September 4, 1884, J 
JOURNAL OF HORTTCULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
207 
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Til 
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Crystal Palace Fruit and Dahlia Show (two days). 
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ISth Sunday after Trinity. 
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Royal Horticultural Society’s Fruit and Floral Committees at 11 a.m. 
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THE CULTURE OF THE PINE APPLE. 
HE Pine Apple lias for a long period—nearly 200 
years—been looked upon in this country as the 
“ king” of hothouse fruits, and so long as such 
magnificent fruits are grown as those staged at 
South Kensington on the 22nd of July last by 
Mr. Nicholas, Earl Fortescue’s able gardener— 
and who, it may be remarked, has more accom¬ 
modation at Castle Hill, South Molton, for the 
production of Pines than falls to the lot of many 
gardeners—they are likely to maintain that distinguished 
position. Before proceeding farther I may as well state that 
it is not my intention to write an exhaustive article on the 
culture of the Pine Apple, but briefly to state the cultural 
details which, if followed, will, I trust, lead to satisfactory 
results. 
As at the present time our plants are being arranged for 
the autumn and winter months, I think it may be as well to 
take the plants which are to fruit next summer instead of 
the suckers first, and simply treat the subject in the order in 
which the work is being done. The suckers have already 
been removed from the plants which have been fruiting 
during the past summer and placed in a corner of the pot¬ 
ting shed out of the way of potting operations. The old 
stools, except those varieties—such as Providence and Charlotte 
Rothschild—which are shy in producing suckers, have been 
committed to the rubbish heap, the soil in which they were 
growing to the waste-soil heap, the crocks saved for future 
use, and the pots washed for the reception of next year’s 
fruiters, with the top-dressing and potting of which we shall 
at once proceed, the beds of spent tan or leaves having 
in the meantime been removed, and fresh plunging material 
supplied; the brick and plaster work of the interior of the 
Pine houses and pits washed with hot lime, and the wood¬ 
work and glass with warm water. Many of the strongest- 
growing plants were put into their fruiting pots last April, 
and afterwards plunged in the ordinary way in the succession 
house, some of which will be fruiting now. These plants 
should be taken out of their summer quarters and have be¬ 
tween 1 and 2 inches of the surface soil and a few of 
the bottom leaves removed, the former with the assistance of 
a pointed oak stick, working it rather deeper round the edge 
of the pots ; then remove carefully any suckers that may be 
attached to the plants and top-dress with rough sandy loam 
which has been cut and stacked at least twelve months. 
Ram the same well together with a wooden rammer about 
2 inches in diameter as the work proceeds. The next step 
to be taken is the selecting and potting in their fruiting 
(12-inch) pots the necessary number of plants to fill the 
house with plants for fruiting next summer, autumn, and 
winter. 
Potting. —Before proceeding with this operation it will be 
necessary to make a few remarks as to how the pots should 
be crocked and the character of the soil. As regards the 
former a few barrowfuls of potsherds should be put down in 
No. 219.—VoL. IX., Third Series. 
a convenient place to the Pine pits outside, whither the 
potting bench should also be taken for the time being, as the 
process of potting can be performed more expeditiously there. 
The crocks should be broken with a large hammer (reserving 
a few large pieces) and passed through three or four sized sieves, 
varying from a 2-inch sieve on the top to a quarter-inch one 
in the bottom. The contents of these respectively may be 
put into large pots or boxes in readiness for placing layers 
2 to 3 inches deep in each pot, beginning with the largest 
size and finishing with the smallest size ones. Over all give 
a good dusting of new soot, which will keep the worms from 
getting into the pots, and a few thin pieces of turves, grass 
side down. Thus crocked there need be no apprehension on 
the score of the pots becoming water-logged or the plants 
suffering through imperfect drainage. In the matter of soil, 
all good Pine-growers give a preference to a fibry sandy 
loam, which, as already stated, had been stacked for twelve 
months and chopped down with the spade as required for 
use. To this should be added crushed bones, new soot, and 
small charcoal at the rate of a 10-inch potful of each ingre¬ 
dient to a barrowful of the loam, and the whole well mixed. 
The plants must be examined a few days before beginning 
the process of potting, and water given to any that require 
it. The plants should be turned carefully out of the pots, 
the drainage and a few of the lower leaves removed, and the 
surface and sides of the ball of earth and roots loosened 
slightly with a pointed stick, and any soil not permeated 
with roots removed. They should be let down to the bottom 
leaves in potting, the soil rammed firmly round the roots 
with flat and round rammers as the space admits, taking 
care that the plants are made Arm about the collar. Over¬ 
potting should be avoided ; but I consider a space of 1 or 
2 inches between the ball of the plant and the pot not too 
much, but quite sufficient shift for all healthy plants in their 
several shifts from the sucker to the fruiting pot. In pot¬ 
ting suckers I need scarcely observe that it will be necessary 
to remove a few of the bottom leaves, so that the roots coiled 
round the stem under the leaves may push more readily into 
the soil, and that about half an inch of the base of each 
sucker should be cut clean off with a sharp knife before being 
potted. 
Plunging the Pots. —Before proceeding with this operation 
it will be necessary to consider the probable number of 
inches which the new tan or leaves—particularly the latter— 
in the bed in which the plants are to be plunged is likely to 
subside through decomposition during the interval between 
then and April, and in order to render the subsidence as 
little as possible during that period the tan or leaves should 
be trodden firmly together when being put into the plunging 
pit, making due allowance for the beds sinking 6 or 8 inches. 
The heads of the plants should be kept within an inch or two 
of the glass in plunging them to the rim of the pots in the 
bed. It is hardly necessary to say that if the Pine house be 
a lean-to facing due south the largest plants should be put 
in the back, and each succeeding row downwards. If the 
house is a span with a bed in the middle running north and 
south with hot-water pipes for supplying bottom heat, which 
is the most suitable structure for the production of Pine 
Apples, the tallest and the most robust-growing plants should 
occupy the central position, the next size being placed in 
rows on each side. Fruiting plants should be allowed a 
space of from 2 to 2^ feet from centre to centre, and the 
smaller plants space in proportion to their size. 
Watej'ing and Shading the Plants. —As soon as the plants 
have been plunged they must be supplied at the roots with 
clear tepid water and afterwards shaded from bright sun¬ 
shine, putting the roller blinds on earlier in the morning 
and leaving them on later in the afternoon than was cus¬ 
tomary before the plants had their roots disturbed. When 
the roots have pushed into the new soil the shading can be 
dispensed altogether during the remainder of the season, 
and water must be applied sparingly, especially to the roots 
No. 1875.— VOL. LXXL, Old Series. 
