THE PINEAPPLE 143 



Varieties. — I am afraid there is no great field for improvement in the 

 varieties of the pine, those we already possess being so excellent. The best 

 are the Queen, Smooth Cayenne, Charlotte Rothschild, and Black Jamaica. 

 Others that used to be grown, but which are now almost forgotten, are : 

 Providence, a huge variety, producing large coarse fruits of poor quality, 

 often weighing as much as 16 lbs. each, and taking three years to grow ; 

 Sugarloaf, a handsome conical fruit of an intense crimson colour ; Prince 

 Albert, much like Sugarloaf, only a larger fruit and not quite so conical in 

 shape ; and Lady Beatrice Lambton. This variety was raised at Lambton 

 Castle in i860 by the then gardener, Mr. Stevens. It is a useful and handsome 

 pineapple of excellent flavour, very distinct both in foliage and fruit; it will 

 be a pity if it is lost to cultivation. Lord Carrington is another variety intro- 

 duced by Mr. Miles many years ago. This was popular for a time, especially 

 as a winter fruiting sort, but the varieties grown of late years in England are 

 the three following : the Queen, Charlotte Rothschild, and Smooth Cayenne. 

 There are three recognised forms of the Queen, viz., the Moscow, the 

 Ripley, and the Thorsby. Ripley is the most handsome, as it is also the 

 best and the most commonly grown. Thorsby is not unlike the Ripley, but 

 the fruit is shorter and broader, and the plant rather more compact. The 

 Moscow is a distinct and valuable pineapple, but now seldom met with. The 

 plant is of dwarf habit and the fruit of great width, but short and of darker 

 colour when ripe than the other Queen sorts. Two varieties are grown under 

 the name of Charlotte Rothschild. The genuine one has large, dark, broad 

 leaves ; the spurious one has long, narrow ones. When at the Royal Gardens 

 I had the pleasure of sending suckers of the true variety to some of our 

 Government stations abroad through the Royal Gardens, Kew, and among 

 them to a plantation in Jamaica, from some of which the superintendent 

 assured me he had cut fruit weighing 16 lbs. There are also two varieties 

 grown under the name of Smooth Cayenne. The true variety has dark, 

 broad, leathery foliage, with here and there a prickle ; the other, which is 

 much inferior, has narrower leaves inclined to curl, is paler in colour, and has 

 no prickles. 



Soil. — The best soil for the culture of the pine is fibrous loam ; that 

 cut from land resting on lime on a hillside may generally be depended upon. 

 It should be cut in turves 4 inches deep and stacked for six months before being 

 used. Some cultivators used to mix a quantity of peat with the soil, and this is 

 still the custom in France ; indeed, the late Mr. Bergman of Ferrieres, who 

 grew pines well, grew them chiefly in peat. I do not advocate the use of peat, 

 however. The autumn is the best time to secure the turf, it is then com- 

 paratively dry. It will be in excellent condition for use the following February 

 or March, the season for potting. When mixing the compost the turf should 

 be pulled into pieces some 3 inches square and most of the small soil sifted away 

 from it. To a barrow-load of loam add one peck of old mortar rubble broken 

 small, and a 6-inch potful of soot, lime, and ;|-inch bones. These several in- 

 gredients must be well mixed together. Prepare the compost at least a fortnight 

 before it is wanted for potting. 



