warms the ground in which they grow, and this heat should not be exceeded here. Pines thrive much the best by keeping the house very warm and moist, and by giving air early in the morning, and shutting it up early in the afternoon. As soon as shut up, give a gentle sprinkling of water all over the plants with an engine, which causes a fine steam to rise, and the leaves never burn, but the plants grow with increased vigour. When they are larger and require larger pots, add more loam to the soil in which they are potted, and keep the pots well drained with small potsherds in the bottom. In shifting them into larger pots, care must be taken not to injure their roots. When they are put into the fruiting house, first turn the tan-bed all over to the bottom, adding a sufficient quantity of fresh tan, so as to give a strong heat; then set the plants upon the tan, but do not plunge them till the heat begins to decline. Where plenty of leaves can be had, they need not be plunged at all; but, as soon as the heat declines, fill up between the pots with them. Oak or chesnut leaves are the best; these cause the heat to rise as strongly as is required; when the heat again declines, add another quantity of leaves, and so on till the plants are half buried, and water them frequently, but little at a time, and they will root in the leaves, and swell off their fruit to a great size; the suckers root also into the leaves, and grow to large plants before they are taken off, so that these plants produce their fruit when potted off, much earlier than by any other means. When the plants are wanted to show fruit, they should be checked by keeping them dry for a considerable time; then by watering them, and giving them a little fresh heat, they fruit immediately. The pine-house should be kept up as near as possible to seventy degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer in winter; in summer it may be shut up at an hundred degrees or more. This heat may be said to apply to a collection of Pines when grown together in one house; but when there is a sufficiency of room, it will be more advisable to grow the Queen Pines by themselves, and those called Black Pines in another department, as these latter require a heat of at least twenty degrees more to grow them well than what ought to be allowed to the Queens. The White Providence Pine being a much larger grower than any other, it would be desirable to grow it in a third house, or in a large pit constructed for the purpose. This does not require a greater degree of heat than any of the Black Pines; but its leaves being so much longer and larger than any other, prevents its being arranged in the pit, so as to allow the others an equal advantage. 1. BLUE GAGE. Hort. Soc. Cat. No. 22. Azure Hâtive. Poit. et Turp. t. 78. Branches long, slender, and downy. Fruit small, quite round, about three inches and a half in circumference. Stalk three quarters of an inch long. Skin dark blue, covered with a pale blue bloom. Flesh yellowish green, and separates from the stone. Juice smart, with but little richness of flavour. Ripe the beginning of August. 2. BLUE PERDRIGON. Langley, p. 92. Miller, No. 7. Perdigon. Parkinson, No. 19. Branches downy. Fruit middle-sized, oval, a little Skin deep narrowed towards the stalk, which is short. purple, covered with a blue bloom. Flesh yellow, and separates from the stone. Juice excellent. Ripe the beginning and middle of August. Ripened at Twickenham in 1727, on a west wall, July 20. O. S., or July 31. N. S. Langley. This Plum has been a long time in our gardens. HAKLUYT, in 1582, says, " Of late time the Plum called the Perdigevena, was procured out of Italy, with two kinds more, by the Lord Cromwell, after his travell." 3. GREAT DAMASK VIOLET OF TOURS. Miller, No. 4. Gros Damas de Tours. Duhamel, No. 4. Branches long, downy. Fruit middle-sized, of a somewhat oval figure, about one inch and a quarter long, and something less in diameter. Skin dark blue, covered with a violet bloom. Flesh yellow, and loosely adheres to the stone. Juice sugary and pleasant. Ripe the beginning of August. 4. GROSSE NOIRE HÂTIVE. Duhamel, No. 3. Noire de Montreuil. Ib. Fruit middle-sized, of a somewhat oblong figure, about one inch and a half long, and one inch and a quarter in diameter. with a blue bloom. Skin of a violet colour, covered Flesh firm, yellowish when fully ripe, and separates from the stone, leaving a few detached pieces of the pulp behind. Juice sugary and brisk-flavoured. Ripe the beginning of August. 5. KIRKE'S PLUM. Pom. Mag. t. 111. Branches smooth. Fruit rather large, roundish oval, rather broadest at the base, about one inch and three quarters deep, and two inches in diameter; suture slightly depressed. Stalk three quarters of an inch long, very little sunk at its point of insertion; apex not depressed. Skin dark purple, covered with a copious azure bloom, through which appear a few golden specks: this bloom is extremely remarkable, and does not readily rub off. Flesh greenish yellow, firm, juicy, rich, and separates from the stone, which is middle-sized, irregularly and broadly oval, flattened, with a groove or channel along one face. Ripe the beginning and middle of September. This is a very handsome variety, and a most excellent bearer, both as a standard and upon a west wall, ripening something later than the Orleans. It was brought into notice a few years ago by Mr. Kirke, of Brompton, and is believed to be of foreign origin. 6. MOROCCO. Pom. Mag. t. 103. Early Black Damask. Black Damask. Black Morocco. Early Damask. Early Morocco. Langley, Pom. t. 20. f. 3. Of various Collections, according to the Pom. Mag. Branches downy. Leaves with globose glands. Fruit middle-sized, roundish, its suture moderately depressed along one side; the apex a little flattened; about one inch and three quarters deep, and the same in diameter. Stalk thick, scarcely half an inch long. Skin deep blackish purple, covered with a light blue bloom. Flesh greenish yellow, slightly adhering to the stone, juicy, rich, and high flavoured. Stone middle-sized, oval, compressed. Ripe the beginning of August. Ripened at Twickenham in 1727, on an east wall, July 14. O. S., or July 25. N. S. Langley. It is very hardy, and bears well as a standard, ripening three weeks or a month before the Orleans. 7. PRECOCE DE TOURS. Duhamel, No. 2. Hooker, Pom. Lond. t. 34. |