PINE-APPLE. 



305 



from the base of a sucker intended to produce 

 fruit, and fresh compost is employed in earthing 

 as before, and thus a third fruit is produced. 

 A fourth is obtained in a similar manner, and 

 then the sucker which bore it is cut off, to- 

 gether with 6 or 8 inches of the old trunk, 

 and potted, in order to produce a new progeny 

 of suckers. 



The following notes on the cultivation of the 

 Pine-apple in Jamaica are from the Bulletin of 

 the Botantical Department, 1901 : — 



Cultivation. — The best soil for Pine-apples is 

 a well-drained, sandy loam. Red clay can be 

 made suitable by thorough tillage, the addition 

 of lime, and artificial drainage. Pines are very 

 impatient of excessive moisture, and good 

 drainage, either natural or artificial, is essential 

 to the successful cultivation of this crop. 



The site having been selected (it should, if 

 possible, be on sloping ground), the land should 

 be weed sd and cleaned, then forked or ploughed 

 to the depth of a foot or more, the deeper the 

 better, as every crop benefits by deep cultiva- 

 tion. It should then be thoroughly broken up 

 by means of a cultivator or harrow, or both 

 where these can be used. 



Where it is not practicable to work plough 

 and cultivator, the fork should be used, first to 

 turn up the soil, then to break it up fine. 



In districts where the average rainfall ex- 

 ceeds 50 inches per annum, it is advisable to 

 plant in raised beds. 



These beds should run in the same direction 

 as the natural slope of the land, and may be 

 10 feet wide, which will be sufficient space for 

 live rows of suckers 2 feet apart, leaving a 

 margin of 1 foot on the outside of the two 

 outer rows. Between the beds there should 

 be a trench about 1J foot wide which will 

 serve as a drain, and also as a path to enable 

 workers to weed the beds without trampling 

 them. 



In selecting suckers take those that are 12 

 to 15 inches high. The lower leaves should 

 be pulled off, to allow the young roots to push 

 freely, and the base of each sucker should be 

 cut crosswise with a sharp knife, making a 

 clean cut. 



Having prepared the land, and the suckers 

 for planting, the beds or grounds should be 

 lined at distances of 2 feet apart, and the 

 suckers should be carefully planted at distances 

 of 2 feet in the row. At this distance 4 

 square feet of ground will be allowed to each 

 plant. Some planters recommend 3 feet be- 

 tween the rows, and 2 feet from plant to 



VOL. II. 



plant in the rows, but the tendency now is to 

 plant closer, as it has been found in close plant- 

 ing that the suckers support each other and are 

 not liable to be blown over when in fruit, as is 

 so often the case when more space is allowed; 

 also that the plants in time completely cover 

 the ground and prevent the growth of weeds to 

 a considerable extent. 



In planting, make holes at the proper dis- 

 tances, and put the suckers in just deep enough 

 to cover the naked base of each, then draw in 

 the earth and press firmly around them. The 

 ground should be kept free from weeds, and 

 the surface open, by means of a Dutch hoe. 



Manures. — If land is planted that had previ- 

 ously been used for several years to pasture 

 stock, and the soil is good sandy loam, manure 

 will not be necessary for a few years; on the 

 other hand, if it is arid and poor, it would be 

 well to fork in, or plough in, a good dressing of 

 farmyard manure when breaking up the soil, 

 six months or so before planting, and give a 

 top-dressing of wood -ashes, which should be 

 lightly raked in after the plants have started 

 to grow. Artificial manures for Pine -apples 

 are now offered for sale, and are largely used 

 by growers who wish to force their crops. In 

 clayey soils, the application of lime, when pre- 

 paring the land for planting, is highly bene- 

 ficial. Soils that have become exhausted by 

 other crops may be made suitable for Pines 

 by growing a crop or two of Cow-peas, and 

 ploughing these in when they are in flower. 



The best time to plant Pines is July-August; 

 good strong suckers put in at this time of 

 the year will fruit in nine to twelve months 

 from time of planting. If planted earlier or 

 later in the year, the suckers will take longer 

 to fruit — fifteen to eighteen months or more. 



The one Pine-apple being sold in England is 

 the Smooth Cayenne, but not, as many people 

 would have us believe, on account of its 

 superior quality. The chief reason it sells 

 so well is that it is a good-looking fruit of 

 fine colour and good size, the weight ranging 

 from 3 to 8 lbs., but the average is about 

 4 to 6 lbs., larger not being required in Eng- 

 land. The second reason for the Cayenne 

 selling better than the much finer flavoured 

 Ripley, is that it gets to market in better 

 condition. Many dealers lost money over the 

 Ripleys being black in the centre, although 

 apparently good on the outside. Mr. George 

 Munroe of Covent Garden stated that if Ripleys 

 could be got to market in good condition they 

 would run the Cayennes out of the market 



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