PINE- APPLE. 



307 



close to their base, and moving them from side 

 to side, twisting a little at the same time. The 

 base should be pared with a sharp knife, and 

 a few, but very few, of the lower leaves taken 

 off. They must then be potted in a mixture of 

 loam and peat, with a little sand, in 6-inch pots, 

 or in larger or smaller ones, according to size. 

 They should be inserted so that the base of the 

 leaves next to those taken off may be a little 

 below the surface, and the soil should be pressed 

 firmly about them. 



Gills are offshoots produced at the base of the 

 fruit, but they take a longer time than suckers 

 to form a large plant, and are therefore seldom 

 used except in the case of rare sorts. 



Cuttings of the stem may be employed when 

 neither suckers nor crowns can be had. The 

 stem should be cut in lengths of 2 or 3 inches, 

 and split longitudinally down the centre; each 

 piece is then laid on its flat surface, and covered 

 about 1 inch deep with peat soil. Another 

 method is to strip the leaves from the stem 

 after cutting the fruit, and placing them entire 

 in shallow boxes, covering them about an inch 

 with light rich soil, and subjecting them to a 

 bottom-heat of 90°. Thus treated every latent 

 bud bursts forth, and the young shoots, as they 

 begin to emit roots, are carefully twisted off the 

 stem, and potted. 



The cultivated varieties of the Pine-apple are 

 somewhat numerous, but many of those formerly 

 included in garden lists are now seldom met 

 with. The following is a selection of the best : — 



Black Antigua. — Leaves very long, narrow, acute, of a 

 clear bluish-green, inner ones tinged with pale -brown, 

 very mealy beneath, slightly so above; spines large, placed 

 widely apart. Flowers purple. Fruit cylindrical, inclining 

 to oval, of a dark-yellow colour; flesh pale-yellow, sweet, 

 very juicy, pleasantly acid, and highly flavoured. Should 

 be cut when it begins to change to a yellow colour, or just 

 before ripening. Weight from 5 to 6 lbs. 



Black Jamaica. — Leaves long, narrow, dark - green 

 tinged with brown, mealy; spines small, thinly set. 

 Flowers purple. Fruit long, oval, somewhat pyramidal, 

 dark brownish-yellow; flesh firm, pale-yellow, rich, juicy, 

 and highly flavoured; weight from 4 to 5 lbs. One of 

 the best for fruiting in winter; is probably the highest- 

 flavoured winter Pine. 



Brown-leaved Sugar-loaf. — Leaves short, broad, dark- 

 green much tinged with brown, slightly mealy ; spines 

 medium. Flowers lilac. Fruit cylindrical, dark-yellow; 

 flesh deep-yellow, slightly fibrous, rich, sweet, and excel- 

 lent; weight from 4 to 5 lbs. 



Brown Sugar-loaf. — Leaves broad, pale bluish-green 

 tinged with brown, slightly mealy ; margins spinous. 

 Flowers lilac. Fruit pyramidal, dull reddish - orange, 

 almost without mealiness ; pips large ; flesh firm, deep- 

 yellow, very juicy, rich, slightly acid, and of high flavour; 

 attaining a weight of from 4 to 5 lbs. 



Charlotte Rothschild. — Leaves broad, slightly curved, 



as long as those of the Smooth-leaved Cayenne, dark 

 grayish-green above, mealy below ; spines large, thickly 

 set. Flowers pale-blue or lavender. Fruit large, cylin- 

 drical, freely produced; flesh yellow, very juicy, but not 

 so melting as that of the Smooth-leaved Cayenne; flavour 

 excellent when ripened in a high temperature under the 

 influence of plenty of light and dry air. Especially valu- 

 able from October to March. The fruit averages 8 inches 

 in height by 6 inches in diameter, and about 7 lbs. in 



' Fig. 1090.— Pine-apple— Charlotte Rothschild. 



weight, but may be grown up to 11 lbs. Fig. 1090 repre- 

 sents a fruit of this variety weighing 9^ lbs., grown in 

 seventeen months from a rootless sucker by Mr. G. T. 

 Miles, of Wycombe Abbey Gardens. 



Enville. — Leaves moderately long, rather broad, bluish- 

 green, very mealy; spines medium, irregular, thickly set. 

 Flowers lilac. Fruit pyramidal, deep-orange, with pale 

 copper-coloured scales; crown small; pips middle-sized or 

 rather large, slightly prominent ; flesh pale-yellow, juicy, 

 tolerably rich, sweet, perfumed ; generally weighs 6 or 7 

 lbs. Is hardier than most others, and is cultivated on 

 that account. 



Hurst House (Fairrie's Queen). — Leaves short, much 

 recurved; spines strong, thickly set. Flowers pale-purple. 

 Fruit pyramidal, rather dull - coloured, with prominent 

 pips; flesh very juicy, firm, and of good flavour. A good 

 summer Pine, and useful where accommodation is limited, 

 being a very dwarf compact grower, and producing fruit 

 weighing from 6 to 8 lbs. It is shy in starting unless 



