\ 
ANA 
high, fo that there is juft height enough for per- 
fons to walk upright on the back-fide of the bark- 
bed. Others make but one Hope of glafles, from the 
top of the ftove down to the plate, which lies about 
fix or eight inches above the bark-pit, fo that in the 
front of this ftove, there is no walk made between the 
bark-pit and the glaffes ; but the inconveniency of 
watering the plants, as alfo of coming near thofe 
plants which are placed in the front of the ftove to 
clean them, has, in fome meafure, brought them into 
difefteem, fo that few perfons now build them, tho’ 
the expence is much lefs than of the other kind of 
ftoves ; but of both thefe ftoves the figures and de- 
fcriptions which are hereafter exhibited under the ar- 
ticle of ftove, will be fufficient for any perfon to build 
either of the forts. One of thefe ftoves about thirty- 
five feet long in the clear, with the pit or the tan 
reaching from end to end, and fix feet and a half 
wide, will contain about fourfcoure fruiting plants •, 
fo that whoever is defirous to have this fruit, may 
eafily proportion their ftove to the quantity of fruit 
which they are willing to have. 
But it will be alfo neceffary to have a bark-pit under 
a deep frame, in order to raife the young plants ; in 
which you fhould plunge the fuckers, when they are 
taken from the old plants, as alfo the crowns which 
come from the fruit, fo that this frame will be as a 
nurfery to raife the young plants to fupply the ftove : 
but thefe plants fhould not remain in thefe frames 
longer than till the beginning of November, unlefs 
the frame is built with brick-work with flues in it to 
warm the air (in the manner hereafter defcribed and 
figured), which are very ufeful, as nurferies, to keep 
the young plants till they are of a proper fize to pro- 
duce fruit , fo that you may keep thefe either warmer 
or cooler than the ftove, according as the plants may 
require, fo that the ftove may be every autumn filled 
only with bearing plants, whereby a much greater 
quantity of fruit may be annually produced, than can 
be where young and old plants mult be crowded into 
the fame ftove. But where there are no conveniences 
of this kind, the young plants, about the middle or 
latter end of Odtober, mult be removed into the ftove, 
and being fmall, may be crowded in among the larger 
plants •, for as they will not grow much during the 
winter feafon, they may be placed very clofe together. 
The beginning of March, where there is no nurfery 
for the young plants, they mult be removed out into 
the hot-bed again, which fhould be prepared a fort- 
night before, that the tan may have acquired a proper 
heat : but you fhould be careful that the tan be not 
too hot, for that might fcakl the fibres of the plants, 
if they are fuddenly plunged therein. Therefore if 
you find the bark too hot, you fhould not plunge the 
pots above two or three inches into the tan, letting 
them remain fo until the heat of the tan is a little 
abated, when you fhould plunge the pots down to 
their rims in the bed. ' If the nights fhould continue 
cold after thefe plants are removed into the bed, you 
muft carefully cover the glafles with mats ; otherwife 
by coming out of a warm ftove, they may receive a 
fudden check, which will greatly retard their growth, 
therefore muft be carefully avoided; became the fooner 
the plants are fet growing 1 in the fpring, the more 
time they will have to gain ftrength, in order to pro- 
duce large fruit the following feafon. 
You fhould not plunge the pots too clofe together in 
this frame, but allow them a proper diftance, that the 
lower part of the plants may increafe in bulk, for it 
is on this that the magnitude of the fruit depends ; 
becaufe when the plants are placed too clofe, they 
draw up very tall, but do not obtain ftrength ; fo that 
when they are taken out of the bed, the leaves are 
not able to fupport themfelves ; but alt the outward 
long leaves will fall down, leaving the fmaller middle 
leaves naked, and this fometimes will caufe them to 
rot in the center. You muft alfo obferve, when the 
fun is very warm, to raife the glafles of the hot-bed, 
in order to let out the fleam of the bed, and to admit 
frefh air ; for one negled of this kind, in a very hot 
ANA , w 
day, may deftroy all the plants, or at leaft fo fcald 
them, that they will not get over it in feveral months. 
