ON THE CULTURE 



as produce them should cease : but it is too gene- 

 ral a practice (in order to have the fruit as large as 

 can be got) to continue the watering too long, 

 which causes the fruit to be filled with an insipid, 

 watery, and ill-flavoured juice. 



It is easy to know when the Pine becomes ripe 

 by its yellowcolour ; yet they do not all change in 

 the same manner, but most generally begin at the 

 lower part of the fruit. Such fruit should not 

 be cut till the upper part also begins to change, 

 which sometimes will be many days after, espe- 

 cially in the Sugar-loaf kinds. Sometimes the 

 fruit will first begin to change in the middle, which 

 is a certain indication of its being ripe : such fruit 

 should be cut immediately. 



Having thus laid down the culture of the Pine- 

 apple plant, whether raised from seed, by crowns, 

 or suckers, to its final perfection in the fruit, I 

 shall now subjoin some hints and observations, 

 most of which, I hope, will be of use. 



In treating of the culture of the Pine-apple 

 plant, some persons have recommended the shift- 

 ing of the plants from first to last, with their balls 

 entire ; also the shifting of them oftener than I have 

 here recommended. These methods I disapprove, 

 for the following reasons : 



First, it is observable that the Pine-plant begins 

 to make its roots at the very bottom of the stem ; 

 and, as the plant increases in size, fresh roots are 

 produced from the stem, still higher and higher ; 

 and the bottom roots die in proportion : so that, if 



