Part 8

“It is a peculiar recommendation of this plan, that the plants reared in frames without fire, the first year seldom or never run to fruit; whereas, on the contrary, when stoves are used first for a nursery for young plants, and next for succession plants, and lastly, for plants for the fruiting-house, it is seldom that one-third of the plants come to the forcing-house, because so many of them have run to fruit; and even those that stand are necessarily dried and stunted, being subjected to the attacks of various insects; not to mention the enormous care and expence attendant upon a three years’ cultivation. The above appears to me to be the most easy and economical plan to raise Pines; one-third of the coals are sufficient, and less than one-half of the labour and buildings required for that purpose.” _Culture of the Ananas_, p. 28.

_Insects._ After, as usual, many fruitless attempts, he at last discovered the following method: “Take horse-dung from the stable, the fresher the better, sufficient to make a hot-bed three feet high, to receive a melon frame three feet deep at the back; put on the frame and lights immediately, and cover the whole with mats to bring up the heat. When the bed is at the strongest heat, take some faggots, open them, and spread the sticks over the surface of the bed on the dung, so as to keep the plants from being scorched; set the plants or suckers bottom uppermost on the sticks; shut down your lights quite close, and cover them over well with double mats, to keep in the steam. Let the plants remain in this state one hour, then take out the plants and wash them in cold water previously brought to the side of your bed, set them in a dry place with their tops downwards to drain, and afterwards plant them. This treatment is sure to kill every insect. You will observe likewise, that if your suckers are kept in the frames all the winter, stuck in the tan without soil or fire, the effluvia from the linings are sure to kill all the bugs.” _Culture of the Ananas_, p. 33.

_Fruit Produced._ The general crop is produced in the usual season, viz. from June to September, or October; but some are produced every month in the year. The large sorts, as the New Providence, &c. require three years to bring them to perfection, but the Old Queen, and Ripley’s New Queen, may be brought to perfection in three months; though from the circumstances requisite to render this practicable, viz. plants fruiting in February, or the beginning of March, it must be considered more a matter of accident or curiosity than of any real advantage. It is evident, at all events, that it can never become general; for certainly no gardener would desire all his plants to come into fruit in February or March. Mr. Baldwin grows his fruit to a very considerable size even when produced in so short a period. “At a meeting of the Horticultural Society of London, held in October, 1817, T. Baldwin, gardener to the Marquis of Hertford, at Ragley, presented a Queen Pine of great beauty and superior flavor. It measured sixteen inches in circumference, seven inches in length, and weighed four pounds. The plant on which it was produced was little more than fifteen months old.” _Hort. Tr._ vol. iii. p. 118.

_Remarks._ The following judicious remarks on Mr. Baldwin’s plan are by Mr. M’Phail. “Mr. Baldwin’s method,” he says, “appears to differ nothing in principle from the methods I practised; but we differ a little in practice, that is, in the manner of the application of the elements necessary to make the plants grow fast and vigorous, and to produce fine fruit; and likewise in the mode of disrooting and planting, which difference I conceive to be of little consequence. He grows his plants in good earth, enriched with plenty of well-rotted manure. He keeps the plants in a strong heat, and gives their roots plenty of water. He sets his fruiting plants in a bed of tan in the month of September, and there it appears they are stationed till the fruit be ripened the following summer. Now, I think, a bed made up in September, is not able to retain a sufficient heat for the growth of the Pine Apple plant for so long a period of time.

“Once, by way of experiment, in a small hot-house, I made up a bed in the pit of it in the month of October, and laid upon the surface of the bed one foot thick of good earth, and turned out of their pots fine Pine Apple plants, intended to fruit the succeeding year, and I set the plants into the earth on the surface of the bed with the balls of earth about their roots undisturbed. In this situation they grew exceedingly well, and shewed fruit very strong, but the heat in the bed under them became too faint in the month of April: and with all the atmospherical heat that I could give them, the fruit did not ripen well for want of heat to the roots of the plants; and I was not able to contrive any method to recruit it, which required to be done in the month of March or April.

