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On the Culture of the Pine Apple. 



who has had most ample opportunities of observing, that he 

 has frequently seen, in the east, the Pine Apple growing 

 in the open air, where the surface of the ground, early in 

 the mornings, shewed unequivocal marks of a slight degree 

 of frost. 



My plants remained nearly torpid, and without growth, 

 during the latter part of November, and in the whole of De- 

 cember; but they began to grow early in January, although 

 the temperature of the house rarely reached 60°; and about 

 the 20th of that month, the blossom, or rather the future 

 fruit, of the earliest plant, became visible ; and subsequently 

 to that period their growth has appeared very extraordinary 

 to gardeners who had never seen Pine plants growing, except 

 in a bark-bed, or other hot-bed. I believe this rapidity of 

 growth, in rather low temperature, may be traced to the 

 more excitable state of their roots, owing to their having 

 passed the winter in a very low temperature comparatively 

 with that of a bark-bed. The plants are now supplied with 

 water in moderate quantities, and holding in solution a less 

 quantity of food than was given them in summer. 



In planting suckers, I have, in several instances, left the 

 stems and roots of the old plant remaining attached to them ; 

 and these have made a much more rapid progress than others. 

 One strong sucker was thus planted in a large pot upon the 

 20th of July ; and that is beginning to shew fruit. Its stem 

 is thick enough to produce a very large fruit ; but its leaves 

 are short, though broad and numerous ; and the gardeners, 

 who have seen it, all appear wholly at a loss to conjecture 

 what will be the value of its produce. In other cases, in 

 which I retained the old stems and roots, I selected small 



