JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUBK AND COTTAGE GARDENEK. 



L Jannary 4, 1877. 



and prove worthy of ;the hononr of being, the " Eoee Jonrnal 

 of England."— Wtld Savage. 



NOTES ON PINE APPLE CULTURE. 



The Pine Apple is found growing wild in Brazil and in 

 different parts of the West Indies, from whence many inferior 

 frnits are still imported. It was introduced into this country 

 in the eighteenth century. For many years afterwards its culti- 

 vation was very imperfectly understood ; but this has not been 

 the case for some time, as many intelligent gardeners have for 

 years paid great attention to its requirements, and in many 

 placps it is well managed. It has never been grown in this 

 country for market bo extensively as Grapes or some other 

 frnits, but it was grown remuneratively for this purpose by 

 some until its cultivation was begun on a large scale a year or 

 two ago in St. Michael's. The low prices at which the showy 

 fruit from there can be sold in our markets has caused some 

 market growers to cease its cultivation; and some would have 

 US believe that the St. Michael's fruit will be the means of 

 stopping the cultivation of Pine Apples in many private gar- 

 dens. But that is not my opinion, nor do I think it can be the 

 opinion of any person who reads the Journal of Horticulture, 

 as there is hardly a week passes without one or more Pine 

 Apple questions being replied to through your answers to corre- 

 spondents, and this, I think, is a very good proof that the 

 queen of frnits is still in as great demand as ever. Besides, 

 consumers of market fruit are, as a rule, those who have no 

 means of growing it themselves, for those who are in a position 

 to grow it must prefer that of home production to the very 

 best of that imported. However, I have no intention of writing 

 an argument in favour of the continuance of Pine Apple-grow- 

 ing ; tbat would be quite unnecessary. 



Propagation is accomplished from suckers, which are pro- 

 duced from the main stem of the plant. It is the best plan to 

 have some regular time to take off the principal batch of 

 suckers ; but at the same time suckers may be taken off and 

 rooted successfully at any season. They do not root so quickly 

 or freely in the winter time, however, as in the long days, and 

 those inserted in winter must have the assistance of a steady 

 bottom heat of 'M°, with a top beat of 00' and a moist atmo- 

 sphere. In taking the suckers from the old plants at any 

 time they must always be carefully severed close to where 

 they adhere, to as to keep all the little roots entire which are 

 clinging round the base of the sucker. A few of the lowermost 

 leaves must be pulled off with the hand, and then the suckers 

 are ready for potting. I may remark here that very large 

 suckers are not the most desirable, as they seldom make the 

 best plants in the end. Suckers from 12 to 18 inches in length 

 are the best. When they have to be planted prepare as many 

 clean 6-inch pots as there are suckers ; put about 1 inch of 

 broken crocks in the bottom of each with a little moss over 

 the top, and then pot a sucker into each pot, using good fibrous 

 loam mixed with a little bonemeal or fiae bits of charcoal. 

 The plunging material may consist of either tan or leaves, 

 some prefer the former, others the latter. Both are about 

 alike good, but the tan is much the easiest worked amongst. 

 Its depth for all kinds of plants should be from 18 to 30 inches. 

 The suckers may be pluBged 1.5 inches apart each way. The 

 soil should be moderately moist at potting time, and no water 

 should be given until the joung roots are at the edge of the 

 ball. In warm weather, or when the air is rendered dry from 

 strong fire heat, the suckers must be moistened overhead 

 occationally. As soon as the roots have made their way into 

 the soil give it a good watering. September is the best time 

 to take off the main lot of suckers, when they soon root and 

 do well throughout the winter. 



After they are rooted and watered once they frequently do 

 not need any more water for six or seven weeks. When 

 the soil of those rooted in September ia matted with roots 

 the plants should be turned out of their pots, reducing the 

 balls, disentangling the roots and repotting into the same 

 sized pots. Eeplunge the pots, and as soon as the young roots 

 begin to spread in the new soil the plants must be shifted into 

 their fruiting pots. Those put in as suckers from now until 

 February or March will need no other potting before going into 

 the fruiting pots. The fruiting pots should be 10 and not ex- 

 ceeding 12 inches in diameter ; as good fruit may be grown in 

 these sizes as a IGinch pot. More drainage is needed in the 

 fruiting pots, and the soil must be rougher at this than the 

 former potting. 



