104 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
to be considered a second or mid-summer’s flow of sap is only the effect of 
refreshing rain after long drought. 
Connected with the sap’s descent into the roots, I may mention that if an 
incision is made in the stem of a tree in spring, in autumn the upper lip or cut 
may be swollen, but not the under one, something like the swollen ends of 
grafts of the current year which happen to be badly united to the stocks. 
Both have been held as proof of the sap’s descent into the roots, whereas they 
are only the effects of the proper juice checked when conveying nourishment 
to the roots, as well as to every part of the tree, after being elaborated in the 
leaves by the influence of the sun. During that process the leaves exhale the 
refuse sap, forming the noxious vapour complained of when plants are kept in 
close rooms. It is also injurious to plants themselves, especially when various 
sorts are kept in one house—for instance, Cape Heaths seldom thrive along 
with Geraniums. Hence the great utility of ventilating or giving air to plants 
under glass to enable the leaves to elaborate the sap when passing through 
their upper sides on its way to the under ones, where, perhaps, the refining 
process just noticed takes place. I may further observe that the health of 
plants depends more upon the quality of the sap in the descending vessels than 
on the quantity of crude juice absorbed by the roots in the ascending ones. It 
may be seen by this that it is wrong to give plants liquid manures during dull 
weather, and more so to weak ones at any time, as their leaves are too sickly to 
elaborate the strong juice which descends by the veins in the under sides of 
their stalks to those between the inner bark and the wood. Its descent may be 
caused by pressure of air; but be that as it may, it is certain that the descend¬ 
ing sap conveys the whole nourishment which forms the annual rings of wood, 
and also those of the inner bark. The sap vessels are merely open tubes, 
through which the juice flows, but more slowly when reversed : hence the plan 
of bending down strong shoots to make them fruitful, but in all cases of weep¬ 
ing branches the crude sap descends, that which is elaborated ascends. It is 
certain that sap flows in the heart wood of young tre€s, but not so in those of 
old ones; and I am of opinion that the pith or heart of a tree is the vent for 
the sap before the vessels are formed, and also that the descending ones of the 
present year are the ascending ones of the following one, and thus the life of a 
tree may last long after the heart wood is gone and the tree hollow. 
J. Wighton. 
THE CULTURE OF THE PINE APPLE —No. V. 
Varieties. —There are many varieties of the Pine Apple, and the many and 
various methods of culture, or rather treatment, the queen of fruits has been 
subjected to, make it appear that there are a great many more varieties than there 
really are. 
The Queen, there can be no doubt, for all seasons and purposes is one of the 
best. It will grow and make a mature fruiting plant earlier, is easily started into 
fruit when required, and will swell off, mature, and ripen its fruit in less time than 
any other variety I am acquainted with. It will keep for some time in good con¬ 
dition after being cut—indeed will improve in flavour and mellowness through 
nine months out of twelve. Just in the dark, short and cold days of winter, if 
cut and hung, it is liable sometimes to turn of a dark colour inside and lose its 
flavour, and more particularly if hung up or placed iu a cold situation. I have 
grown the Queen to the weight of more than 8 lbs. 
Anson s Queen, Lemon Queen, and Antigua Queen, I have discarded years since, 
also the Otaheite. Although I have grown sojne very large well-swelled fruit of 
them, particularly the latter, they are uncertain in flavour, except in the hot 
summer months, and the Otaheite to be good requires eating within two days of 
its being cut or ripe. 
