324 



TKE AGRICULTLUAL NEV/S. 



OcToBEK 17, lyOS. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT 



PINE-APPLE CULTURE IN FLORIDA. 



The first shipments of pine-apj)l('s on a comnieTcial 

 scale were made from Florida in 18S4.and the annual out- 

 put has now reached over 500.000 crates. An account 

 of the methods of planting, cultivating, and manuring 

 the crop which have been found to give the best results 

 in the State is given, with other particulars, in the num- 

 bers of jfV(>yj/tai Life for Ju'ly and August last. 



The chief pinc-apfde growing district of Florida extends 

 over a long, narrow area of extremely .sandy soil. This land 

 pos.se.sses very little natural fertility, and the plant food 

 required for growing the crop is supphed entirely by regular 

 apiilic-ations of artificial fertilizers. The soil has little water 

 i-etaiuing capacity, which is regarded as an advantage, since 

 pinc-ai)ples ranimt lie pnidiircd with succi'ss nn water charged 

 land. 



The Red Spanish pino-apijlc is practieally tlie <iidy 

 variety grown in Florida, Plantings of the crop are usually 

 made during the rainy season (July, August and Septcniher) 

 Propagation is effected chiefly by means of ' slips ' prodnccii 

 from buds on the stem at the'ba.se of the fruit. Sli[is fruit iu 

 about twenty or twenty-two months from iilanting. .\notliei- 

 method sometimes adopted is to plant 'suckers,' whicli rrsuli 

 from buds produced on the lower leafy stem. A first fruitiui; 

 is freipicntly given by suckers at the end of tv.elvu montli>. 

 but a sucker-set field crofis very irregulaily, ami tlic fruiting; 

 period is a long one. 



licfore planting |)ineapples it is essential that the land 

 ^silOuld be well cultivated, and the soil thoroughly pulverised 

 and reduced to a tine condili(pn. To bring aljout this condi- 

 tion, ijo^ughing and cro>s ploughing will be necessary, 

 followed I13' harrowing with a wheel or disct harrow. Drain- 

 age is also e.s.seulial, and this may best be ensured by ihe 

 provision of trenches, about ^l-l inches wide and 1-1 inches 

 deep, and at a distance of about 12 feet from each other 

 (-ec Wi'si liiiliaii Biilliiiii, Vol. VllI, p. l.')3). 'i'iie pine- 

 apples are thus grown on beds,about 12 feet wide, lionnded In 

 the drainage trenches, the soil being raked towards the 

 niidille of the bed, so that the centre is about 6 inches higli.T 

 than at the edges of the trenches. 



The young plants are set out at distances of about 

 20 by 20 inches, or 20 by 2-t inches, and in this way then; 

 ■will be about 12,000 ]>lants to the acre. 



Surface cultivation with a .scuffle hoc is rcgul.uly 

 followed up on tlie biist estates during the first two years 

 after the slips are planted. In this way weeds arc kept down. 

 and a mulch of loose soil is maintained. 



Soils on which pine-ap[iles are growri are usually jioor in 

 character, and, as already mentioned, the soil in the Florida 

 ])ine-apple district is naturally very wanting in fertility. On 

 this account artificial fertilizers are necessarily applied on 

 a generous scale, and the returns obtained warrant this 

 practice. E.xperience indicates that potash is particularly 

 reipiired for the pine-apple cro|), as might be expected from 

 the nature of the soil on which it is usually grown. The 

 fruit is deficient in (ptality if potash is not given in sutlicieiit 

 amount. A good supply of idtrogen and i)hosphoric acid is 

 ;dso iin[iortant 



Since chlorine is known to exercise a deleterious ett'ect 

 upon the (iroduce, it is recommended that potash be applied 

 to piue-apples in the form of high-grade sulphate, and not 

 given as chlorine or in the form of kainit. Phosphoric acid 

 should preferably be given as bone meal, or steamed bone 

 dust, wlule basic slag has also given excellent results. 

 Superphosphate is not ri'coniniended since it is found to 

 produce a condition in the plants known as ' spiike,' which 

 is characterized by poor growth, narrow, constricted, greasy 

 looking leaves, and worthless trnit. 



Organic slow-acting forms of nil logen, such as dried blood, 

 cotton-.secd meal, etc., arc i-cconunended for pine-apples in 

 preference to quick-acting manures, such as nitrate of soda. 

 The fertilizer apjilied to the crop .should contain 4 per cent, 

 phosphoric acid, o per cent, nitrogen, and 10 i)er cent, potash. 

 A mixture of 900 lb. bone meal, 1,000 lb. cottc'U-.seed meal, and 

 oOO lb. high-grade sulphate of potash would meet the rei|uire- 

 nieuts. Aliout .^,.500 lb. of this mixture are reconnneuded to 

 be supplied annually on Florida pine-ap[)lc estates. 



BEE-KEEPING IN CEYLON. 



Instruction in the principles and methods of bee-keeping 

 is included in the scheme of school garden work carried out 

 in Ceylon, and the latest repiat of the Sui)erintendent of 

 School (iardens states that bee-keeping is an industry which 

 is making steady, if;jSomew]iat slow progress, in the colony. 



Vcllow Italian, bees have been imj)orted. and colonies of 

 these as well as of the native variety are kept at the (rovern- 

 nient Stock (iardcn, where .seeds and plants, etc. are produce<l 

 for distribution to the school gardens. A grant has lately 

 been made by the Ceylon Agricultural Society to aid in this 

 branch of the work. A Cowan .honey-extractor, and other 

 requisites have been obtained, which will render possible the 

 adoption of modern niethoils of practice, and .serve as the 

 means for useful demonstration. On the whole, it is stated 

 that the outlook for the dovelopment of the bee kccping^ 

 industrj- in the island is decidedly hopeful. 