In potting let the top of the Email ball be an inch or so below 



the surface of the fresh soil, and it should be left at least 

 1 inch below the rim. The soil, too, must be made very firm 

 with a blunt-ended piece of wood, and after potting the pots 

 should be firmly plunged in a freshly made up bed, where the 

 bottom heat will soon rise to 85 or 90°. The plants must be 

 treated like rootless suckers until they begin rooting into the 

 fresh soil. In the summer they will need water about once 

 a-week. This with air-giving and keeping the atmosphere 

 moist are their principal requirements throughout their grow- 

 ing period. 



The Qaeen variety needs different treatment from any of the 

 others when the plants are of a fruiting size. All the other kinds 

 may be kept growing-on slowly until they fruit, but the Queen 

 has to be rested and partially starved before it can be made to 

 show fruit. Plants put in their fruiting pots in April should 

 be grown sharply on until the end of September, when water 

 and heat must be gradually withheld from them until the 

 plants have ceased growing, which they will do in a heat of 

 f)0'. They should remain like this until about the first week 

 in January, when a fresh bed must be made ready for them, 

 and in this they must be plunged and started as they were 

 when shifted first into their fruiting pots, but with this differ- 

 ence, that they must be watered thoroughly immediately they 

 are plunged, and the soil and atmosphere must be kept moist, 

 and the temperatures should be, bottom 85 ', top 70° and 75°, 

 until the fruit appears and for some time afterwards. This 

 treatment seldom fails to bring up the fruit, and if the plants 

 have been well grown and matured in autumn there is not 

 much danger of failure. Still, even with the best of growers 

 the Queen is often found to be uncertain, and those with little 

 experience would do well to increase other surer sorts. Smooth- 

 leaved Cayenne, Black Jamaica, and Charlotte Kothsohild will 

 all show fruit without being starved or started with a bounce. 



All plants with green fruit should be constantly kept in a 

 moist condition at the roots. As soon as the fruit begins turn- 

 ing yellow give the plants no more water until the fruit is out, 

 then water liberally to bring on the suckers. When manure 

 water is used a little guano is the best. 



I have said little about syringing and temperature, nor are 

 any lengthened instructions necessary. The temperature should 

 always be regulated by the condition of the outside atmosphere. 

 It is always better for the temperature to rise and fall with this, 

 than fire hard to keep up a given heat in extreme cold 

 weather. I have seen Pines kept at nearer 60° than 66° 

 throughout the winter with the very best results. 



Qaeens produce suckers more freely than any other sort. 

 When the fruit is cut the suckers may be taken off and potted, 

 or the plants with the suckers attached may be laid in a spare 

 corner until a lot of them can be put in together. In the dull 

 winter days all Pine plants, especially those in fruit, should be 

 exposed to all the light possible, and no drops of water from 

 the roof must be allowed to fall into the centre of any of the 

 plants or they will decay. 



It often happeue, especially with Queens, that a number of 

 them will ripen their fruit at one time. This ia not desirable, 

 as a succession of fruit for a long period is what is wanted. 

 Laying a piece of newspaper over a few of them so as to 

 partially exclude the light for a week or two before they begin 

 colouring will make them longer in ripening than those not so 

 treated ; and when they are ripe, by removing the plant and 

 fruit into a cool room will preserve them in good condition for 

 six weeks or two months, so that with a little of this kind of 

 scheming a long succession of fruit may be had from a number 

 of plants that showed fruit together. 



In some large places there is house after house devoted to 

 Pine culture ; but although this is necessary to keep a large 

 supply of fruit, small demands may be met from a limited 

 space. A good many fruits may be cut annually from one 

 small fruiting house, a pit for euocessional plants, and a frame 

 for suckers. Some growers approve of planting them out in 

 beds; I would not advise small growers to adopt this plan. 

 Good fruit may be had from it, but there is much inconveni- 

 ence attached to it. Supposing a bed to be full of large plants 

 now, some of them may show fruit at once, while others may 

 not do so for six months after this, and the bed cannot be 

 cleared or replanted until the last of the plants have been re- 

 moved ; whereas when in pots the late-fruiting plants can be 

 gathered together from amongst the early plants, plunged to- 

 gether, and the vacant space filled up with others. 



Insects are not very partial to Pines. Mealy bug and scale 

 are their greatest enemies, and they are generally introduced 

 by other plants. WTien the Pines do become infested to any 



