THE COTTAGE GAKHENER. 
150 
( December 2 
additions to the list, and giving the address of the 
I Secretaries. 
! HORTICULTURAL SHOWS. 
■ Caledonian (Inverleith Eow), Edinburgh, Dec. 2. 
London Floeicultural (Exeter Hall, Strand), Dec. 14+. 
South London (Koyal), Dec. 9+, 16. 
I POULTRY SHOWS. 
Birmingham and Midland Counties, 14tli, 15th, 10th,- 
I and 17th December. 
! Bristol Agricultural, December 7th, 8th, and 9th. 
{Sec. James Marmont.) 
Cornwall (Penzance), January 10th, aud 11th. {Secs. 
Eev. W. W. Wingfield, Gulval Vicarage, and E. H. 
Rodd, Esq.) 
Honiton, January 12th. {Sec. H. K. Venn.) 
Salisbury and Western Counties, December 13. {Sec. 
T. Pain, Esq.) 
Winchester, December 1st. {Secs. G. W. Johnson and 
J. Colson.) 
t For seedlings only. 
: PINE-CULTURE: THE HAMILTONIAN SYSTEM, 
j ^ {Continued from page 122.) 
! W^E will now look over Mr. Hamilton’s notes, his 
j book, &c., to see if anything has been omitted, or if any- 
' thing material can be added. Our remarks must, of 
necessity, assume a desultory character; but they will 
not be without their use. We will discuss the following 
heads, alphabetically arranged to facilitate reference: 
anylliing which may occur afterwards may form an 
appendix:— Atmospherio moisture, Bottom-heat, Corn- 
posts, Disrooting, Errors, Foliage, Kinds, Longevity, 
Main principles. Moisture, Old stools. Planting out. Pipes, 
Root-culture, Recipes, Ripening, Soil, Structures, Suckers, 
Syringing, Temperature, Ventilation, Watering. It will, 
as we think, be far better thus to examine principles, 
than to give a mere detail of practice, however sound. 
The essentials once fixed in the mind, a sound practice 
must necessarily follow. 
Atmospheric moisture. —Here we have one of the 
most important of all the headings. No plan of Pine- 
culture can succeed which does not provide a liberal 
amount. Exceptions there may be at such periods as 
that of the ripening, but they can be only in degree, and 
through the successive character of the fruit, not readily 
practicable. But it is worthy of remark, that some 
respectable pine-growers think that Mr. Hamilton, in 
his ardour to produce a vast amount of fruit from a 
narrow compass of glass, has ridden his hobby a little 
too hard as to air-moisture in his winter management. 
We do hope for pardon from Mr. H. whilst we, as a 
duty, observe, that as a close, warm, aud damp atmos¬ 
phere doubtless favours the enlargement of the Pine, it 
in like measure favours the enlargement of the crown; 
and a large crown is neither admired by the table-decker, 
nor by the pine-purchaser. We would here beg to inter¬ 
pose a hint, and that is, that with no class of plants with 
which we are acquainted, can the relation of light, heat, 
and moisture, be a matter of indifference. Winter in 
I Britain is dull, if not dark; therefore, the high-forcing 
i 2 M'inciple is not Nature’s way of Pine-culture. Doubtless, 
: we may take some liberties; but caution is requisite; and 
! common sense, though not very romantic, is sometimes 
j exceedingly useful as a guide in difficulties. We say, 
therefore, so manage your system as that you can at any 
1 time supply any amount of atmospheric moisture, and 
as speedily remove it if needs be; but we must pass 
I briefly to other main points. 
i Bottom-heat. —-What fearful reminiscences may this 
j very heading bring to the memory of every King of 
Spades whose hair has become bleached in the service! 
How many root burnings, as well as heart burnings, 
may be called to remembrance? Mr. H. says (p. 55), 
“ Newly potted plants will be benefited by a heat of 
about 90° for two or three weeks; after which time it 
may fall to 85° max. aud 80° min.; but in the winter 
75° will be sufficient for successions. The bottom-heat 
required for those plants which are to produce several 
fruits from the same jilants ought to be as equable as j 
possible, at a medium of about 80°, and not to fluctuate | 
more than 3° above or below. However, I have known ' 
a plant to swell well in the summer in a bottom-heat I 
of 70°; but in winter, when the superincumbent air is | 
kept cooler, the plants that are swelling their fruits will 
make but little progress except the bottom-heat bo 
about 80°.” We may here caution young beginners 
against the erroneous idea of going a-head by means of 
extreme bottom-heats: we advise them not to exceed 
85° on any account, until they quite understand the 
habits of the Pine. We saw some of the finest grown 
Pines in England, this summer, at Alnwick Castle 
gardens, the seat of his Grace of Northumberland; 
gardens kept in capital order by Mr. Pillans, the head 
gardener. The bottom-heat to these Pines could not 
have been above 75°, and the jiots only half jilunged, 
Mr. P. preferring to depend on a pot full of robust roots, 
to any extra attempts at stimulating the vital action of 
the plants. 
Composts. —At p. 7, Mr. H. says, “ With regard to 
rich composts, 1 mean not to dispute their efficiency; 
I can assure the public, however, that the Pine will 
flourish well without them if the system of root and 
atmosiiheric moisture here recommended be adhered to: 
water and air, there can be little doubt, constitute the 
principal food of the Pine-apple.” These are strong 
views, and no doubt, in the main, correct; but it is well 
known that some of our best pine-growers use liquid- 
manure, and this we think by far the best form of 
manuring; for the admixture of manurial matters in 
the soil has a tendency to hasten the decomposition of 
the organic matter; and we do think that on the long 
preservation of this depends, in a great degree, that 
longevity in the roots which Mr. H. takes as the basis 
of his system. See heading “ Longevity.” Mr. H. has, 
since writing his very useful little book, stated to me 
by letter, that he considers a good loam, rich in vegetable 
fibre, complete in itself for the culture of the Pine; and 
we recommend the opinion to our readers. 
Disrooting. —This, about which so much fuss was 
made in our laddish days, is now entirely repudiated by 
all good gardeners, and is only justifiable when plants 
have received abuses, injuring or destroying their roots; 
or in case the soil in their pots has become what is 
technically termed “ soured.” For further notice, see 
“ Longevity." \ 
Errors. —We merely take this in its course to direct I 
attention to one or two which have somehow crept into . 
our remarks ; they will be corrected in the conclusion. j 
Foliage. —Those who watch the evidence in this Pine i 
case will remember Mr. H.’s dry way of defending the 
poor unoffending foliage. “ Be as careful,” he says, “ of 
cutting the foliage as you would of cutting your corns.” ' 
This language, although not remarkable for dignity, is I 
highly emphatic. At p. 03 of his unmistakable little 
book he says, “No destroying nor shortening healthy 
leaves,” &c. Would not the late Mr. Knight, of Downton, 
have rejoiced to find that his deep diving into Nature’s 
secrets had not been in vain; that the very class of men 
who were best able to appreciate high principles (and, 
perhaps, least fitted to seize them at one period through 
the giant-like tyranny of that hard slave-driver, pre¬ 
scription) had entered into his labours. Let then, we 
say, no man cut away a leaf of a Pine until he can 
show a sound reason (not fancy) for so doing. Mr. H. 