“According to the foregoing account, this celebrated and experienced gardener plants the suckers of the Pine Apple in the latter end of September, and he divests them of all their roots in the month of April. In this method of process I must differ from him, because the young plants have only six months (being the slowest growing months of the year) to make roots, and then these roots are entirely cut off, which considerably retards the plants in their growth. And, according to his method, and mine also, the queen and some other sorts of the Pine, ripen their fruit in a shorter period of time than two years after planting. He says, he never waters his Pine plants in the broad-cast way over their heads and leaves. In this I also differ with him, for I think, giving the plants water all over their leaves occasionally, especially in hot weather, is of service to them, and which indeed is only imitating nature.

“I say not that Pine Apple plants will not do well without giving them water all over their leaves, for if hot-houses be kept in a good state of temperature for the growth of the Pine Apple, the great evaporation of the tan-bed, and of the moist earth about the roots of the plants, may supply the leaves sufficiently with water, especially in houses managed in the way this real practical gardener says he manages his Pine plants; that is, his hot-houses are very close, and he admits no air at the roof, so that the moist air which ascends up is thrown back among the plants. I would here remark, that when Pine Apple plants are watered all over their leaves when in fruit, the water should not be suffered to stand long in the heart of the crowns on the fruit, which it will seldom do if the heat in the house be good, but with a little care the plants may be watered all over their leaves, without letting it fall on the fruit, or the crowns of them.

“He recommends that beds for the culture of the Pine Apple be built of wood: excepting it be oak, which is dear, other sorts of timber will not last long in such a situation; and therefore, for this and other reasons, (given in Section VII. page 67), I think beds built of brick, in a similar way to the one I invented, are preferable, and in the end cheaper than those of wood.

“With regard to the method which this gardener useth to destroy insects on Pine Apple plants, it is a troublesome operation, and can be practised only on young plants, and indeed, according to his own account, insects on the Pine Apple may be destroyed in the course of their culture, which coincides exactly with the methods I used and recommend to be carried into practice by those who have the management of Pine Apple plants, and are troubled with insects. I have no doubt but his method of laying young plants in a hot-bed of rank dung, will effectually destroy the insects, though I think, however, they had best remain in the bed longer than one hour; but perhaps remaining even an hour, or a longer time, in such a dreadful situation, where I conceive no animal could long exist, might hurt the plants, if not destroy them. But let it be remembered, that if Pine plants be perfectly free of insects, if they are put into a hot-house where the scale or the bug insects are in the tan, or in any part of the house, the insects will find their way to creep to the Pines and breed upon them; for these insects are natural to the plant.”

SECT. XI.

_Culture of the Pine Apple as given in Abercrombie’s Practical Gardener, edited by Mr. James Mean, head gardener to Sir Abraham Hume, Bart. at Wormleybury, in Hertfordshire._

The culture of the Pine Apple was given by John Abercrombie, in his “Every man his own Gardener,” when that work was originally published in 1780; but we prefer taking it from the work above cited, as giving the modern practice. It is proper to observe, however, that the directions in the “Practical Gardener” are much less to be depended on than those given by M’Phail and Baldwin; for as the first of these authors observes, in his preface to the Gardener’s Remembrancer, the Practical Gardener has been evidently dressed up, and in some parts rather affectedly, by some man who knew little of the practice of gardening. As to what Mr. Mean may have done in revising the book, it is more certain that he has not done enough, than that he has done any thing, for there are many passages, besides those pointed out by M’Phail, that appear quite ridiculous as coming from a practical gardener. Notwithstanding these faults, however, which would have escaped unnoticed in a less valuable book, “The Practical Gardener” is the best book of its kind extant.

