496 [Assembly 



Mr. Meigs. — 1 have often noticed that persons hired to transplant . 

 trees cut them up as much as possible, to selve themselves trouble in 

 transplanting. 



The Club then adjourned. 



H. MEIGS, Sec'y.- 



March 19//^, 1850. 



Judge Robert Swift Livingston in the chair. Henry Meigs, 

 Secretary. 



The Secretary read tlie following papers and translations : 

 Annales de la Societe Centrale il'HorticuUare, Paris, 1849. 

 PINE APPLE. 



Extracts from the Report of the Committee charged to visit the 

 Pine Apple culture of M. Gontier, at Montrouge : 



M. Gontier has conquered all the difficulties of climate, and has 

 produced pine apples of the richest character. This fruit belongs to 

 the botanical order of the Bromileacea, which flourishes in the tropical 

 regions of Asia and America. They were first introduced into Europe 

 by a Frenchman, residing in Leyden,who brought them from Surinam. 

 We do not know in what year, but we know that the first pine apples 

 obtained in France were served up to Louis XV, in 1733. The culti- 

 vation of them languished up to the time of the revolution in 1789, 

 when it completely ceased. It did not begin again until about 1825. 

 We may now say that it has attained a high degree of perfection. 

 Pine apples are produced by setting out the crown of them , and also from 

 the suckers at the foot of the leaves. M. Gontier finds that a strong 

 crown is better than a little sucker. The larger the crowns or the 

 suckers, the better the new growth of the pines. 



The- whole process is described, and its success is such, that M. 

 Gontier produces pines of the weight of ten pounds. The average 

 times of their growth, from the crowTis and suckers to perfection, is 

 about two y tars. 



