THE PINE-APPLE. 



151 



placed two inches below the level of the rim. If in 

 thoroughly good condition and abundantly supplied 

 with roots, a twelve-inch shift may be given ; if only 

 indifferently rooted, use a smaller size, as it is of no 

 use sending the carriage in advance of the steed. 

 Eill in with rough compost : ram firml)'- with a 

 potting-stick as the work proceeds, and finish off 

 with a little fine soil, raising it slightly round the 

 collar of the plant. If the staple of the compost is 

 heavier than that recommended at page 34, then the 

 ramming, so essential in the use of light sandy loams, 

 need not be so closely followed up ; but all soils in 

 which the Pine-apple will thrive should be made 

 so firm as to prevent the possiblity of much moisture 

 being held in suspension, while it is sufficiently 

 sound and free to admit of the free passage of water 

 after it has been applied to the surface. 



Having selected all the best plants, which may be 

 presumed to occupy the eight-inch pots, and placed 

 them in the larger size for fruiters, proceed with the 

 second class and treat them in a similar way, only 

 using the ten and eleven-inch pots. It invariably 

 happens that some of the plants are found badly 

 rooted — it may be through being too wet, from drip, 

 or from being too cold ; be this as it may, plants 

 in such a condition should not be shifted into 

 larger pots until the sucker-pots are properly filled 

 with roots. Therefore the proper course will be a 

 careful examination of the crocks and soil, when, 

 these being satisfactory, return the plant to the 

 original pot to be replaced in the sucker-pit. If the 

 examination is unsatisfactory, shake away all the 

 soil, trim off all decayed parts, and re-pot in new 

 compost. 



When all the plants are potted, proceed with 

 their arrangement in the succession house in the 

 following manner : — Select as many of the tallest 

 plants, irrespective of the size of the pots, as will 

 form the back row, allowing a clear space of two 

 feet from stem to stem for Queens, and a little 

 more for Cayennes and Eothschilds. Then proceed 

 with the second row, and finish off with the most 

 stocky plants at the front. The distance here 

 recommended may appear rather extravagant, but 

 not if it is borne in mind that, with the whole of 

 the growing season before us, and the great import- 

 ance which attaches to full exposure to light, any- 

 thing short of this space will soon interfere with its 

 proper diffusion at a time when the production of 

 broad, stout, inflexible foliage must be the predomi- 

 nating aim of the cultivator. The depth to which 

 the pots may be plunged must be regulated by the 

 state of the bed. If the bottom heat ranges from 

 85" to 90", they may be plunged two-thirds of their 

 depth in the tan or leaves; if it exceeds 90°, then 

 shallower, by placing them in a basin, which can be 



filled up when the heat declines to 85". As the 

 abuse rather than the use of bottom heat at this 

 early season has to be guarded against, a bottom 

 heat thermometer placed in the bed will soon indicate 

 any sudden rise, which so often takes place imme- 

 diately after the tan has been disturbed. A few 

 degrees, for a short time wiU not make much dif- 

 ference ; but if it continues, rocking must be resorted 

 to, not so much for the protection of the roots, which 

 have not yet reached the sides, as to prevent a too 

 rapid growth so early in the season. For a few 

 days after potting the plants must be kept rather 

 close, with plenty of atmospheric moisture, produced 

 by damping the walls and floors two or three times a 

 day, and by keeping the evaporating pans full of pure 

 water ; but overhead syringing must not be indulged 

 in. The temperature during this period and through 

 the month of March may range from 60" to 65" at 

 night, and 70° to 75° by day, when the weather is 

 favourable ; but as few Pine-growers now believe in 

 fixed temperatures, these figures must be taken as 

 the mean to which the heats above or below must 

 approximate, and be governed by external con- 

 ditions. 



When the roots have commenced making their way 

 through the new compost, which can be observed by 

 the sharp, turgid texture of the foliage, a little air 

 must be given every day when the temperature 

 touches 70° with the prospect of its rising to 75°. 

 About 1 p.m. on bright days reducing may be com- 

 menced, to be followed by complete closing in time 

 for sun-heat to raise the house to 80°, As there is 

 no rule vdthout an exception, so there is no fixed 

 rule by which cultivators are governed ; these figures 

 are only approximate ; but if judiciously adhered to, 

 the young beginner will find that by the middle of 

 April he has overcome the risk which attends the 

 one-shift system, by getting the roots well in advance 

 of the foliage, and in the best possible condition for 

 receiving their first supply of water. 



Watering. — From the end of February to the 

 middle of April may seem a long time to keep the 

 plants without water ; but it is not too long, for plants 

 plunged in a moist fermenting medium are con- 

 stantly receiving moisture from it, as well as from 

 the atmosphere, and this at a season when the 

 perspiratory organs of a plant like the Pine-apple 

 in a glass structure are not very active. Indeed, 

 more mischief is done in Pine-stoves by the too 

 liberal application of water to the roots in early 

 spring than many people imagine. Mere driblets, on 

 the other hand, are equally pernicious, as the surface 

 roots only are reached by the water, and the inex- 

 perienced are misled by the moistened appearance of 

 the soil, when the active roots which have struck 



