196 Gardening Under Glass 



are different methods of increasing stock — 

 especially if certain varieties are scarce — such 

 as cuttings of the stem (for instance) after the 

 fruit is gathered. Pull up the plant and strip 

 all the foliage oft' the stem or stems. Lay into 

 a flat half covered with leaf mould or any open 

 material and place in the propagating house where 

 there is a liberal amount of bottom heat. The 

 dormant eyes will soon start up and nice plants 

 can be had in this manner. Good plants may 

 also be propagated from crowns taken from the 

 ripe fruit. (Allow the crowns to dry out for a 

 few days before rooting them.) These two 

 methods refer to cases of scarce varieties onlj' 

 and when you want to make the most of stock, 

 for strong, vigorous stock suckers that come away 

 from the base of the plants afford the best means 

 of propagation — they make a more vigorous and 

 quick-growing plant. It is well, however, to 

 leave the suckers until they are good and strong 

 before they are pulled from the parent plant. 

 They may then be potted into pots according 

 to size — which for good strong plants should be 

 anywhere from four-inch to five- or six-inch pots 

 for extra-strong plants. 



Soil for Pineapples must be of an open nature 

 as anything stagnant around the roots must be 

 avoided. Take a sod land with a fair amount 



