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.