A liberal supply of air should be given on fine days. Towards the end of September they should be as completely at rest as a comparatively low temperature, a dry atmosphere, and a proportionately dry state of the soil in which they grow, can place them. I have frequently allowed Queens in this stage to remain without a drop of water at the root from the first week in October till January, and found the plants so treated in the very best condition. To start pines into fruit at any given time, and, more especially, very early in the year, it is necessary to their doing so satisfactorily, that they have a period of rest previous to their being subjected to the treatment required to start them. Such as have completed their growth as I have described early in the season, can have from ten to twelve weeks' rest, and be started in time to ripen their fruit in the end of May and June. From the beginning of October, onwards to the end of December, it rarely occurs that pines intended to start thus early are the better for a drop of water, more especially when grown on a bed of fermenting material. And when the bottom-heat is supplied with pipes, it is much the safer way to keep the plunging material moderately moist than to water the pines.

The night temperature should drop gradually to 60° by the middle of October. In November, and until the time they are to be started, I prefer the during cold windy

temperature at 55° at night weather, and 60° when mild. The bottom - heat should be proportionately low, just enough to main

tain the roots in a white healthy condition, and 75° is quite enough for that. When with sun-heat during the day, which may occur during clear frosty weather, the temperature exceeds 65°, air should be given. With such weather as this it is sometimes necessary to fire sharply at night to keep up the required temperature; in such a case the fires should be checked the first thing in the morning, especially when a cold night is succeeded by a bright sunny day. Where it can be so arranged that covering can be used over the glass during such weather, it prevents radiation, and the atmosphere can be kept in a condition much more congenial to pines than when more fire-heat is necessary. For although a damp atmosphere, which leads to an accumulation of moisture and drips, is by all means to be avoided at this season, yet a parchingly dry atmosphere produced by highly-heated pipes is very prejudicial, and cannot well be counteracted in winter without producing the opposite evil. Hence the value of covering the glass at night. When, however, it becomes necessary to apply moisture to counteract the too drying effects of hard firing, the best way is to sprinkle the paths instead of the pipes, because the moisture will be carried more gradually into the atmosphere, and is therefore not so likely to accumulate and drop into the centres of the plants which, as all pine-growers have doubtless found out, is attended with spotted leaves, and not unfrequently deformed fruit.

Winter treatment the reverse of what I have here recommended a high temperature and more water

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at the root and the air-causes the plants to grow all winter; and from want of light and air they will become drawn and weakly-in fact, worthless—or probably some of them may start at the dead of winter, when, particularly in the case of Queens, there is very little chance of their blooming and setting properly, and will either way be worthless. An instance of such treatment once came under my notice, when the whole resting season, instead of a low temperature, 75° of heat was kept up with moisture in abundance. The consequence was that when the time for starting them came round they were tall, tender, and only fit for the waste-heap.

Pine plants arrived at the stage I have been now treating of are termed fruiting plants, and under that heading I will speak of their further treatment.

FRUITING PLANTS.

Ripe pines being required in the early part of June, it will be necessary to set a quantity of Queens in motion by the first of January, to succeed those which are generally termed winter and spring fruiters, and which will be treated of by-and-by. Queens are by far the best variety to start at this season, with the view of getting ripe fruit from them quickly to keep the succession after the winter fruiting varieties. Yet for the sake of variety, and also to keep up as long a succession as possible from the same lot of plants, it is desirable to start a few of the later varieties at the same time, but Queens should form the great majority.

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Where bottom-heat is derived from leaves and tan, the bed in the fruiting pinery should have fresh material added to it, as formerly directed, to increase the heat to from 85° to 90°; but in doing this very particular attention must be paid to the state of the bed, as over much bottom-heat at this stage would prove fatal to anything like success. The principal part of the roots being at the bottom and round the sides of the pots, they are now more than ever particularly liable to suffer from too much heat, and great caution is necessary. Should there be any fear about the over-heating of the bed after it is prepared, it will be much safer to only half plunge the pots at first, till it be certain that the heat will not exceed 90°.

Those who have the more desirable and superior appliance of hot-water pipes or tanks for bottom-heat, will be spared the trouble and anxiety which attaches to the otherwise by no means inefficient, when well managed, fermenting bed. They can regulate the bottom-heat with much more ease and safety.

In selecting the plants for starting at this early season, those only should be taken which are most likely to start without making a growth. I will therefore suppose that the cultivator has a hundred plants of those treated of as "succession plants," and that from these it is desired to have a supply of ripe fruit from the first of June till October, and recommend that fifty of those most likely to start at once should be selected. In doing so the experienced eye will fix upon those with the thickest collars, and that have the greatest number of short sharp-pointed leaves

thickly set together in their centres. These are the most likely to send up their fruit without making a fresh growth, although some of them may disappoint even the most experienced; still, in a general way, when prepared as I have described the previous autumn and winter, they will not disappoint.

In arranging and plunging these plants, a few of the bottom leaves should be stripped off, all the loose soil on the surface removed, and a top-dressing of loam put on, pressing it firmly to the collars of the plant and the sides of the pot. In moving these plants it is a common practice to tie the leaves up for the sake of convenience; but I would here say that it is a practice which cannot be too severely condemned in any stage of the pine's growth, and particularly when the plants are full grown, and should have stubby, short, thick leaves that will not bear being squeezed into a bundle without considerable injury. I never tie pines up at any stage when working amongst them. Those who shift and plunge the strong prickly varieties can easily protect their hands from being torn by wearing a pair of gloves. In plunging them they should not be put thicker than two feet from centre to centre, and that side of the plant which has been to the sun all the growing season should be placed so still.

As soon as they are all plunged, water them with guano-water at 80°, giving them sufficient to moisten the whole ball, but be careful not to splash it about the leaves. The atmospheric temperature for January should be 65° at night, and 70° by day without sun; with sun, 80° will be sufficient, and air should be