VII THE PINE-APPLE I75 



elevations in the mountains, but the fruit is not so fine, nor Mountain 

 of so delicate a flavour, as that produced in the plains and unSitSle. 

 the lower spurs of the hills. 



Propagation. — When a pine-apple plant has borne its suckers. 

 fruit, a number of suckers are formed around the parent 

 root-stock, and each of these suckers, when detached and 

 planted, will produce an independent plant. Separate plants Crowns. 

 may also be grown from the crown of leaves that rises above 

 the fruit, but it is hardly worth while doing so. Many pine- Seeds. 

 apples contain seeds, which appear as little black or brown 

 bodies buried in the fruit near to the skin, and plants may 

 be obtained by sowing these seeds. Some of the finer varie- 

 ties have been produced from seed by English gardeners; but, 

 commercially, the best and quickest mode of propagation is 

 by suckers. 



Cultivation. — The land having been cleaned and weeded, 

 it should be deeply ploughed, or trenched with the hoe or 

 spade to a depth of at least two feet, all the weeds and rub- 

 bish being buried in the trenches. In lining, the distances Uning. 

 should not be nearer than three feet, which will give nearly 

 5,000 plants to the acre. A better plan, however, would be 

 to line out the land in rows six feet apart, and to plant the 

 suckers at distances of three feet in the rows, this would Distances. 

 allow nearly 2,500 plants to the acre ; and, after the first 

 crop, a few of the suckers, say four to each plant, could be 

 left, and then this would give nearly 10,000 fruits for the 

 second crop. The advantage of leaving a clear space be- a clear space 

 tween the rows is found out when the weeding and cropping bej^^^^Jg^'^^^e 

 operations are in progress ; for, owing to the sharp prickles rows, 

 set at the edges of the leaves, the labourers experience great 

 difficulty in the cultivation. In the Bahamas, the men, 

 women and children, when working amongst the pine-apples, 

 are compelled to protect their legs with strong canvas leg- 

 gings, and their hands with heavy gloves to which gauntlets 

 are attached. The plants must be kept free from weeds, and 



