4<> 



The object of tinning without sugar is to avoid duty on sugar, 

 and also to enable confectioners to use them for their purposes. 

 Pineapple juice is often added in the rase of pines not preserved 

 with sugar, but the tins are often filled with plain water. Other forms 

 of exported pines are in slices half an inch thick, (sliced pines) and 

 with the eyes removed (eyeless pines). Bruised pines and others are 

 often cut into chunks, or cubes. All these are tinned h the same way. 

 Grated or jam pine is another form of export. Crystallized pines 

 are dried in the sun, and then crystallized in sugar. 



The sugar used is usually Java sugar, but Mr. Landau tells me 

 he finds Austrian beet sugar better on account of its color. The 

 cost is however about the same. One manufacturer states that he 

 preserves all his pines in syrup about 30 degrees solution, using 

 from 1 1 to 20 lbs. of sugar to a cvvt. of pines. 



Machinery. 



The greater part of the machinery employed (90 per cent.) is of 

 English manufacture. It co isists of Tin plate cutting machines, 

 Cover presses, and rolling machines, for making the tins, and 

 boilers for the cooking of the fruit. The tins are made completely 

 in Singapore. 



Refuse. 



The waste bits, peelings etc. are used to a small extent for feed- 

 ing pigs by the Chinese, and also in dyeing cloth with indigo. But 

 for the greater part is treated as waste and dumped down in waste- 

 ground or rubbish heaps and left to decay. 



Medicinal uses, 



The juice of the young leaves is used in India as a purgative and 

 anthelmintic. The fruit especially when unripe is used as an abor- 

 tient and in Rurmah and some parts of India absolutely considered 

 poisonous. 



Pineapple beverages. 



There have been a number of attempts to make wines or cham- 

 pagnes from pines, but they have not met with much success, 

 generally speaking thev do not seem to have been very popular 

 drinks. 



In 1850 the Bugismen in Singapore used to make an intoxieat, 

 ing liquor of pineapple juice in the first stage of fermentation, but 

 it seems to have been rather too acid, for it was found necessary to 

 mix with it some Nireh bark {Carapa moluecana) to prevent its 

 producing diarrhoea. This drink was only made before a feast 

 day and was not preserved. It seems to have been popular with 

 them but the manufacture has died out now (Logan's Journal 

 III, p. 579 ) 



H. N. RIDLEY. 



