the tops of the 

 fruit, the offsets, or fuckers from between the leaves, and the 

 roots of the old plant. The lall fliould never be employed 

 when it can be avoided ; of the other two, fuckers are pre- 

 ferred by fome, while crowns have the advantage, according 

 to others ; but Mr. Nicol juilly remarks, that if the former 

 lave the fuperi-jrity in being the ftrongerplant6,theyhavellke- 

 %ife the dijfadvantage of running to fruit more imfeafonably 



than the latter. The crowns are procur«^ by twlfling them off" 

 the fruit, when it is made ufe of, and the fuckers by breaking 

 down the leaf immediately beneath them, and moving them 

 gently both ways till they come off, which (liould not be 

 attempted till the under parts appear of a brnwnifh colour, 

 and ripe, as under other circumiUinces they are liable to 

 break in the middle and be fpoilod. When taken off, they 

 Ihoultf each of tium be cleared of a few of the lower out- 

 ward leaves about the bottom where they are to form roots, 

 by rubbing them off; i'ome alfo pare the urder parts of the 

 Humps fmooih with a knife. They are then laid or hung 

 up in a dry place four or five days, or more, that the over moif- 

 lurc and wounds of the Humps, or thick parts of the plants, 

 may be dried up and fiifficiently healed over before they arc 

 planted, and the danger of their rotting Be prevented. ,The 

 author of the " Scotch Forcing Gardener," however ob- 

 ferves, " that if they are perfectly ripe, ai.d the old plants 

 have had no water for a week or two before tin y were taken off 

 (which they ou;;ht not), nothing of this kind is necefiary." 

 Each plant frequently atfords many iuckcrs, but rarely 

 more than one crown. The crowns are ufjally gathered 

 one bv one as the fruit is ufcd, and ftuck into a br,rk-bed till 

 the whole crop of them, as well as the fuckers, can be 

 potted together. The plants, after being thus prepared and 

 collefted, muft be placed, according to their lizcs fingly 

 in pots three or four inches in diameter, and five or fix deep, 

 provided for the purpofe, and filled with entire ve-getEble 

 mould, as diredted f,bove, having the bottoms previoufiy 

 laid with clean gravel, of the fize of horfe beans, to the 

 thickncfs of an inch or fomething more : fome, however, 

 only advifc pieces of flate or tile to be put over the holes in 

 the pots. The firll is probably the bcft ni- thod, as pre- 

 venting the water moft cHcttually from Hagnating about the 

 roots of the plants. 



In plantinu- they (liould be put neither too (liallow, nor to 

 too great a depth, but have the mould pretty clofcly prcfled 

 round them. 



The nurfing pit Ihould be prepared for th.cir reception by 

 having new tan to the extent ot a filth or fixth part added, 

 but none fulTered to lie within ten or twelve inches of the 

 furface. In thefe beds, when of a due heat, the pots fiiould' 

 be plunged up to their brims, in regular order, at the diHance 

 of two or three inches pot from pot each way, keeping them 

 perfeiflly level, and the largelt towards the back parts. 

 Some advife a flight watering to be immediately given, but 

 others think that ne'ther the crowns nor fuckers Ihould have 

 any for the firft fortnight after planting, nor any ever-head the 

 f.rll winter, IcH they Ihould be injured in their hearts by the 

 damp which it occafions. 



As the plants thus raifed only produce fruit in the ftcond, 

 or more generally, in the third year's growth., commonly 

 with fuckers and crowns for future increafe, and become 

 afterwards of no ufe but as ftocks for fupplying a few more 

 fuckers, there is obvioufly a necelTuy for raifing frelh fup- 

 plies of plants annnally. 



Culliive in the yci'ifng Slave. — The management of the plants 

 the firll year, or while they remain in the nurfery-lloves and 

 pits, requires much attention to keep them in a regular and 

 healthy growth by preferving a continued proper degree of 

 heat in the beds, and a judicious application of water with 

 a fuitable admiflion of free air. Mr. Nicol obfcrves, that 

 where the plants have been ftruck in the beginning of Sep- 

 tember, the beds will mofiiy continue of a kindly heat till 

 about the b'.'ginning of November, but Ihould then be 

 wrought over, introducing about an eighth part of new 

 tan by trenchinT- it in. But though the plants will in gene- 

 ral have made good roots by this period, they do not in 



common. 



