March 25. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
305 
PINE-APPLE CULTURE; 
Those who lxave not gone over their stock should 
lose no time in doing so. It is customary, and, indeed, 
in the majority of cases, absolutely necessary, to renew 
all bottom-heats in the end of February, or beginning 
of March at latest. Indeed, with those for early fruit, 
this process becomes necessary much earlier. Even 
where there are those safer modes of bottom-heat,—tank- 
1 heated chambers,—some spring re-arrangement becomes 
J necessary. It is almost impossible, and, indeed, unne¬ 
cessary, to suggest what precise course to pursue, as 
everything depends on the structures and means within 
reach of the cultivator. If fermenting materials are 
used, it too often becomes necessary to disturb the whole 
pit, which can never be accomplished without much 
injury to the pines, especially if they are in an advanced 
state. Hence the anxiety manifested by some first-rate 
cultivators to obtain tank-lieated chambers to plant 
them out permanently, as Hamilton and others have 
urged. 
In thus disturbing jdts which have been some time 
filled, a selection of materials must be carefully made. 
Where good leaves have been used, a portion will be 
found, where most excluded from the air, in a tolerable 
sound state, and well-adapted for the purpose of mixing 
with the new material. It is almost needless here to 
urge the very great superiority of oak leaves; those who 
have them will be sure to use them. 
In some cases, where pits were what is termed “ bot¬ 
tomed ” in the autumn, they will only require surface 
renewal now, especially if fruiting pines are contained 
therein. In this position of affairs it is not unlikely 
that portions of the tan may be husky, and require 
water. Such should be carefully applied, and some new 
tan being added, and the whole dug or worked over 
deeply with a sharp stake, a speedy renewal of heat will 
take place ; after this pointing-in, a coating of new tan 
may be applied over the surface, ready for the next 
“ pointing-in.” However, all these applications, both 
in kind and degree, depend on the character of the bed, 
and the position and age of the plants. If it is sus¬ 
pected that the plants are rooted through the pots, some 
care must be exercised not to injure their roots. 
A rather general shift will be necessary, if not already 
accomplished. Thorough drainage, a good turfy loam, 
and roomy pots, are the main essentials. As to drain¬ 
age, this we consider the most important of the whole. 
The pine may be considered a ground orchid in this 
respect, and receive as particular a character of drainage. 
Whatever is used, it should be so placed as that at least 
three large apertures for the escape of moisture, and the 
ascent of gaseous matters, are secured. This done, some 
pounded materials, clean sifted, should be strewn over 
the whole, and then a thin coating of dried turf, chop¬ 
ped; from which nearly all the soil has been ejected by 
tossing it about. Such altogether will form an excellent 
and enduring pasturage for the roots, which will nestle 
and ramify through all portions of it. As to soil, al¬ 
though turfy loam of a sound or slightly adhesive cha¬ 
racter is doubtless the best adapted to British skies, yet 
some manurial matters may, with advantage, be mixed 
with the soil. Almost any ordinary manure, not too 
much decayed, will answer if of good quality, and may 
constitute nearly one-third of the mass. To this may be 
added some sand and a little charcoal grit, which will 
have the effect of securing openness in the soil for a long 
period. If any of the young stock are in a bad state at 
root, it will at once argue mis-management in drainage 
or watering; such must be liberated from the old soil 
and repotted in fresh, using the same, or even smaller 
pots. But with regard to those in a perfectly healthy 
state there is nothing like a roomy shift; indeed, if all 
other appliances were certain, and no farther disturbance 
necessary, there appears no reason why a young plant 
may not go to its fruiting pot at once. 
It must be remembered by the young pine grower, 
that he may count on the fruit rising, under good cul¬ 
ture, at from nine to twelve months from the period at 
which a strong succession is put into its fruiting pot; 
this, therefore, is a guide in most cases. 
And now, the spring arrangement being carried out, 
the next consideration is to be very jealous of raising 
bottom heats. The power of the sun is considerable al¬ 
ready, and daily increasing, and in conjunction with the 
rising powers of the fermenting materials, and perhaps 
fire-heat, the misfortune termed burning may speedily 
take place ; after which it is vain to look for fine or 
high-flavoured fruit. 
Perhaps about 8-1° is a more congenial heat than any 
other from the end of March to the end of September. 
If, however, the heat should fluctuate a little from 7<»° 
minimum to 90° maximum, no great harm may be appre¬ 
hended. We would on no account exceed 90® ; a slight 
amount of temporary starvation, to use a harsh term, 
may partially suspend the energies of the plants for a 
while, but “burning” wall paralyse them, and is in 
a degree irremediable. The application of water at root, 
whenever the plants need it, will, of course, be attended 
to, and let the water-pot man remember that whenever 
he has any doubts, it is better to lean to dryness than 
to overwatering, especially the kind termed black 
Jamaica, which will not only bear, but enjoy, a con¬ 
siderable amount of drought. The application of abun¬ 
dance of atmospheric moisture is, of all other matters, 
the great essential; this can hardly be too abundant, 
and the syringe should be liberally used morning and 
evening; ventilating freely for a few hours. Shading 
may be had recourse to, where stock has received a check, 
for a few hours only in the middle of the day. 
Robert Errington. 
FUCHSIAS, CLIMBERS, &c. 
In about six weeks or two months I shall be able to 
give an article or two on cottage architecture, from 
actual experience, both of head and purse—a subject 
which, from the said experience, I know full well will be 
as useful to thousands as any thing I can say about 
planting flower beds; besides, now that I have slipped 
the collar, and sat down under my own vine, they will 
find it a hard matter to keep me to Be-at-one thing, as 
Mr. Fish will have it. But still I must own, that if 
this old constitution of ours is worth fighting for at all, 
it must be more on account of our flower gardens and 
blooming ladies than anything else I can think of, and 
so the flower gardens are not to be let down for fancy 
architecture, or any other fancy, let it ever be so useful 
to the world at large. 
When I came here, after leaving Suffolk, I found my 
vine in good order, pruned and dressed for the winter, 
sufficiently to satisfy Mr. Errington himself. I found, 
also, after the 2nd of December, that there were two 
nice pieces of ground, one on the right and the other on 
the left of me, which, if the French President was 
obliged to come over here a second time, or even came 
without compulsion or compunction, he might settle 
here, on either side of me ; and not liking the smell of 
gunpowder, or ugly customers, I rented the two pieces 
for ninety-nine years, and set-to in the old line of 
bricks and mortar again; and by the time specified I 
shall have three of the best-built cottages in England 
quite finished; and being my own architect, clerk of 
the works, some days a master, at other times a 
labourer, and having drained the gardens, and trenched 
them too, deeper than Mr. Mechi ever dreamed of; and 
having, also, made up my mind and my pocket, if I am 