_Form of House._ “The fruiting-house,” he says, “need not be higher than five feet in front, and eight feet six inches at the back wall; or, whatever be the breadth of the house, the difference between the height in front and in rear, need not exceed one-third of the breadth.” By this means the chamber of air to be heated will be materially reduced. To give a full command over the temperature of this air, let the lappings of the panes of glass be closed with putty.

The roof of the succession-house may be four or six inches lower than that of the fruiting-house; and the roof of the nursing-pit may be a foot lower than that of the fruiting-house.

_Soil._ The soil recommended is nearly the same as that used by Nicol. It consists of:--“1. Vegetable mould; 2. The top-spit earth from an upland pasture, loamy, friable, and well reduced; 3. Hard-fed dung, rotted and mellowed by at least a year’s preparation; 4. Small, pearly river-gravel; 5. White sea-sand; 6. Shell-marl.

“If no vegetable mould has been provided, light rich earth, from a fallowed part of the kitchen garden, may be substituted: there is no difference of any account between one and the other, further than this: The vegetable mould is sure to be virgin earth, from which no aliment has been extracted; the mould from the kitchen garden, however you may trench, and rest, and enrich it, cannot but contain many particles which have given out their fertilizing qualities to previous crops. Dung perfectly decomposed comes to the same thing as vegetable mould; therefore that one of them which is most attainable, or best prepared, may fitly serve instead of the other.

“Of the first three take equal quantities; making three-fourths of the intended compost. Constitute the remaining fourth thus: Let river-gravel, sea-sand, and shell-marl, furnish each a twelfth part. The small gravel is to afford something for the roots to lay hold of; the sea-sand, to promote lightness and dryness; the shell-marl, the better to support the growth of fibres and integuments and parts not pulpy. Mix with the whole a fortieth part soot, to offend and repel worms. Incorporate the ingredients fully; and turn the heap two or three times before using it.”

_General management._ “As soon as either crowns or suckers are detached from the parent plant, directions are given to twist off some of the leaves about the base; the vacancy, thus made, at the bottom of the stem, is to favour the emission of roots. Pare the stump smooth; then lay the intended plants on a shelf in a shaded part of the stove, or of the green-house, or of any dry apartment. Let crowns and fruit off-sets lie till the part that adhered to the fruit is perfectly healed; and root-suckers, in the same manner, till the part which was united to the old stock is become dry and firm. They will be fit to plant in five or six days. As to the prolonged period for which they may remain out of culture: Pine-plants have been kept six months without mould, in a moderately warm dry state, and the only injury has been loss of time. Crowns or suckers coming off before Michaelmas should be planted without any unnecessary delay, to get established before, the winter. When late-fruiting plants do not afford off-sets till after Michaelmas, it is best to keep them in a dormant state during the months least favourable to artificial culture: therefore, as you obtain these late off-sets, hang them up in the house, not too near the flues, to rest till March.”

_Insects._ Mr. Nicol’s method, and also that by M’Phail, are both quoted with approbation. The following wash is directed to be applied exclusively to the building, and by no means to the plants. “At the annual cleansing of the house, if insects are supposed to breed in the building, introduce the wash with a brush into the cracks and joints of the wood-work, and the crevices of the wall.

_Recipe for the Wash._ “Of sulphur vivum take 2 oz. soft soap, 4 oz. Make these into a lather, mixed with a gallon of water that has been poured in a boiling state upon a pound of mercury. The mercury will last, to medicate fresh quantities of water, almost perpetually.”

_Fruit produced._ To ripen eminently large fruit, he directs the removal or destruction of suckers; to retard the progress of fruit that have appeared too early, he shifts in Nicol’s manner; and when fruit is ripening too fast, or too many advancing to a ripe state together, he retards a part of the plants by setting them into a dry airy place, affording both shade and shelter. “Give no water as long as you wish to suspend their progress. For the same purpose, others may be set out green; but whilst the excitement of these is lowered, they must be kept in a growing state.” _Practical Gardener_, 643.

