PINEAPPLE CULTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA 



properties are concerned, with a rainfall of 2(5 to 28 inches, than 

 with one of 30 to 40 inches. It may not produce quite as large 

 a fruit, but the pines will be free from Black heart or Heart rot. 

 Excessive moisture during the ripening period is not good for 

 the fruit, as it tends to produce watery fruit ; this is undoubtedly 

 the cause of the unsatisfactory condition in which the Natal 

 pines arrive in England. 



INSECT PESTS AND DISEASES. 



The pineapple is remarkably free from insect pests and from 

 fungoid and other diseases. Mealy Bug is, practically speaking, 

 the only insect which causes any trouble, and losses on this ac- 

 count are so minute that they are scarcely worth mentioning. 



OTHER DISEASES. 



Black heart or Rotten core is not, strictly speaking, a disease, 

 but is caused by excess of moisture. The remedy for this is to 

 plant in localities where the moisture is not too excessive. 



VARIETIES. 



There are two varieties grown in South Africa, viz.. the Egyp- 

 tian Queen, and the Smooth Cayenne. These two varieties aro 

 generally described in the Eastern Province as Queens and 

 Cayennes. 



NATAL NOMENCLATURE. 



N'atal has unfortunately for years described them differently, 

 the Egyptian Queen being called the Natal Pine, and the Smooth 

 Cayenne the Queen Pine. A Jamaica authority is reported to 

 have decided that the so-called Natal Pine is the Ripley Queen, 

 and the error is easy to understand. Both Egyptian Queen and 

 Ripley Queen are members of one type of Pine, but the differ- 

 ence when ripened on the plant is that the Egyptian Queen is 

 of a bright golden colour, while the Ripley is of a much more 

 ruddy appearance. Egyptian Queen, ripened under artificial con- 

 ditions, has been found to take on a much redder colouring. By 

 artificial ripening is meant picking before it has become col- 

 oured, and ripening on the voyage home. 



EGYPTIAN QUEEN. X 



This variety is largely cultivated both in the Eastern Province 

 and in the coastal districts of Natal, and has so far proved the 

 best for the climate conditions of those areas. It has become 

 thoroughly acclimatised, curries well for long distances, (par- 



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