176 



TROPICAL AGRICULTURE 



properly moulded up, and when the dry weather comes on 

 the roots should be protected by an application of leaf 



Manures. mould — which serves as good manure. Animal manure, un- 

 less perfectly rotted, should not be put near the plants, as it 

 is inimical to their growth. After three or four years the 



Replanting, plants will show signs of exhaustion, they must then be 

 rooted up, and the land prepared for fresh plants. In lining, 

 care must be taken that the rows are set off in land that was 

 not occupied by the old plants, and the wide space that 

 was left between the rows will enable this system to be 

 carried out. 



Crops. — The fruit will come to maturity in from eight to 



nine months from the time of planting, but it must be cut 



The pines to before it is ripe in order that it may bear the sea voyage to 



before they the English and American markets. Every effort should be 



are ripe. made to propagate those plants that bear early in the year, 



for far higher prices are paid for early pines than for late 



ones. The fruit must be cut, by means of a sharp knife, 



with a portion of the stalk attached, and every care is to 



be taken in the handling so that the pines may be shipped 



without bruises, for a bruised pine-apple will soon become 



a rotten one. 



Careful 



handling 



essential. 



Boxes. 



Packing. — This is a very important operation, for on it 

 depends entirely the success or not of the industry. Usually 

 pine-apples are shipped to the home markets in old flour 

 barrels, holes being cut in the staves for the purpose of ven- 

 tilation. But this is a very unsatisfactory method, as a large 

 quantity of the fruit usually decays on the voyage. In 

 order to get the pines to the markets in the best condition, 

 boxes, similar to those described in the chapter on oranges, 

 should be used. These boxes being made of laths with wide 

 openings allow free ventilation ; and, as they are divided 

 into two compartments, each to contain either three or six 

 pines only, the fruit is not bruised by pressure. The best 

 pines having been selected, they must be carefully examined 



