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.
[Illustration: 12]
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.
_General management._ Much the same as that of Mr. Andrews. Mr. Gunter
tried to substitute the heat of steam for that of tan, as a bottom heat,
but did not succeed. He formed a chamber, or vacuity of about six
inches in depth, and covered it with perforated oak-plank; on this he
placed the earth, in which, in some cases, he turned the plants out of
the pots; and, in others, plunged the pots in the earth, or in rotten
tan. The steam was admitted to fill the chamber; the quantity of heat
imparted to the earth was very great, but, contrary to his expectation,
no vapour ascended into the mould, which became excessively dry and
husky; nor was he able, by frequent waterings, to keep it in a state fit
for vegetation; the roots of the plants in it, in spite of every
precaution, become shrivelled and dry.
_Insects._ None of any consequence have yet appeared at Earlscourt, nor
is it likely they will ever become numerous there, while steam is used.
Were they to become ever so abundant, keeping the air of the house
filled with steam for two or three days together, would effectually
destroy them.
_Fruit produced._ The object of every commercial gardener is to have
some fruit ripening in every month of the year, but especially in
winter, when the price is high. In summer great numbers are imported, or
sent in from the hired-out gardens of country gentlemen, which greatly
reduces the market value below the real value, or actual cost of
production.
The Pine Apple is extensively cultivated by Mr. Grange, of Kingsland,
and Mr. Wilmot, of Isleworth, in nearly the same manner as by Mr.
Andrews and Mr. Gunter. Those of Mr. Wilmot’s are, at present, in the
most luxuriant and prosperous state; Mr. Grange’s are also in a very
respectable condition. In both, the plants are grown and fruited in
pits, and larger houses, which resemble those of Earlscourt (fig. 12.)
as nearly as possible; in both, also, the heat is communicated by steam.
SECT. XIV.
_Culture of the Pine Apple, by Mr. Isaac Oldacre, gardener to Lady
Banks, at Spring-grove, Middlesex._
Mr. Oldacre is an excellent kitchen-gardener, and an ingenious and
curious man. He was several years head-gardener at one of the Emperor of
Russia’s residences near Petersburg, and has the merit of having
introduced from that country, the German mode of rearing mushrooms.
Having returned to this country about the year 1813, for his health, he
some years afterwards became gardener to Sir Joseph Banks, in whose
gardens he has cultivated the Pine Apple with moderately good success,
and we have introduced this Section on purpose to notice some
peculiarities of treatment which he adopts, and some strange opinions
which he holds, or lately held.
_Form of House._ The plants are brought forward in dung, or tan-frames,
or hot-beds, and also in flued-pits; but generally fruited in houses
combining the culture of the Vine and the Pine. Mr. Oldacre has two of
these houses, one is built of timber, in the usual way, (fig. 13.) and
the other is of the same form, but roofed with copper sashes. A full
command over the air of these houses is obtained by the returns made by
the flue in the back path (_a_); the curb of the pit is about three feet
from the glass in front (_b_); and about five feet from it behind (_c_);
vines are trained up the rafters, but none are grown in the back path
(_e_), which is paved.
[Illustration: 13]
In addition to the flues, steam is also employed as a medium of
communicating heat. But the apparatus was erected chiefly as matter of
patriotism, when steam first came in vogue, and is on a very imperfect
plan, and of little real use. The boilers are placed over the furnaces,
and the same fire which heats the water of the boiler, passes along the
flue; the steam tube of the boiler is laid on the top of the flue, and
extends no farther than it extends. It is evident, therefore, that
scarcely any advantage can result from the use of the boiler, unless it
be that the heat is thus sent more effectually to the opposite end of
the house to that at which the fire enters, or that the vapour is very
readily admitted from the steam-pipe to fill the air of the house. None
of these advantages, however, will compensate the expense of the
apparatus; the first is hardly wanted where houses are placed in a
connected range, as the two outside ends of the houses are kept warm by
the flues entering there; and in the other houses a warm end is placed
against a cold one.
_Soil._ At first, Mr. Oldacre used good sound loam and dung, with a
little sand, when he found it necessary; but he has for the last four
years grown his fruiting plants chiefly in powdered bones, in which he
thinks they thrive better, and produce more highly-flavoured fruit. We
have not, however, been able to discover any thing in the appearance of
either fruit or plants, to lead us to suppose that powdered bones are
more congenial to the Pine plant than good loam and dung; his plants are
certainly not equal to Mr. Baldwin’s, nor superior to those grown by Mr.
Andrews, or Mr. Aiton. We, therefore, consider their thriving in this
compost a proof more of the hardy nature of the Pine, than of any thing
else; we have no doubt it would grow in powdered granite, or coal, or
almost any powder, not even excepting gunpowder, if a due proportion of
well-rotted manure were added, and water, heat, light, and air, duly
supplied.
_General management._ In this, Mr. Oldacre has nothing particular; he is
careful not to let the temperature of either frames or pits, containing
Pine plants fall under 60° in winter, but is not afraid of a heat of 90°
or 100° in summer. After shifting, and occasionally during very hot
weather, he shades the plants in the frames and succession-pits, well
knowing that the want of abundant and extended roots must lessen that
supply of moisture essential to the vigour of plants, during high
sunshine, when evaporation is so powerful. His fruiting-plants he keeps
in large pots, rather broad than deep, and so liberally supplies them
with water, that evaporation and transpiration go on even in the hottest
sun-shine, without injuring the plants. He waters often with liquid
manure, generally the drainings of dunghills; frequently steams the
house by watering the paths and flues when the steam apparatus is not at
work; sometimes he waters the plants over the top; and at all times he
keeps up a good bottom heat.
It may be further noticed, that in the hottest weather, from June to
September, he permits the temperature of the atmosphere of the house to
rise to upwards of 100 degrees during the day, but leaves sufficient
number of sashes open during the night, to lower the heat of the air
within very nearly to that of the air without. This is perfectly natural
treatment, consistent with what takes place in those countries where the
Pine Apple is grown in the open air, and consonant with the practice of
Mr. Knight.
_Insects._ These he keeps off by regimen, watering with clear water, and
filling the house with steam. In short, Mr. Oldacre’s opinions and
practices, as far as circumstances have required practice, are in
perfect unison with Mr. M’Phail’s: and it is not, perhaps, too much to
assert, that experience will bring every gardener to the same result.