SECT. XII.

_Culture of the Pine Apple by Mr. James Andrews, commercial gardener, Vauxhall._

Mr. Andrews has been considered the best grower of Pines in the neighbourhood of London for many years; his principal object is to grow fruit for the market; but the demand for the plants by private gardeners, and others, has generally been so great, that he can seldom keep the plants till the last stage of their growth.

_Form of House._ Both pits and larger houses are used; but there is nothing particular in the form of either. Mr. Andrews seldom erects new work, but generally purchases old hot-houses and sashes at the sales of decayed gentlemen, or bankrupt tradesmen. In this respect he follows the practice of Mr. Lee of Hammersmith, and both have generally a stock of old sashes and rafters on hand ready to put up when wanted. But though the form of Mr. Andrews’ houses may be said to be in a great degree matter of accident, yet the arrangement of the flues within is his own. These generally enter at the front corner of one end, pass to the opposite end, return along the back wall, where they sometimes serve as a path, and at other times are placed at one side of the path, occasionally a return is made, and the chimney-top is formed in the back wall, at the opposite end to that in which the fire enters; when this is not the case, the smoke passes off by the back wall at the same end. The width of the pit depends on the room left by the flue; to increase it no path is formed at the ends or in front, and that along the back wall does not exceed two feet in width. The depth of the pits is from two feet and a half to three feet deep, and their distance from the glass from four to six feet. Vines are trained up the rafters and over the back path. The sashes in front open in various ways, and air is given by them, and by the sliding sashes of the roof. On the whole, Mr. Andrews’ best houses greatly resemble those of Mr. Gunter, to be described in the following section.

In the pits there is nothing uncommon in the construction; they are, in general, sunk deep in the ground, which being dry at bottom, is a great saving of heat. In some the tan is enclosed by brick walls, in others by a frame of wood; some are without flues, but the greater number have a flue in front, or a steam tube, or both.

In the year 1817, Mr. Andrews tried the effect of steam, and was so much satisfied with it, that in the following year, he put up an extensive apparatus in the centre of his forcing department, from which branch-pipes proceed in all directions, and heat the air in the whole of his hot-houses, pits, and frames.

_Soil._ As near as possible that of Baldwin’s, or M’Phail’s;--a rich loam, rendered sufficiently free by coarse sand, to admit the ready passage of the water.

_General management._ The crowns and suckers, when they are detached at irregular seasons, as in winter, or very early in spring, are planted in any spare corner of the bark bed, till a number is collected, when they are planted in pots, according to their sizes, and plunged in common hot-beds, or pits. Mr. Andrews has no particular months for shifting, no fixed sizes of pots, and no predetermined manipulation as to shaking the plants out of their balls, or otherwise. He is present at every operation himself, and acts as the case requires. He encourages forward plants, by giving them larger pots than the rest; sometimes he looks over the nursing-pits, and selects the most vigorous plants, shifts them, and puts them into a stronger heat, leaving the others for some weeks longer: the balls of earth he does not disturb, if they do not appear hard, the roots injured, or the plant enfeebled. Sometimes he takes off the bottom of the ball, and the bottom roots, paring off any part of the stump of the plant which may appear decaying; at other times, he contents himself with removing the surface-mould, and top-dressing. In general, he places the plants somewhat deeper in the pots at each shifting.

The plants which he removes to the fruiting-houses are shifted, for the last time, about nine months before the fruit is expected; their pots are generally twelve or fourteen inches in diameter; but not of the usual proportion in depth, to lessen the risk of overheating from the tan. The depth is generally the same as the width. The pots are plunged up to their rims, unless the heat be very violent, and are liberally supplied with heat, air, and water. Mr. Andrews does not fear 90° or 100° degrees of heat in the bark bed, even when the air of the house by fire-heat is not above 60° or 65°. In summer, he allows the thermometer to rise to 90° or a 100° before he gives air, and he often leaves some at the top-lights all night.

