THE NURSERY-LIST 395 



length with different varieties from a few inches to a foot or even 

 more in length. The pineapple fruit is borne at the summit of this 

 stalk. At the base of the fruit a considerable number of small plants 

 is produced. These are spoken of as " slips." Usually the pine- 

 apple fruits can be broken from the top of the stalk after removing 

 the slips. When these slips have grown to be 8 or 10 inches long, 

 they are removed and considered as equal to suckers of the same 

 size. 



At the apex of the fruit is an outgrowth spoken of as the " crown." 

 This crown may be used for producing pineapples in the same way 

 that suckers or slips are employed. In some varieties a considerable 

 number of small plants arise around the crown ; at times these 

 develop into large enough plants to make it possible to set them in 

 the field. They are then called " crown slips." It is seldom that 

 crown slips are used for commercial propagation. 



In case of rare or high-priced pineapples, the old stools may be 

 used successfully for producing new plants. By removing the stools 

 from the ground, trimming off the leaves and roots, these stools 

 may be placed in a horizontal position and covered with a small 

 quantity of soil. In the course of a few weeks to several months, 

 many of the buds, one of which is in the axil of every leaf, will grow 

 into pineapple plants. These are removed from time to time, as 

 they are large enough for transplanting. In greenhouses the same 

 operation may be carried out, sphagnum moss being substituted 

 for the soil. Care should be taken that the temperature of the 

 propagating-bed, indoors or outdoors, does not reach a high degree. 

 It should not reach 90, and it is preferable to keep it in the 80's. 

 Pineapples do best in those regions where the annual temperature is 

 approximately 72. 



Under favorable conditions, pineapple plants will produce fruit 

 in eighteen to thirty months from the time the rooted plants are 

 set out, varying with different varieties. Red Spanish, which 

 is rarely grown in the greenhouse, comes into bearing in 

 about eighteen months under field conditions. Porto Rico and 

 Smooth Cayenne require somewhat longer time, usually about 

 thirty months. 



The production of seedling pineapples may be described, al- 

 though practiced only for the obtaining of new varieties. In 

 Florida seeds are rarely produced. This is because there are 

 no natural agencies for distributing the pollen. The fruit from 

 the tropics, particularly from Panama, frequently contains viable 



