132 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Pine-apple continued. 



few leading sorts enumerated below have been sufficient to 



gradually lead to the discarding of many others of less 



merit. There are, however, a few others in cultivation. 



Black Jamaica. Flowers purple. Fruit oval, somewhat pyra- 

 midal, bronzv-vellow when ripe, attaining a weight of from 41b. 

 to 51b.; pips medium, prominent, flattened in the centre ; flesh 

 firm rich juicy, and highly flavoured. Leaves long, finely 

 seated dark green, tinged with red. Habit tall and erect.. This 

 is undoubtedly one of the best of all varieties for fruiting in 

 winter. 



Charlotte Rothschild. Flowers lilac. Fruit large, cylindrical, 

 or slightly barrel-shaped, with medium-sized crown; pips large, 

 flat golden-yellow ; flesh yellow, and very juicy ; weight from 

 71b to lOlb. Leaves broad, with strong spines, slightly curved, 

 dark green above, mealy beneath. This fine variety requires a 

 high temperature, plenty of light, and dry air, to ripen it pro- 

 perly. 



Hurst House. Fruit pyramidal, with prominent pips ; flesh juicy 

 and rich ; weight sometimes 61b. Leaves short, recurved, with 

 strong, thickly -set spines. The habit of this variety is very dwarf 

 and compact ; consequently, it is adapted for culture where space 

 is limited. It is only of use as a summer variety. SYN. Fairrie's 

 Queen. 



rfidy Beatrice Lambton. Flowers purple. Fruit pyramidal 

 or conical, with medium or small crown ; pips broad, flattened, 

 orange-colour, with deep yellow in the furrows between ; flesh 

 pale yellow, remarkable for the abundance of its juice, flavour 

 rich and excellent; average weight about 91b. (a specimen 

 7oz. has been grown by Mr. Hunter, at Lambton 

 e the variety was raised by the late Mr. 



Stevenson, in 1860). Leaves straight and erect, dark green, 

 covered with whitish mealiness; spines strong, widely set. 

 A large and exceedingly handsome variety, likely to prove, under 

 good cultivation, one of the best for general use, and also for 

 fruiting in winter. It is less spreading in habit than the 

 SMOOTH-LEAVED CAYENNE. 



Lord Carington. Flowers purple. Fruit long, pyramidal, dark 

 orange ; pips medium, nearly flat ; flesh pale yellow, tender, rich, 

 and highly flavoured ; weight from 41b. to Tib. Leaves broad, 

 thickly set with medium-sized spines. A fine winter variety of 

 the JAMAICA section, first brought into notice by Mr. Miles, 

 gardener to Lord Carington, Wy combe Abbey, Bucks. 



Queen. Flowers lilac. Fruit cylindrical, rich deep yellow when 

 ripe ; pips medium or rather small, prominent ; flesh pale yellow, 

 remarkably juicy and sweet ; weight from 31b. to sometimes 81b. 

 in fine specimens. Leaves very short, broad, bluish-green, very 

 mealy, with strong spines widely disposed. One of the best Pine- 

 apples for general cultivation ; it is unexcelled in summer and 

 autumn by any other, but does not swell properly in winter. 

 This is supposed to be the oldest Pine-apple we have. There are 

 several sub-varieties grown, that known as the RIPLEY QUEEN 

 being the best. It propagates freely, and ripens off its fruit 

 quickly. QUEEN Pine-apples will keep in good condition for 

 three weeks after they are ripe. 



weighing lllb. 7oz. has been grow 

 Castle, Durham, where the v 



P ine-apple continued. 



until the following May. It does not produce suckers very 

 freely. 



Thorcsby Queen. Flowers purplish-lilac. Fruit large, barrel- 

 shaped, stouter and shorter than that of CHARLOTTE ROTHS- 

 CHILD; pips flat, swelling evenly; flesh deep orange-yellow, 

 firm, moderately juicy ; weight 61b. to 81b ; crown small. Leaves 

 taller than those of the common QUEEN, with very fine, thickly- 

 set spines. Plant of dwarf and distinct habit. The flavour is 

 not considered equal to the true QUEEN, but the variety is 

 favoured in some parts. SYN. Bennett's Seedling. 



PINE-APPLE FLOWER. A common name for 

 Eucomis punctata. 



PINE-APPLE SPRUCE GALL. See Spruce 

 Fine-apple Gall. 



FINE BARE BEETLES. Numerous species of 

 small beetles (never exceeding in. in length, and usually 

 not over Jin. or in.) live below the bark of Fir-treea 

 and other Conifers. They have a great general simi- 

 larity in appearance, the body being usually nearly 

 cylindrical, or slightly flattened from above downwards ; 

 the wing-cases are rounded down at the hinder end and 



FIG. 155. SMOOTH-LEAVED CAYENNE PINE-APPLE. 



Smooth-leaved Cayenne. Flowers purple. Fruit very large, 

 cylindrical or somewhat ban-el -shaped, dark orange-yellow ; pips 

 large, flat ; flesh pale yellow, rich, and highly flavoured ; weight 

 from 61b. to 91b. ; crown large. Leaves long, broad, dark green, 

 almost free from spines. A very handsome variety, one of the 

 best for fruiting in winter and early spring, when it is more 

 juicy than any other. See Fig. 155. This is the variety 

 which is so largely grown in the Azores, whence the English 

 fruiterers obtain their principal supply of fruits from autumn 



FIG. 156. TOMICUS LARICIS (much enlarged). 



along the sides (see Fig. 156). The colour is a shade 

 of brown, sometimes approaching pitchy-black; but it is 

 often modified by a coating of short hairs of a different 

 hue. The females burrow through the bark, and form a 

 tunnel between it and the wood, a task facilitated by 

 their form. The burrows vary greatly in details, each 

 species of beetle forming its own characteristic and 

 easily-recognised type of burrow. Along the sides of 

 this the eggs are placed at intervals; and the larvas, as 

 soon, as hatched, make burrows for themselves, usually 

 diverging from that of the mother in such a way as 

 to avoid interfering with each other. They have no 

 legs, are fleshy, and are nearly white in colour. They 

 become pupae generally in their tunnels, and the beetles 

 emerge from them about June and July, or 

 there may be two broods. For egg-laying, 

 they almost always select trees in an un- 

 healthy state : hence, their ravages as larvae 

 do little real harm to forests; but, in 

 the case of ornamental Conifers, they may, 

 at times, destroy choice plants that, but 

 for this additional foe, might have re- 

 covered. A number of the species found 

 in this country, e.g., Hylesinus ater, H. 

 opacus, Tomicus bidentatus, and T. Laricis 

 (see Fig. 156), as beetles, have been ob- 

 served to injure the Firs and other Coni- 

 fers by gnawing the bark of young shoots ; 

 and they are known to kill young plants, 

 even up to the tenth year of growth, by 

 stripping the bark from the base of the 

 stem. Others, and among these notably 

 Hylesinus piniperda, bore into young twigs, 

 and eat out the pith in the centre, from 

 the base towards the tip. The twigs die, 

 dry up, and fall off, frequently in con- 

 siderable numbers. If the leading shoots have been 

 pierced, the form and value of the tree are largely affected. 

 The genera and species of Bark Beetles arc so much 

 alike that the distinctive characters are recognisable 

 only by practised entomologists : hence, it is vain to 

 attempt to give descriptions of the many species that are 

 to be met with on Firs and other Coniferce in Britain. 