_Insects._ On this subject nothing new can be gathered from the practice of Mr. Andrews, for he has never had any worth destroying by a regular process. His practice affords an ample proof that regimen and cleanliness will never allow insects to increase to an injurious degree.

_Fruit produced._ We have already noticed the circumstance of Mr. Andrews’ plants being often sold before they arrive at the stage for fruiting. His stock, however, has been lately greatly increased by the erection of additional houses, and the easy mode of heating them from the steam apparatus; he now, therefore, sends a number to market, and chiefly in the winter season, and early in spring, when the price is highest. Their fruit weigh from one to four pounds, and are almost exclusively of the Queen Pine.

SECT. XIII.

_Culture of the Pine Apple, as practised by Mr. Gunter, at Earlscourt, near Kensington; Mr. Grange, at Kingsland; and Mr. Wilmot, of Isleworth._

The family of Mr. Gunter have long possessed the very extensive gardens of Earlscourt, and grown in them kitchen vegetables, excellent hardy fruits, and melons, for the London market; but it is only within the last seven years that they have commenced the culture of the Pine Apple for the same purpose. This Mr. R. Gunter has done on the most liberal and extensive scale, and with great and merited success.

_Form of House._ Like Mr. Andrews, Mr. Gunter uses both pits and large houses; in the pits he both nurses the plants, and fruits them, and in the large houses he fruits the Pine Apple, and produces very early grapes at the same time.

The large houses (fig. 12.) are, in what may be called the usual form; they differ from M’Phail’s, and the houses built by Speechly, and originally by Nicol, in not having a path in front; and from those of Mr. Aiton, erected in the royal gardens at Kensington, in the pit being farther from the glass. They are about fourteen feet wide inside measure; the pit is ten feet three inches wide, three feet deep, three and a half feet from the glass in front (_a_), and about six feet and a half behind (_b_). The back path (_c_) is a border regularly dug and manured, to encourage the roots of the vines, which pass under the bark bed to the front border. Each house is forty feet long, and has a flue proceeding from the back wall to the front, and along the front to the opposite end, returning to the back wall in the usual manner. As the houses are all heated by steam, however, these flues are erected merely by way of security, in case of any accident happening to the boiler or the pipes (_d_, _e_), and are therefore seldom used. Besides the vines trained over the back path, there are others which are led up the rafters; both root into excellent soil, and their shoots are withdrawn in autumn to give them three months’ rest in the open air. Those at the back wall are withdrawn through an opening in the angle of the upper sash; those in front through an angle of the front sash.

The pits are sunk in the ground to the sill of the sashes in front, and within eighteen inches, or two feet of the sill behind. In all of them, the tan is inclosed by brick walls; they are generally about seven feet wide within walls, but some are as wide as fourteen feet, with the front wall six inches above ground, and the back wall two feet ten inches. The sashes in these broad pits are in two lengths, as in hot-house roofs; none of them have any flues, being all heated together, with the hot-houses, and various other descriptions of pits, by an extensive steam apparatus. This apparatus was erected by Mr. Mainwaring, of Blackfriars, and is one of the most complete of its kind, excepting in the circumstance of the steam-pipes having what are technically called _spigott_ and _faucet_ joints, which, it is alleged, are more apt, by their contraction and expansion, to allow the escape of the steam than the _flanched_ joints. The advantage of the former mode of jointing is, that the steam-tube contracts and expands in parts; and, of course, that this contraction and expansion must be very trifling on every part; whereas, when iron tubes are joined by flanches, they become, in effect, one tube; and the contraction, or expansion, takes place throughout their whole length.

_Soil._ Good garden earth, enriched with well-rotted hot-bed dung; the soil of the open garden at Earlscourt, is a rich black loam, and seems to suit the Pine Apple as well as virgin earth brought from a distance.