It frequently occurs that a few Pines start into fruit in October and November. These may either be such as failed to start along with others in July and August, or of the most forward of those intended for starting next spring. In all cases it is desirable to treat such plants carefully, especially if they are Smooth Cayennes, Charlotte Rothschilds, or Jamaicas, for they ripen at a time when dessert fruits are comparatively scarce. If possible, let them be put into a division of a Pine-pit by themselves where they can have as much sunshine as possible, a bottom-heat of 95°, and an air temperature of 65° in cold and 70° in mild weather, at night, with a rise of 10° by day with sun. All fruit now swelling off should have a bottom-heat of 90° to 95°, and a night temperature as recommended above. Keep the air genially moist, and the soil regularly damp without being wet. All fruit that begin to colour after the middle of this month should be kept comparatively dry, especially if the weather be, as it usually is, damp and sunless. Large fruit in particular are apt to begin to decay at the heart before they are fully coloured if kept too wet. A little air should be admitted on all favourable occasions where fruit are ripening.

All Queens intended for starting soon after the shortest day should be kept dry and quiet. 60° should not be exceeded as a night temperature; and a few degrees lower will be better than hard firing in cold nights. Put on a little air in the pits when they exceed 65° with sun or fire-heat by day. If the bottom-heat is supplied by hot-water pipes, and the plunging material be shallow, see that they do not get injuriously dry. If the plunging material be moist, and the bottom-heat does not exceed 80°, there is not much fear of over-dryness. Look carefully over the suckers that are well rooted in 6- and 7-inch pots every week, and do not allow any of them to get over-dry, or they may get set and start instead of growing on in spring. See that they are not crowded, for if they are, they become "drawn" and weakly, and never do satisfactorily afterwards. Keep these at 60° at night, with 80° of bottom-heat, with a few degrees less when the weather is cold. Recently-potted suckers should have a bottom-heat of 90° and 65° of an air temperature till they are tolerably well rooted.

All Pine-pits that can have a covering of canvas or frigidomo put over them in severe frost should have such covering prepared for them instead of hard firing.

Pine Forcing #1

Suckers that were potted early in autumn will now have well filled their pots with roots; and as it is not desirable to shift them at this dull season, they must, especially if plunged over hot-air chambers, be carefully seen to in the way of watering, to prevent their becoming too dry, and so producing a stunted condition of growth, resulting in their starting into fruit with a higher temperature in spring. Look over them twice weekly and water such as are dry. The temperature should now be reduced to its minimum: in cold weather 55°, and in mild 60°, is quite sufficient. Keep the atmosphere from becoming arid by sprinkling the paths and placing evaporating troughs on the pipes. Give these young plants air every day when the heat touches 65°. If they have become crowded, replunge them, giving them more room; for an attenuated growth now defeats all efforts to make fine sturdy plants of them afterwards. Keep a moist atmosphere and a temperature of 70°, except in very cold weather, where fruits are still swelling off, and range the bottom-heat about 90°. Keep the soil steadily moist up to the point of colouring, when no more water should be given; for if ripened with too much moisture at this season, large Pines especially are apt to become black at the heart before they are fully coloured.

Where ripe Queens are required in May, a selection of the plants that are most likely to start without much growth should now be made, and placed by themselves in a light pit or pinery where there is a good command of heat, so that a night temperature of 70° can be kept up after the middle of the month without overheated pipes. Let them have a bottom-heat of 90°; and if they are very dry, give them a watering after they are plunged, but afterwards water very sparingly until they show signs of starting into fruit. After such a sunless summer these plants are more likely than usual to grow instead of fruit if freely watered. The remainder of the stock of fruiting plants should be kept quiet for the present, not allowing the night temperature to rise nor sink much below 60°, unless in very extreme weather. Suckers on stools of Cayennes in a Charlotte Rothschilds from which the fruits have recently been cut, should now be potted, and plunged in a bottom heat of 90°, in which they will soon root and make a most useful succession to earlier stock.

The surest way of keeping up a continuous supply of Pines is to have sets of plants in a good few different stages of growth.