4 



phosphates and lime. Richer soil does not seem to suit the pine- 

 apple better, but the plant does not appear to be very particular 

 as to its habitat so long as the soil is free and open, and not damp 

 or low lying, 



Under shade the pine-apple grows and develops long leaves but 

 little or no fruit and that very inferior. 



That pines will grow in the very poorest soil so long as they 

 have suitable drainage is shown by the cultivation in Florida where 

 they are grown in hundreds ol acres on coralline rocks covered 

 with a thin layer of soil, without the use of fertilizer-. 



Pines grown in low K ing damp ground do not thrive. I hey 

 fruit badly and are more liable to disease. 



Planting. 



The Chinese plant the pines in rows, each plant 2.1 to 3 feet apart 

 with a path of about 4 feet width between each row so that they 

 can hoe out the weeds between the plants. The Bugis planters 

 plant them about the same distance apart but without a wide path 

 between, each row forming beds about 40 or 50 feet long, the paths 

 being between each bed. The best plan is to plant them in rows 

 2.\ feet apart with a five feet path between every 3 or 4 rows. In 

 any case the plants should not be more I nan 2\ to 3 feet apart. 



The fields require careful weeding, but are not generally ma- 

 nured here. The first pines are produced from the suckers in from 

 1 2 to 18 months. After the ripe fruit is removed the suckers should 

 be cut out leaving only two or three of the strongest. If all the 

 suckers are left they will produce fruits next crop perhaps as many 

 as a dozen, but the fruits will be small, If only one or two are left 

 the fruits will be much larger. 



There are three crops in the year, November lo December, Feb- 

 ruary and March and the biggest in June and July, but the crops 

 depend very much on the rainfall. When there: is a spell of dry 

 weather of long duration the pines do not fruit. 



A properly cared for estate as cultivated in the Straits Settle- 

 ments lasts five or six years, but the pines gradually get smaller. 

 If neglected it lasts but 2 or 3 years. Doubtless an estate could be 

 carried on for very many years and there is a record in the West 

 Indies of a pine-apple field lasting for sixty years. Pines remain 

 on abandoned ground for very many years and go on growing, but 

 when over crowded or covered with scrub produce lew or no fruits 

 and those that are produced are small and poor. In long grass 

 and bush under shade the leaves often attain a great length 8 or 9 

 feet, and these are suitable lor making fibre. 



Manuring. 



Manure is not commonly used in the Malay Peninsula on the 

 large estates, but the Chinese occasionally apply a small quantity 

 of cowdung, burnt earth, etc. For tinning pines which require to 

 be cheap it would not be worth while to go the expense of iiiamir- 



