A N 



A N 



6 . Ananas aculeatus, fruclu py- 

 ramidato ex <viridi jla<vefcente. The 

 green Pine-apple. 



There are feveral other Varieties 

 of this Fruit, fome of which may 

 have been obtained from Seeds ; 

 and I doubt not but if the Seeds 

 were fown frequently, in the Coun- 

 tries where they are«in Plenty, there 

 may be as great Variety of thefe 

 Fruit, as there are of Apples or 

 Pears in Europe. And this I have 

 found true by fome Trials which I 

 have made by fowing of the Seeds, 

 which have always produced a Va- 

 riety of Sorts from the Seeds of 

 the fame Fruit. 



This Fruit (which is juftly efteem- 

 ed for the Richnefs of its Flavour, 

 as it furpafTes all the known Fruits 

 in the World) is produced from an 

 herbaceous PJant, which hath Leaves 

 fomewhat refembling thofe of the 

 Aloe; and are, for the molt part, 

 fawed on their Edges ; but are much 

 thinner, and not fo juicy as the 

 Aloe : the Fruit reCembles the Cones 

 of the Pine-tree, from whence it is 

 fuppofed to have its Name. 



Where this Plant is a Native, I 

 believe it is hard to determine ; 

 but it is probably an indigenous Plant 

 in Africa, where, I have been in- 

 formed, they grow in uncultivated 

 Places in great Plenty. They have 

 been long cultivated in the hotteft 

 Iflands of the Weft-Indies, where 

 they are in great Plenty, and ex- 

 traordinary Goodnefs; but it hath 

 been very lately that it was intro- 

 duced into the European Gardens, fo 

 as to produce Fruit : the firft Per- 

 fon who fucceeded in this Affair, 

 was Monfieur Le Cour, of Leyden in 

 Holland, who, after a great many 

 Trials, with little or no Succcefs, 

 did, at length, hit upon a proper 

 Degree of Heat and Management, 

 fo as to produce Fruit equally as 



good (tho* not fo large) afs thofe 

 which are produced in the Wejl- 

 Indies, as hath been often affirmed 

 by Perfons who have lived many 

 Years there: and it is to this worthy 

 Cultivator of Gardening, who did 

 not fpare any Pains or Expence to 

 aecomplifh it, that all the Lovers 

 thereof are obliged, for introducing 

 this King of Fruits among them: 

 and it was from him that our Gar- 

 dens in England were firft fupplied ; 

 tho* we have fince had large Quan- 

 tities brought from America. I can't 

 here avoid taking notice of a com- 

 mon Error which prevails amongft 

 many People, which is, that the 

 Plants brought from America are not 

 fo good as thofe which came from 

 M. Le Cour: but it is a great Mif- 

 take ; for were the People who fend 

 over thefe Plants from America. 

 careful to fend the belt Kinds, there 

 would be found many better Kinds 

 than thofe cultivated by M. L e &ur 9 

 who had his from thence at firft, as 

 his Gardener allured me ; and I 

 have feen as good Fruit produced 

 from American Plants, as any I have 

 yet feen, and fome much larger than 

 any I faw in M. LeCour\> Garden. 



The firft Sort is the moft common 

 in Europe; but the fecond Sort is 

 much preferable to it, the Fruit of 

 this being larger, and much better 

 flavoured : the Juice of this Sort is 

 not fo aftringent as is that of the 

 firft, fo that this Fruit may be t?tcri 

 in greater Quantity, with lefs Dan- 

 ger. This Sort generally produces 

 fix or feven Suckers, immediately 

 under the Fruit, whereby it may 

 be increafed much fafter than the 

 common Sort ; io that in a fewYears 

 it may be the molt common Sort in 

 England. 



The third Sort is preferved by 

 fome curious Perfons, for the fake 

 of Variety ; but the Fruit is not 

 F z worth 



