17 



den retains a great similarity to the plans of La 

 Quintinie, in 1681, with the exception of the forcing 

 department, which, at that time, consisted only of a 

 few frames for melons, cucumbers, and small salads. 

 It was not till about the year 1 702 that the pine apple 

 was introduced into the Potager, and so little was 

 then known of its culture, that no mention is made 

 of any fruit having being obtained till 30 years after ; 

 in fact, this and other tropical fruits do not appear to 

 have received much attention until the time of the 

 Empire ; since the peace, still greater improvements 

 have been made ; many new houses, especially for 

 pines, have been erected, and the hot water system 

 all but entirely adopted. The honour to which it 

 has now attained is more particularly due to M. Mas- 

 sey, the present director of the Royal Gardens, and 

 to the chief gardener in the forcing department, M. 

 Grison, who have, within the last few years, so suc- 

 cessfully introduced the open bed system of culture. 

 The whole of the succession pits and fruiting houses 

 are now heated by hot water ; tan has been entirely 

 discarded : all the water pipes are of copper, — some 

 round, others open, gutters, 5 or 6 inches wide, by 3 

 deep, like those in use at the Hon. R. Clive's, at 

 Hewell : these last are now coming into general use 

 for bottom heat. In England almost all the pipes 

 for warming the atmosphere are round ; there, on the 

 contrary, the greater part are flat and upright, from 

 c 



