306 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



A bbaka. 



Black (Black Jamaica, Black 



Spanish). 

 Bull-head (Man of War, Red 



Spanish). 

 Charlotte Rothschild. 

 Cheese (Red Jamaica, Red 



Pine, Brick Pine). 

 Cow-boy (Crab Pine, Mam- 



mee Pine). 



There is a good market in England for Pine- 

 apples at all seasons; a 3-lb. fruit will always 

 fetch 4s. retail if in good condition; fruits 

 weighing 5J to 6 lbs., if not too plentiful, 

 sell retail at 8s. to 10s. There is a good de- 

 mand for Pines before the St. Michael fruit 

 arrives, which is generally about the beginning 

 of June, although they are by no means plenti- 

 ful before August. 



The following is a list of varieties of Pine- 

 apples now grown in Jamaica:— 



Enville City. 



Golden Queen. 



Jerusalem. 



Moscow Queen. 



Porto Rico. 



Ripley Queen (Green). 



Ripley Queen (Red). 



Smooth Cayenne. 



Sugar. 



Sugar-loaf. 



There is little doubt that when all the 

 varieties or forms are brought together, and 

 cultivated in the same locality under exactly 

 similar conditions, the slight differences which 

 are now considered sufficient to warrant a dis- 

 tinctive name, and which may be due to differ- 

 ences in soil, moisture, and temperature, will 

 disappear, and the present list of varieties in 

 Jamaica will probably require to be shortened. 

 It is well known that the same variety is often 

 known by different names in different districts. 

 The secretary of the Agricultural Society states 

 that the following varieties, placed in order of 

 merit, are at present considered best for export, 

 having realized the highest prices in London 

 this year: — Smooth Cayenne, Abbaka, Ripley, 

 Black Pine, Bull-head, Sugar-loaf, Sam Clark 

 (this is probably the same as Cheese Pine). 

 The three latter are of equal merit. 



It is thought that if a cross could be obtained 

 that would combine the size, shape, general 

 appearance, and keeping qualities of Smooth 

 Cayenne, with the exquisite flavour of Ripley, 

 an ideal Pine for export would be the result. 



Last year (1900-1901) 90,132 Pine-apples, 

 of the value of £1033, were exported from 

 Jamaica to England, &c. 



Insects. — The Pine-apple is liable to be in- 

 fested with white scale and mealy bugs. To 

 keep them down the plants should be occa- 

 sionally washed with water of the temper- 

 ature of 20° by means of an engine with a 

 flexible tube and fine rose, which should be 

 held near the plant. The rose being fine, the 

 water may be strongly urged and directed 

 against both sides of the leaves. The tube 



should also have a nozzle terminating in a 

 small orifice, for the purpose of passing a 

 stream with considerable force into the axils 

 of the leaves. When this is to be used the 

 plant may be taken up and supported at a 

 convenient height with the bottom of the pot 

 upwards, so that a stream of water can be 

 played into the axils of the leaves from below. 

 The mealy bug, if it exist there, will be driven 

 out by the mechanical force of the water. 



The steam of fermenting fresh hot dung was 

 successfully employed as an insecticide by Bald- 

 win, one of the best Pine-growers of his time. 

 He put the plants bottom upwards over the 

 fermenting dung in a frame, which was then 

 closely shut up and covered with mats for 

 about an hour; the plants were then taken out 

 and washed. This treatment, he states, will 

 kill every insect. With the same object in 

 view Pine plants may also be syringed with 

 water of between 120° and 132°, but the latter 

 temperature should not be exceeded. 



A wash consisting of lime, black sulphur, 

 and water is successfully employed in Holland. 

 The ingredients are mixed in the proportion of 

 2 quarts of lime and 2 ozs. of sulphur to 16 

 gallons of water, and after having been well 

 stirred up and allowed to settle, the wash is fit 

 for use. 



Propagation. — This is effected by seeds, crowns, 

 gills, and cuttings of the stem. Seeds should be 

 sown about a quarter of an inch deep, in light 

 rich soil mixed with leaf-mould, plunged in a 

 bottom-heat of 85°, and covered with a bell- 

 glass. By due attention to shifting the plants 

 as they require it, and keeping them always 

 growing, though, of course, but slowly in 

 winter, seedlings may be fruited in three or 

 four years. 



Good plants, though not equal to those from 

 suckers, may also be reared from crowns. The 

 crowns w T ere formerly laid aside till they became 

 partially dried; but it is better to pare off the 

 base part when twisted out of the top of the 

 fruit, and either pot them at once or insert 

 them in the tan-bed. 



Suckers afford the best means of propagation, 

 and those are to be preferred which proceed from 

 the lower part of the stem. They are usually 

 taken off soon after the fruit is cut. As some of 

 the lower leaves of the suckers have to be taken 

 off before they are potted or planted, it will 

 be advisable to shorten these leaves half their 

 length a few weeks previous to the removal 

 of the suckers from the parent plant. The 

 suckers should be removed by grasping them 



