FRUITS 



77 



their pretty pink blossoms and the glorious blue of the sea- 

 like lake make an exquisitely beautiful picture. Besides 

 the fresh fruit, there is also a considerable export of tinned 

 peaches from Ontario. 



In Australia in all the mainland states peaches grow abun- 

 dantly, and Victoria exports dried peaches. 



PINEAPPLES (A nanassativus, Natural Order, Bromeliaceae). 

 In London a good pineapple costs five shillings or more, but 



PEACH TREES, QUEENSLAND 



in Queensland you can buy a dozen of the best for one shilling 

 and sixpence, while ordinary kinds are sold at a penny each. 



The pineapple plant grows to a height of about three feet. 

 It has no stem, but sends up from its roots numbers of long, 

 stiff, sharp-pointed leaves. In some kinds the edges of the 

 leaves are smooth, as, for instance, in the Cayenne, or Kew 

 Pine, in others serrated, as in the Ripley Queen. 



From the centre of the plant a flower- spike shoots up with 

 separate flowers growing along it, each nestling in a little 

 bract, but gradually bracts, calyces, and fruits all unite into 



