388 FORCING DEPARTMENT. 



from the dung linings; these will require to be 

 cleared out of the pits, and those that were recently 

 collected substituted in their place. As soon as the 

 heat begins to rise amongst the fresh leaves, they 

 should be turned over, and trod as compactly toge- 

 ther as possible, and the surface levelled for the 

 plants to stand upon, observing, that the pots must 

 not be plunged at this period, otherwise the violent 

 heating of the new leaves will materially injure the 

 roots, and be very prejudicial to the plants during the 

 Winter season, while they are in a dormant state. 

 The Pines should be placed on the surface of the 

 bed, at such distances as the size of plants will ad- 

 mit of; they may be pretty closely packed together 

 at this period, but should not be too crowded. 

 When the plants are all arranged, the same tempe- 

 rature and culture, as was recommended through the 

 preceding season, is applicable to the ensuing year's 

 treatment. The plants should be again disrooted 

 about the middle or latter end of March, and a 

 similar course of culture adapted through the Sum- 

 mer months, which will bring them to a sufficient 

 degree of forwardness and strength, to be placed in 

 their fruiting sized pots by the middle of September. 

 It is, however, very desirable to have a succession 

 of fruit in the latter end of the season, as well as in 

 the early part ; therefore, to provide for this, at the 

 Spring shifting, a number of the strongest of the 

 plants are selected from the pits, and shifted into 

 larger sized pots than they have been previously 

 growing in, and any decayed roots that may appear 

 are cut clean away ; the young fibres are carefully 



