THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
83 
November 6. 
heat, at all periods of the year, hears a just relation to 
the light of the period. 
This, indeed, may be termed the pivot on which the 
whole turns ; and as the early winter’s light is very fre¬ 
quently little more than a twilight, very moderate bot¬ 
tom-heats suffice, unless it be for what is termed early 
forcing, when a stronger stimulus sometimes becomes 
necessary. 
Of all the materials for a fermentative bottom-heat, 
nothing that we have ever met with equals tree-leaves, 
more especially those of the oak. Few, however, can 
obtain the latter, yet most persons, by careful collecting, 
may obtain a tolerable amount of shrubbery leaves, or 
the leaves of deciduous trees in general. As for the 
argument of their being needed for the shrubs, whilst its 
validity may be admitted in a general way, it may 
readily be urged that it is very easy to apply the leaves 
in a rotten state, after being used twelve months for 
bottom-heat purposes; and every man of system may 
take care that his shrubs are not robbed ultimately. Our 
good friend Mr. Beaton must not be cross, therefore, if 
he find us raking, with some assiduity, beneath his plea¬ 
sure-ground trees and overgrown shrubs some fine morn¬ 
ing in the early part of November. 
It was before observed, that in the renewal of bottom- 
heats in the month of November, the main point is to 
secure a long-enduring warmth; and it is almost un¬ 
necessary to add, that this can alone be insured by the 
use of materials which do not speedily decompose. We 
have turned up leaves from the bottom of pits (which 
had lain for more than two years) apparently as fresh as 
the day they were placed there. This, of course, was, in 
great part, in consequence of their comparative exclusion 
from the air, and the absence of a very high degree of 
fermentation; for those in the bottoms of pits do not 
ferment so severely as the strata higher up. The best 
plan to provide a first-rate material of this kind is, after 
collecting a given amount of the leaves at a proper spot, 
to mix them with fermenting manure. This manure 
(fresh, of course) should be provided a fortnight before¬ 
hand, and should be turned twice, and shaken well to 
pieces before blending it with the leaves. About four 
cart-loads of the new leaves, thoroughly mixed with one 
cart-load of the dung, will make a mixture combining 
every requisite for a wholesome and long-enduring 
bottom-heat. 
Now, where bottom-heats are required to last many 
months, what is termed “ bottoming” should, if possible, 
be had recourse to: that is to say, tire old material 
should be disturbed to the very bottom, provided the 
Pines, or other things on the surface, can be removed. 
About the removal of Pines we must offer a few remarks. 
It is quite certain that no man can break up a pit of 
Pines without causing considerable damage; indeed, 
this, and the amount of labour involved, has been the 
cause of the deviations in cultural practices during the 
last twenty year’s. In former days, when small shifts 
were used, and the dung-bed was in all its glory, the 
amount of labour over a pit of Pines, during twelve 
months, was too serious an item to be faced in a 
“ balance sheet.” Hence the adoption of the large 
or even “ single-shift ” system; hence the introduction 
of tank-heating; and hence, also, in the main, Mr. 
Hamilton’s very simple and useful mode of culture as 
applied to some of the kinds. It must not be under¬ 
stood, therefore, by our readers, that we wish them to 
fall pell-mell on every pit, and disturb things that are 
quite at home. When and where, therefore, necessity— 
that imperious dame (who, as the Scotch say, “ Gars the 
auld wives’ trot,”)—dictates that a renewal of bottom 
warmth must be had, and that, too, of a durable character, 
let it be, as far as possible, a thorough job. 
Old tan on the surface must bo passed through the 
riddle or sieve, and reserved to mix with the new, which 
- is frequently damp and claggy. The old tan serves 
admirably to qualify and mellow its adhesiveness, and 
not only facilitates what future plunging is requisite, 
but, indeed, renders the whole more wholesome, and less 
liable to breed those unwholesome fungi, which are at 
once contaminators of the atmosphere, and a most egre¬ 
gious eye-sore on the plunging surface. And now, the 
pit being emptied of its contents, during which a sharp 
eye has been kept on the character of the samples exca¬ 
vated, the refilling may proceed, and during this process 
“ treading down ” may be resorted to. We do not mean 
tread the tan, but the under material, and this in pro¬ 
portion to its elasticity. If leaves have been used in the 
preceding year, it is good practice to work up as many 
as appear fresh with the new material. The treading is 
done to prevent sinking too much, and to ensure steady, 
and, consequently, durable heating. We have known 
pits thus filled about three feet in depth, to retain their 
heat for a couple of years Such a bottom, with one 
foot of tan, half old, but clean sifted, and half new, well 
blended, will make the sweetest and liveliest bottom 
warmth imaginable; and will form a suitable plunging 
medium for Pines, forcing flowers, or fruits, or, indeed, 
for stove-plants in general, throughout the year. 
Not every pit, however, can, or may, be thus broken 
entirely up at this or, indeed, any other season ; most of 
the re-arrangements necessary before winter will consist 
of mere temporary surface renewals; and, indeed, where 
it is possible to carry Pines through the winter without 
disturbing them, it is by far preferable ; for the amount 
of injury done to the foliage, under ordinary circum¬ 
stances of removal, is, in our opinion, even more than 
the old practitioner takes into the account. Most pits 
may be renewed by thrusting abundance of tan between 
the stems of the Pines; and where the pots have only 
been half-plunged, a considerable space will present 
itself for filling up. It is good practice to half-Jill this 
first, takirig a strong stake, and stirring the old tan as 
deep as possible, in order to let the new tan sink among 
and blend with the old. The more intimately it is 
blended the better; and this done, another coating of 
tan, old and new mixed if possible, may be applied over 
the whole, even covering the entire rims of the pots if 
necessary. Indeed, we think it excellent practice with 
all successions that require one shift; as the tan induces 
a host of surface fibres, which add much power to the 
plant in the ensuing spring. 
One thing may be observed as a preliminary step 
in such renewals, and that is, some attention to the 
moisture of the tan, &c., previous to these operations. It 
generally happens that the tan is dry, or what is termed 
“ husky,” either the whole surface, or in parts. When 
such is the case, it must be liberally watered before any 
stirring takes place, so that the deep-forking with the 
stake may carry the fresh moistened particles down. 
All necessary watering at the root must have a care¬ 
ful attention at this period, using tepid liquid manure ; 
but wherever any doubts exist as to the necessity of 
applying water, remember that it is more likely to be 
honoured in the breach than in the observance, especially 
with such Pines as the Montserrat or Black Jamaica. 
Where pits have been entirely broken up, it is necessary 
to water the trial-sticks carefully for two or three weeks; 
and in all such cases the pots should not be plunged 
above a third of their depth ; rather heaping up the tan 
between the pots as high as it can be filled without 
touching the pots, to be levelled down when need 
requires. They will thus take a coating of tan of several 
inches in depth about Christmas, if necessary; soon 
after which time the solar light will increase, and the 
plants, in consequence, require more heat both in the 
soil and the atmosphere. 
Much care will now be requisite with stocks of Pines 
in what are termed dung-pits; that is to say, pits in 
