PINE APPLES. 103 



Among the tropical fruits that we were always pleased to give 

 house room in the frozen north, was the pine apple, and now that 

 we were upon one of its native rocks, or upon rocks where it had 

 become thoroughly naturalized, we had a desire to see for our- 

 selves the manner of its cultivation, and the processes and stages 

 of its growth and development. Our curiosity was gratified in 

 the following manner: 



In going to the caves in the Blue Hills we took the shore 

 road, or the extension of Bay street to the west, and skirted for 

 several miles Delaport Bay — a body of water which Silver, Long, 

 and North Keys, with their connecting submerged reefs, shelter 

 from the ocean, and which as you approach Nassau, after cross- 

 ing its bar, stretches away to the right. Passing the caves nearest 

 to the highway, we ascended a little hill, turned abruptly to the 

 left, followed for a few rods a carriage road through the dense 

 low woods, and, leaving our carriages near some small negro 

 cabins, and following our very dusky guides, started on a foot- 

 path for the more extensive caverns which hide in the hill from 

 half to three-quarters of a mile further to the east. The trail 

 led us through the center of a pine apple field which covered 

 fifteen acres. It was termed an " orchard," but there was no- 

 thing in its appearance suggestive of such a name. We found 

 it humble, lowly and modest. It put on no airs, and evidently 

 had no ambition to occupy a conspicuous position and make a 

 show in the world. This West India " apple " does not grow in 

 clusters like the cocoanut, nor upon high, wide branching trees 

 like its northern namesake — but singly upon plants which attain 

 an average height of about one and a-half feet. The lowly plant 

 has long narrow leaves or fronds, hard, thick, coarse, bayonet- 

 shaped, and with sharp scrretcd edges. A single fruit stem 

 pushes up from the center of the root, blossoms, and in about 

 eighteen months from' the time of planting matures a single 



