454 THE HOT-HOUSE. [July. 
but when it ripens late in the season it is not so subject to any of 
these defects. 
The Sugar-loaf pine is easily distinguished from all the others, 
by its leaves having purple stripes on their inside the whole length. 
The fruit is paler when ripe than the former, inclining to a straw- 
colour. This was brought from Brazil to Jamaica, where it is es- 
teemed far beyond any other kind. But of this there are three va- 
rieties. 1. The brown-leaved. 2. The green-leaved, with purple 
stripes and spines on the edges. 3. The green-leaved, with pur- 
ple stripes and smooth edges. The fruit of these is of exquisite 
flavour, filled with a lively delicious juice, and the flesh of a yellow 
colour. 
The King Pine, has grass-green, smooth leaves, and produces a 
pretty large fruit; but as its flesh is hard, stringy, and sometimes 
not well flavoured, it is not much cultivated. 
The Smooth Pine, is preserved by some persons for sake of va- 
riety, but the fruit is of little value. 
The late Pine, is not of much importance for cultivating, on J 
account of its ripening at an untimely season, and therefore its des- 
cription is considered unnecessary. 
The Green Pine, is considered tolerably good. The fruit, if suf- 
fered to ripen well, is of an olive colour; to have it green, it 
must be cut before it is ripe, and suffered to lie by, till fit for use. 
Plants of this kind may be procured from Barbadoes, and Montser- 
rat; but the fruit of the Sugar-loaf is much to be preferred to it, 
and indeed to any other kind yet introduced. 
There is, likewise, the Surinam, or Silver-striped Pine, which 
exceeds in beauty the whole tribe of variegated plants. The leaves 
are variously striped with a dark green and delicate white; and 
the whole is tinged with a lively red, which produces a contrast 
that gives the plant a gay and most beautiful appearance. Nor is 
there less beauty in its fruit, the protuberances of which swell 
large, and, when ripe, are variously marbled with red, green, yellow, 
and white; which, together with the variegated crown on the top 
of the fruit, add a singularity and elegance to the whole, beyond 
the power of description. The fruit is tolerably good, and therefore, 
the plant is doubly worthy of cultivation. 
Many other varieties of this fruit have arisen from seed, such as 
the Black or brown Antigue, or Ripley Pine, which is a very good 
fruit. The Granada Pine with marbled leaves and very large fruit. 
The Bog-warp Pine, with broad green leaves. The Smooth, long, 
narrow leaved Pine, and the Surinam Pine with gold-striped leaves; 
and some assert, that there are varieties with red-fleshed fruit. 
Compost proper for Pine Plants. 
You should, in the first place, twelve months previous to the time 
of its being wanted for use, pare off the sward or turf of a pasture, 
not more than two inches deep, where the soil is a strong, rich 
loam, and carry it to some convenient place to be piled together 
for rotting; observing to turn it over once a month at least, spread- 
