GAKCcl 



COPYRIGHT, 1898, BV 



FLORISTS' PUBUIStlING CO., 520-535 Gaxton Building, CmCftGO. 



Vol. m. 



CHICAGO AND NEW YORK, DECEMBER U 1898. 



No. 53. 



VARIEGATED PINEAPPLES. 



The variegated form of the ordinary 

 pineapple. Ananas Sativa, is by far 

 the most widely known o£ these beau- 

 tiful foliage plants, and when well 

 grown and in good condition is one 



The culture of Ananas sativa var. 

 does not present any more difficulty 

 than that of Pandanus Veitchii, plenty 

 of heat, light and moisture being the 

 chief requisites. By plenty of heat in 

 this instance is intended a winter 

 night temperature of 65 to 70 degrees. 



Variegated Pineapple. 



[ Ananas Sativa Variegata. 



^ 



t) 



of the most highly colored and attract- 

 ive variegated plants for exhibition 

 purposes. And were it not for the dif- 

 ficulty of getting cuttings in quantity, 

 this plant would no doubt find a place 

 among decorative stock for commer- 

 I'ial purposes, but owing to this slow- 

 \. uess in reproduction, few growers have 

 attempted to handlo the plant exteu- 

 •slvely, 



while during the day a temperature 

 of 85 to 90 degrees will do no harm. 

 No shading is needed through the 

 greater portion of the year, though 

 about midsummer a thin covering on 

 the glass will be found to have the ef- 

 fect of heightening the coloring of 

 these plants, as it also does in the 

 case of Pandanus Veitchii, for the In- 

 tense sunliRhf at that season seems to 



have a bleaching effect upon some 

 plants under glass. 



Quite a strong soil may be used for 

 ananas, with good results, the founda- 

 tion being good turfy loam with a 

 sprinkling of sand if the soil be nat- 

 urally heavy, to which should be ad- 

 ded fully one-sixth in bulk of dry cow 

 manure and a moderate quantity of 

 bone dust. Firm potting and good 

 drainage are essentials, and it is pref- 

 erable that the plants be kept slightly 

 on the side of dryness rather than 

 over watered for a time after re-pot- 

 ting, a sodden soil being decidedly 

 repellant to the young roots. 



As may be seen from our illustra- 

 tion, the variegation of this variety is 

 very regular, the center of the long 

 arching leaves being bright green, and 

 the edges broadly margined with 

 creamy white, while the young leaves, 

 and also the base of the older ones are 

 flushed with red. 



In regard to propagation, the best 

 cuttings are provided from the crowns 

 of fruiting specimens, and when the 

 crowns are compound a nice lot of 

 cuttings may thus be had. but of 

 course this does not happen in all 

 cases, and we frequently have to de- 

 pend on a .succession of suckers from 

 the base of a plant that has been fruit- 

 ed. These cuttings will root sooner if 

 allowed to dry somewhat for a few 

 hours after they have been severed 

 from the parent plant, and before they 

 are planted, this treatment being a 

 common method with the cuttings of 

 Bromeliads, to which lamily the pine- 

 apples belong. 



A second variegated pineapple is 

 found in A. Porteana. which species 

 was introduced from the Philippines 

 about 1S66. This is also a handsome 

 plant, though less striking than the 

 foregoing, from the fact that its color- 

 ing is much more subdued. 



A. Porteana is more erect in growth 

 than is A. sativa var. and has large 

 nltvf- green leaves, thcsp halng ortift- 



