68 



which is exported at the rate of ten millions a year from Jamaica is there- 

 fore now rightly termed ' Jamaican' was introduce 1 from Martinique by 

 Mr. Pouyat, and was known originally as the Pouyat or Martinique 

 Banaca; the story of its being brought to Jamaica is related in the 

 Bulletin for October, 1901. 



CULTIVATION OF PINEAPPLES. 



By W. Cradwick, Travelling Instructor. 



Soil.— The best soil for Pineapples is a rich well-drained loam, they 

 cannot be grown profitably on any other. The colour of the soil does 

 not matter, but there must be at least fifteen inches )f good sweet top 

 soil on the land in which the Pines are to be grown. 



Drainage. — The top soil must be thoroughly ploughed and broken 

 up. If below this, the soil is the least bit heavy, trenches to the 

 depth of two feet mnst be dug to thoroughly drain it. If the lower 

 layers of soil are clay, trenches three feet deep must be dug, If the 

 level is so low that water lies at or near the surface, raised beds 3 feet 

 high should be made on which to plant the suckers. I his plan has 

 been very successful near Hope Bay. Pineapples must have the best 

 drainage possible or they will get all sorts of " disease/' 



Preparation of Soil. — Next to drainage in importance is the tho- 

 rough forking and breaking up of the soil. There is an old Creole 

 proverb that a Pineapple sucker "planted with one chop bears in one 

 year, with two chops in two years, and so on." The origin of it in 

 my opinion is that when planting in new rich soft land, when a hole 

 big enough to receive the sucker was easily made with one chop of 

 hoe or digger, the pine sucker invariably produced a fruit within the 

 year. When planting in old hard land where it was necessary to 

 make two or three chops in order to make a hole big enough to re- 

 ceive the sucker, the sucker for want of cultivation or soil naturally 

 soft, took two years to fruit. This explains how necessary it is to 

 cultivate the land thoroughly. 



Selection of Suckers. — Plant nothing but good strong fresh stout 

 young suckers ; the proper size is from twelve to fifteen inches. Any- 

 thing bigger or smaller is a mistake. Thin weedy shade- grown 

 suckers are dear at a gift. Overgrown plants are not suckers, and 

 should only be used to grow suckers from. In purchasing suckers, 

 see that they are pointed just as they are torn away from the parent 

 plant ; for old long suckers can readily be trimmed down to look as 

 short as young suckers. 



Planting Suckers. — As soon as the sucker is taken ofi the old plant, 

 it should be planted. If it is a fresh healthy one, it wants nothing 

 at all done to it. If it is not a good healthy one, burn it. If you 

 plant a poor sucker it will be a trouble all the days of its life. Never 

 let suckers lie about in heaps, never let them get wet. 



Have your land properly prepared and when the suckers are taken 

 off, plant them as quickly as possible. The land should be so soft 

 that the suckers can be pushed down to the proper depth without hav- 

 iag to use anything to make a hole with, Plant the suckers in ^eds 



