August 19. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
317 
the pine in extreme cases, is l>y no means qualified to 
introduce a new era in their culture, or to prove that 
I the pine enjoys a much lower temperature than has 
! hitherto been the practice of good pine growers. Strange 
I to say, soon after this, the very experimenter gave a 
| plan of a new house, built by himself, for pine culture, 
1 in which the amount of piping or heating-surface ap- 
. pears such as is seldom witnessed in the same area. In 
[ this plan, now on our table, there are no less than four, 
; lines of piping, parallel the whole length of the house, 
! for bottom heat alone, and four more, lines parallel for 
atmospheric heat; and this, too, in a house only sixteen 
feet wide. Besides all this, there is a steam-pipe all 
round, which, it is presumed, may add to the heat as 
well as moisture. This plan may be found at page 188, 
vol. v., of the Horticultural Society's Journal. Well 
may amateurs, and those not “ well up ” in gardening, 
bo puzzled at such conflicting opinions and practices. 
That every species of business has of later years a 
tendency to bo more economically conducted, because 
the careful study of elementary information tends to a 
juster appreciation of what is required for successful 
culture, we not only do not deny, but stoutly affirm. 
The cost of production will doubtless be lessened ; but 
it becomes every honest horticultural fugleman to set 
his face against such extreme opinions, or one-sided 
statements, as can but involve those misled by them in 
unnecessary expenses and vexatious disappointments. 
Thus much will serve to show our worthy querists, 
and others similarly situated, that they must not think 
of “ cold pits,” “ greenhouses,” &c., in the cultivation of 
the pine-apple; such may be resorted to in very neces¬ 
sitous cases, but must not be counted on as part of a 
system, or as identified with high cultural principles. 
To come to the point—seeing that the same heat, air, 
moisture, and light are requisite now as in former days— 
how is the cost of production lessened? Why, princi¬ 
pally in building materials. Bricks are cheaper, glass 
much cheapened, and timber, thanks to the saw mills, 
much lessened in cost. Here lie the economic points; 
for labour is not cheaper, and as for any economic 
advance this way, we know of none whilst pines must 
be grown in pots. We long since pointed to Mr. Hamil¬ 
ton’s system as being, in our opinion, the very thing for 
our much-in-a-small-space man; but, forsooth, objections 
so multiplied, coupled with something like foregone con¬ 
clusions, that whatever merits the practice might pos¬ 
sess were speedily “ lost in the fog.” 
We will now beg the attention of our readers for a 
moment to what is termed Pannel’s heating apparatus, 
as a source of heat; and this, with the inexpensive 
simplicity of an orchard-house, would seem to be worthy 
of adoption in the year 1853. Having heard strong 
recommendation of the pines at Park Hall, near Eck- 
ington, the seat of Mr. Middleton, we immediately took 
the liberty of writing to Mr. Henry Barnes, the 
gardener. Mr. Barnes, in an exceedingly kind and 
sensible letter, at once most courteously answered every 
question, and we beg to offer an extract or two. “ I am 
glad to say that I have been very successful with my 
pines. The plants are turned out in the open mould, 
over a tank, heated by Pannel's apparatus, which 
enables me to keep up a most congenial moist heat as 
high as I please, and at the same time I have a flow 
and return pipe all round the house for top heat; but 
this has already been described in The Cottage 
Gardener, and I must do the inventor the justice to 
say, that I never yet saw an apparatus that so fully 
accomplished the end required as that does. I have 
also a pit attached to the pinery, which is heated by the 
apparatus; and I have cut thirty good melons from four 
lights, of the highest flavour, and I have a second crop 
coming on, which are looking well, and this will be off 
in time for my cucumbers for the winter months.” 
Thus far Mr. Barnes. Our readers will, doubtless, join 
in thanking Mr. B. for his ready courtesy. 
Now, it appears that Mr. Barnes is not far from the 
Hamiltonian system, for he plants out ; he has dis¬ 
carded pots. In high atmospheric temperatures too, it 
would appear that lie resembles Hamilton; but from 
what we can learn, he uses much stronger bottom heats; 
we are told 90° to 100°, whereas Mr. Hamilton seldom 
exceeds 84°. * 
By turning to No. 197 of The Cottage Gardener, 
page 924, our readers will find some account of the 
apparatus by Mr. Pannel, of Leicester, himself; we 
have not room here for the extract. Economy, then, in 
the production of pine-apples must be sought principally 
in the simplicity with which their culture is carried 
out. Whatever structure is employed, however, cer¬ 
tain conditions must be guaranteed, or success will be 
proportionally incomplete Let it be made a point, 
that 80° bottom heat be available, if requisite, at short 
notice in the depth of winter, and also that the means 
of heating be able to furnish with facility 70° atmo¬ 
spheric heat; added to this, the speedy production of 
any amount of atmospheric moisture. We do not wish 
to have it inferred that such extreme heats are to be 
made ordinary use of in dark weather; but extremes 
must be provided for, if good pine culture is to be 
carried out. Depend upon it, starvation suits not the 
pine ; and we have here simply suggested the securing 
winter conditions, knowing that this done, the rest of the 
year will be right as matter of course. 
It will now become necessary to know, not only the 
efficiency, but the cost of Mr. Pannel’s apparatus; for 
the public have a right to expect these things done in a 
more economic way, or the culture of pines cannot be 
extended. We will, therefore, seek for information in 
detail, as well as testimonials connected therewith, and 
lay them before the reader in due time, with further 
comments. In the mean time, we may direct the 
attention of our readers to what is commonly termed 
“dung-bed culture.” Here, flues or piping may in a 
great measure be dispensed with ; but then it is obvious 
that the supply of fermenting materials must be certain 
and continuous. But we think it far from being a good 
policy; for those that have but small gardens, and keep, 
it may be, a horse, or two cows, &c., will, at certain 
periods, have other objects than pine-apples to demand 
assistance from fermenting materials. Our advice, 
therefore, to all such, is rather to incur a few pounds 
more expense in the first outlay, than to risk disap¬ 
pointment in more ways than one, by depending on 
fermenting materials alone. Besides, although capital 
pines have been produced this way, yet it is but an un¬ 
safe or wasteful plan during long winters. The per¬ 
petual changing and “ topping up ” of linings, the 
anxieties to dispel stagnant moisture without too much 
lowering the temperature, and the exactions on the 
manure heap, to the detriment of the early cucumber 
and melon bed, constitute so unscientific, so laborious 
a scheme, as to make the unhappy wight who “ plays 
the first fiddle,” as our good friend Beaton says, pass 
many a sleepless night. We must soon return to this 
matter, and hope that the desultory character of these 
remarks will be excused. R. Errington. 
* We have received the following note from Mr. Barnes on this point. 
“ In reading over an article in Tiie Cottage Gardener of the 2Qth 
ultimo, on the Heat for Pine-Apples , I was rather surprised to find some 
remarks respecting the bottom-heat of my pines, but the parties were 
quite right in stating that the ground thermometer has ranged from 
90° to 95°, but they were told at the same time that it was plunged to j 
the bottom of the mould, which is five or six degrees higher than where i 
the principal roots are, and I wish it to be understood that this heat is | 
not kept up during the winter months , when the plants are at rest. I | 
keep a high temperature at this season, with plenty of moisture, and my 
plants do well, which I think is a sufficient proof that it suits them.” 
This removes all the wrong impression about the high bottom-heat 
employed by Mr. Barnes ; it is evident he employs a bottom-heat of from 
84° to 89°.— Ed. C. G. 
