156 



THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



QTTEEN. Fruit cylindrical ; pips prominent, medium, 

 nearly flat in well-swelled examples, rich deep 

 yellow ; flesh pale yellow, very juicy, sweet, and 

 pleasantly flavoured ; weight 3 to 4 pounds 

 generally 8 pounds in fine specimens. It only 

 keeps about three weeks after it is ripe. The 

 oldest and best pine apple for summer and 

 autumn use generally. There are many sub- 

 vaiieties. 



SMOOTH-LEAVED CAYENNE. Fruit large, cylindrical 

 or slightly barrel-shaped ; crown medium to large, 

 handsome ; pips large, flat, orange yellow ; flesh 

 pale yellow, juicy, rich, and highly flavoured; 

 weight 6 to 9 pounds ; plant rather tall, produc- 



ing suckers sparingly ; one of the best for winter 

 and early spring fruiting. It was introduced into 

 France from Cayenne about 1840, and since that 

 time has been in great request ; the English fruit- 

 erers obtain their principal supplies of this variety 

 from the Azores from autumn till May. 

 WHITE PROVIDENCE. Fruit very large, oval or 

 pyramidal ; crown medium, handsome ; pips 

 broad, flat, reddish yellow ; flesh pale, juicy, 

 sweet, not rich, but pleasantly flavoured, with a 

 fine aroma ; weight 4 to 15 pounds ; plant stout 

 and rather tall ; chiefly grown for the magnifi- 

 cent appearance of the fruit, which swells well in 

 summer. 



SELECTIONS. For general purposes: summer May to October, Queen; winter October to May, Smooth-leaved 

 Cayenne. For highest quality : summer, Queen ; winter, Black Jamaica. For summer fruiting : Enville, Prince 

 Albert, Queen with its sub-varieties, and White Providence. For winter fruiting : Black Jamaica, Charlotte Roths- 

 child, Lord Carrington, Lady Beatrice Lambton, and Smooth-leaved Cayenne. 



Propagation is effected by seeds, crowns, gills, dormant buds, and suckers. Culti- 

 vated pine apples seldom form perfect seeds. They may be sown when taken from 

 the fruit in shallow pans of light sandy soil, placing them in a bottom heat of 85 to 90. 

 Crowns, the plant-like appendages of the upper part of the fruits, are only rooted when 

 there is a scarcity of suckers. 



Gills, small sucker-like offshoots produced on the stem, just below the fruit, are only 

 utilised in the case of rare varieties, and the same may be said of raising plants from 

 buds which form at the base of the leaves. This is done by removing the leaves, 

 cutting the stems into lengths of 2 or 3 inches, splitting and laying the pieces in boxes 

 of soil on a warm bed. 



Suckers. Young plants springing from the base of a plant arrived at the fruiting 

 stage are generally employed for perpetuating or increasing the stock. The Queen and 

 its sub-varieties produce suckers freely, and, as a rule, strong enough for detaching and 

 potting by the time the fruits are cut. Some varieties push few suckers and tardily, 

 but they grow quickly after the fruits ripen, and when those are cut, the plants should 

 be encouraged to produce suckers, leaving them on the stools till they are 12 to 18 inches 

 high. The suckers must be carefully detached, by taking hold of them close to the base 

 and gently twisting until they come off. They should then be prepared for insertion, 

 for it is not a good practice to allow detached suckers to lie in a cool dry place with the 

 object of drying them, or only for a short time ; cut the rugged base smooth with a 

 sharp knife, and remove the small short leaves which cluster round the base, but not any 