It will be alfo very proper, in extreme hot weather, 
to fhade the glafles in the middle of the day with 
mats f for the glafles, lying fo near to the leaves of the 
plants, will occafion a prodigious heat at fuch times. 
During the fummer feafon thefe plants muft be. fre- 
quently watered, giving them but little each time ; 
and in hot weather, they muft have free air admitted 
to them every day, from ten o’clock till four ; for 
if they are kept too clofe, or have too much wet, 
they will receive a check in their growth, when the 
infects will immediately fpread over them ; for there 
are generally fome of thefe infedts on all thefe plants, 
which do not much injury to them while they are in 
a growing ftate ; but whenever they are unhealthy, 
the info its multiply greatly, and contribute to their 
decay. There are fome perfons who regulate the heat 
of their ftoves by thermometers in fummer, but at 
that feafon tills is unneceffary, for the outward air in 
hot weather is frequently greater than the Ananas heat 
marked on the thermometers, fo that the heat of the 
ftoves at that feafon will be much greater. The ufe 
of the thermometer is only in the winter, -during the 
time the fires are continued, by which it is eafy to 
judge when to increafe or diminifh the fires ; for at 
that feafon, the ftoves fhould not be kept to a greater 
warmth than five or fix divifions above Ananas, nor 
fufrered to be more than as many divifions below it. 
In winter the plants muft have lefs water, but they 
will require to have it repeated once a Week, giving 
them but little each time : when the plants are placed 
into the tan for the winter feafon (which fhould be 
done about the beginning of Qdtober) the tan-bed 
fhould be renewed, adding two thirds of new tan, to 
one third of the old. If this be well mixed, and the 
new tan is good, the bed will maintain a proper de- 
gree of warmth till February, at which time it will 
be proper to ftir up the bed, and add a load or two 
of new tan, fo as to raife the bed as much as it funk 
fince the autumn ; this will give a frefh heat to the 
bed, and keep the plants growing ; and as the fruit 
will now begin to appear, it will be abfclutely neceft 
fary to keep the plants in a growing ftate, otherwife 
the fruit will not be large. 
In Aprii it will be proper to ftir up the tan again, 
and if the bed has funk fince the laft ftirring, it will 
be proper to add fome frefh tan to it ; this will renew 
the warmth of the bed, and forward the fruit. At 
this time it will be proper to fliift the young plants, 
which are defigned to produce fruit the following 
year ; the tan-bed into which there are plunged muft; 
be renewed, in order to forward their growth, that 
they may have ftrength enough in autumn to pro- 
duce good fruit, for in this is the principal care re- 
quired. 
Thofe plants which fhew their fruit early in Febru- 
ary, will ripen about June ; fome forts are at leaft a 
month or five weeks longer In ripening their fruit than 
others, from the time of the appearance of the fruit : 
but the feafon in which the fruit is in greateft perfec- 
tion, is from the beginning of July, to the end of 
September ; though in March, April, and Odtober, 
I have frequently eaten this fruit in pretty good per- 
fedtion ; but then the plants have be’en in perfedt 
health, otherwife they feidom are well flavoured. 
The method of judging when the fruit is ripe, is by 
the fmell, and from obfervation ; for as the feveral 
forts differ from each other in die colour of their 
fruit, that will not be any direction when to cut them ; 
nor fhould they remain fo long as to become fo ft to 
the touch before they are cut, for then they become 
fiat and dead, as they do alfo when they are cut long 
before they are eaten, therefore the fureft way to have 
this fruit in perfection, is to cut it the fame day it is 
eaten ; but it muft be cut early in the morning, be- 
fore the fun has heated the fruit, otherwife it will be 
hot, obferving to cut the italic as long to the fruit as 
poflible, and lay it in a cool, but dry place, preferr- 
ing the Italic and crown unto It, until it is eaten. 
N That 
3°o 
i 
