THE PINE APPLE. 
5 
of the rafter, according to the strength of each : some may require 
to he cut shorter. In April as soon as the vines show symptoms of 
vegetation take them again into the house, regulating the tempera¬ 
ture as the preceeding summer. As the shoots advance stop them 
two eyes above the (fruit, except the leader, which train to the top of 
the house; if fine fruit is an object more desirable than a great num¬ 
ber of bunches, leave but one bunch to a shoot, (they will sometimes 
shew three) thin them properly with the grape scissors, as the berries 
swell. When the house is shut up for the night, sprinkle the floor 
all over with water, which creates a steam highly conducive to the 
swelling of the fruit. The same operation should be practised in 
the morning before air is given. The fruit will ripen the beginning 
of September, and will, if required, keep till December before they 
are all cut, take out the vines again, and in February prune them, 
cutting each side shoot that bore fruit, into one eye, and the leader 
to within one foot of the top introduce again in April. The same 
routine of culture will be observed in this as the preceeding summer, 
as regards temperature, stopping the shoots, thinning the bunches, 
steaming &c. When the pruning season arrives, (February) cut 
each shoot that has bore fruit to one eye, it frequently happens that 
two or three shoots will be produced at each spur, retain two of the 
strongest only, allowing one bunch to a shoot. Thus the spurring 
system will be established, it only remains for the operator to cut to 
an eye every succeeding year, and if two shoots are retained at each 
spur suppostng the rafter between fifteen and twenty feet long, from 
thirty to forty hunches may he expected as the produce of each vine. 
By such rules I have had vines bearing crops for fourteen years suc¬ 
cessively without ever cutting a vine down. 
James Brown, Sen. 
ARTICLE II. 
ON THE CULTURE OF THE PINE APPLE, WITHOUT POTS. 
BY MR. JAMES MITCHINSON. 
Gardener to E. W. Pendarves Esq. M. P.F.H. S. Pendarves House, Cornwall. 
About 18 months ago having three lights of our pine pit at liberty I 
had it filled with oak leaves to a sufficient height, these having been 
well trodden down and made perfectly level, I had a little earth put 
along the hack of the pit, where the first row of plants was to stand : 
I then turned some succession plants out of their pots, and placing 
them in a row behind, filled the spaces between them with earth 
keeping it as light as possible; I also put it in rather rough, that 
