1868. ] 
SEEDLING PINE APPLES. 
IBB 
tion will be required in the stopping, thinning, and regulating of their 
shoots. The foreriglit shoots on Plums, Pears, Apricots, Cherries, and 
Apples should he sliortened-back, but not cut quite close at the present 
time. The shoots on Peaches, Nectarines, Morello Cherries, and Apricots 
should be well thinned and nailed or tied in as they advance in growth. 
Great attention will now be required to keep down insects. Caterpillars and 
green fly do much injury if not promptly dislodged. As to the caterpillar 
on gooseberry bushes there is no better or easier method of destroying them, 
than simply dusting a little powdered white hellebore on them, and if this is 
* 
done as soon as they are perceived on the branches, one application will 
in general clear them. Late vineries should have abundance of air during 
the day, also some at night, with fire heat in dull weather. 
iStourton. M. Saul. 
SEEDLING PINE APPLES. 
’HERE is, perhaps, no variegated plant more beautiful than the Pine¬ 
apple, varying, as do its markings, from stripes of pure white to a 
rich red and white, so much so as to lead those who are not ac¬ 
quainted with this changing habit, to conclude that there are tw T o 
varieties. The great drawback to its usefulness as a decorative 
plant, is the presence of the saw-like spines on the leaves, which render it 
dangerous in-doors. In order to try and remedy this, I made an attempt in 
the spring of 1865 to cross the Smooth-leaved Cayenne with the pollen of the 
variegated variety, but whether any cross took place is doubtful; I think not, 
though every flower operated upon set a seed. The fruit proved a very fine 
one. To make all certain I took it to Berry Hill, where Mr. Rogers assisted 
in searching out the seeds. It was some time before we could make certain 
of them, not having seen any before. In this instance they were kidney- 
shaped, a little larger than a Millet seed, brown in colour, and through 
a glass were seen to be irregularly veined all over, making the dark surface 
appear like specks of rich velvet. The seeds, if not too ripe when the fruit 
is cut, are enclosed in small ear-like cells, covered by closing up the bract, 
which is no doubt provided by nature to protect the seed from birds, &c., 
as this bract does not commonly grow T downwards until the flowering is 
over. 
We found in all over fifty seeds, every one of which vegetated freely, 
but although the plants were all varied in some w r ay, not one of them 
showed any light variegation. I left a few seeds with Mr. Rogers, who is 
a very successful Pine grower. He was the first to ripen a fruit—in 
about eighteen months. It weighed four pounds, and was pronounced by 
Dr. Hogg to be very handsome in shape, but deficient in flavour. The 
latter may improve; it would not, I think, be possible to improve on the 
