THE PINE-APPLE. 



449 



gives a list of 52 kinds, wliicli fruited in the Society's garden at 

 Chiswick ; of these the following may be enumerated : the queen, 

 the sort generally grown by gardeners for the London market ; the 

 Moscow queen an excellent variety ; the black Jamaica ; the brown 

 sugar-loaf, Kipley, St. Vincent, and black Antigua, excellent and 

 highly flavoured pines ; Enville, a handsome fruit, lemon queen, and 

 white Providence, a handsome showy kind. The Trinidad" or La 

 Brea pine, is a very fine large fruit, some reaching at times to 28 lbs. 

 weight. 



Bahamas.-— The pine-apple is grown for export in the Bahamas in 

 fields of large size, and of considerable extent. The cultivation of this 

 fruit is carried on chiefly at Eleuthera, Abacos, and San Salvador, but 

 the plants are also grown on some of the other islands. They are of 

 two lands, the sugar-loaf, which is the best, and the Spanish or red pine, 

 an inferior fruit. They are cut in a green state in order to keep during 

 the voyage ; arriving in a sound state, they pay very handsome profits. 

 In 1872, 590,665 dozens of pine-apples, valued at about 42,000Z., were 

 exported. In 1874 the quantity shipped was valued at 40,066/., the 

 sale of one cargo in London being as high as lOOOZ,., by one of 14 

 vessels engaged in the trade. 



The cultivation of the pine-apple for export was formerly confined 

 almost exclusively to the island of Eleuthera and its keys or islets, 

 it being erroneously supposed that the soil there was alone adapted to 

 the growth of the fruit ; but of late years the culture has been ex- 

 tended to many of the other islands, as well as New Providence, 

 where large quantities are grown and annually exported to various 

 quarters, and, meeting with a remunerative sale, afford both grower 

 and shippers very handsome returns. 



The simple mode of testing the capability of the soil for growing 

 the pine-apple in the Bahamas is by running a knife down it in dry 

 weather, and if any portion of the earth adheres to the knife, it is 

 considered by the planter an evidence of the suitability of the soil. 



In the island of San Salvador there are fields of pine-apples, con- 

 taining 25 to 60 acres in a block. In good seasons the yield is about 

 800 dozen per acre. 



The season for shipments of pine-apples is from June 1 to July 

 15. The average passage to London is 31 to 35 days. When ripe, 

 they are liable to decomposition on the passage, and are, therefore, 

 shipped in a green state, and ripen on board. Sometimes on arrival, 

 if not sufficiently ripe, they are placed in warming rooms. Rainy 

 and damp weather is very injurious to pine-apples, and if combined 

 with a long passage, will render them worthless. The sugar-loaf 

 pines are those chiefly shipped to London ; the scarlet pine, which is 

 heavier, to New York, where, the passage being shorter, they aro 

 shipped in bulk. 



The number of cargoes usually arriving each season is nine to 

 eleven, and the vessels bring about 48,000 pine-apples each; 1300 

 pines weigh about a ton. The hold of each vessel is fitted with three 

 or four racks or battens of wood, supported by upright posts, thus 

 forming three or four shelves or platforms, the entire length and 

 depth of the hold, with the exception of the centre, where a passage 



