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young seedling with a small leafy branch and give a light mulch 
of leaves or stable manure to retain moisture in the soil and keep 
the surface loose. Do not injure the stem when transplanting. 
The female trees bear numbers of flowers close to the stems, 
at the axils of the leaves, and these require to be thinned out to 
give room to the set crowded fruit to develop. By means of 
“forced nourishment” it is said much benefit follows. Bore a hole 
into the trunk about Gin. from the ground, lin. deep and of a 
diameter slightly larger than that of red rubber tubing. Fill a 
quart bottle half full of sugar and dissolve in water, connect the 
bottle with the hole in the tree by means of the red tubing. In 
24 hours the tree will have absorbed the contents of the bottle. 
Papayas, like Grenadillas, if carefully gathered and well 
packed in eases only holding one layer of fruit, should carry well 
to the Southern markets if sent in the cool chamber. 
The papaya bears heavily from the first year. The fruit has 
the appearance of rock melons and is excellent eating and whole- 
some, 
An aerid sap pervades the whole tree, and possesses marked 
digestive power for nitrogenous substances. In fact that property 
has been availed of in medicine, and papaine, the active principle, 
is used as a vegetable pepsin and as a vermifuge. The fruit is 
used in the tropics with benefit in cases of internal inflammation. 
In Mauritius, where the papaya grows to great perfection, this 
property is often availed of to turn tender, tough old roosters. 
They are simply wrapped up in papaya leaves and hung for a few 
hours under a papaya tree. 
PINEAPPLE (Ananas sativa). 
A native of tropical America. This plant has been success- 
fully grown in countries situate 28deg. North and South of the 
line, wherever the conditions of moisture, shelter, and soil have 
favoured its growth. 
With us it is susceptible of growing in the open air in 
proximity of the seaboard as far South as Champion Bay, pro- 
vided the annual rainfall be supplemented by judicious irrigation. 
Beyond this limit its cultivation may be extended even farther 
South under the protection of sheds, as is done in Florida, but 
under such artificial conditions pineapple culture ceases to offer 
commercial possibilities, and can only be attempted by amateurs. 
Too rich soil does not suit the pineapple. It is intolerant of 
wet and retentive clay soils. A deep free loam, permeable and 
fresh, with perfect drainage, and which at no time becomes water- 
logged, is the ideal soil for the pineapple. When the ground is not 
naturally drained the plants are usually set in ridges. In Mauritius 
