6 
THE PINE APPLE. 
the roots of the plants might run more freely through it. W hen one 
now was planted, I proceded as before, till three rows were in, which 
filled the pit, it being only six feet wide inside, I then gave a gentle . 
sprinkling with water, to wash off the dirt from the plants and settle 
the earth a little. In about a fortnight I found the plants begin to 
grow rather strong, which they continued to do, and in the course ol 
the summer most of them showed fruit; and although I had some 
plants in pots much larger than they were, the fruits from these were 
finer and much better flavoured. One plant, a Jamaica pine, which did 
not show fruit till late in the summer, ripened this spring a fruit 41- 
lbs. ; and although ripe about a fortnight, it obtained an extra prize 
at the first exhibition of the Royal Cornwall Horticultural Society at 
Truro, June 29, 1832. I have now three Montserrats and a queen in 
fruit in the same pit, that were put out as above, seventeen months 
since, which are now looking extremely well, and seem likely to be 
both large and handsome; in fact, so great was the satisfaction I ex¬ 
perienced from the experiment that this spring I planted, in the same 
manner the whole length of our pit, being seventy feet long and six 
feet wide; and, as before stated, containing three row r s of plants. I 
am extremely glad to be able to say that these newly planted pines 
are doing equally well, and that many gardeners, as well as gentlemen, 
who have seen them, say they never saw finer plants or finer fruit; 
for my own part, I can only say I am not ashamed to show them. 
In winter, autumn, and spring, we use hot water to obtain the 
requisite degree of heat for keeping the plants in a healthy state. I 
also use a lining of hot dung in front of the pit, (it being placed on 
arches,) when occasion requires it. I find the hot water system to 
answer extremely well, better than any other method I have ever seen 
in use. I grow our succession and nursery plants in a pit built of 
bricks, pigeon-holed ; and I use linings of dung, leaves, grass, &c. 
when the heat of the bed in the inside requires renewing. The plants 
are kept in pots till wanted for plunging out for fruiting. The saving of 
trouble and expence occasioned by the above treatment of the pine¬ 
apple will, I trust, be evident to all your readers: and I hope many 
of them will not only take my word for its being attended with com¬ 
plete success, but that they will give it a fair and similar trial to that 
I have endeavoured to state above: if they do, I fancy the result 
will be, that some will find that pine-apples grow r , and that freely, 
with scarcely any bottom heat, particularly when out of pots. I have 
cut some very fine fruit this last week—a Green Providence and a 
Black Jamaica, each about five pounds, and today a Ripley four pounds, 
all handsome fruit. James Mitch in son 
Pendarves, Oct. 31$tf. 1832. 
