Edible Products. 



218 



[September, 1910. 



Spanish and other small varieties and 

 24 inches for Cabezona and other large 

 varieties is space enough. Under no 

 circumstances should pineapple plants 

 be set over 24 to 30 inches apart in the 

 row, because it is a waste of land, it 

 leaves too much soil uncovered, and in- 

 creases the work of weeding, while it 

 gives no support for the plants and the 

 fruit. 



In planting, it is a good plan for one 

 man to drop the plants the desired 

 distance apart, and another man to 



System of 



Single row 

 Double rows 

 Three rows 

 Four rows 

 Five rows 

 Six rows 

 Thirty rows 



How the Pineapple Plant Grows. 



If the soil in which the pineapple plant 

 has been set is moist, root develop- 

 ment will take place at once, and the 

 roots will be able to keep up the 

 food elements as soon as needed. 

 These elements in solution are carried 

 through the roots up to the stem 

 and to the leaves. In the leaf cells, by 

 action of the sun and the green colour- 

 ing matter which we call " chlorophyll," 

 these food elements from the soil and 

 carbon dioxide from the air are combin- 

 ed with water into food for the plants 

 in ways not yet fully understood. This 

 food consists of many complex chemical 

 compounds, the best known of which are 

 the sugars and starches. From the 

 leaves the food is carried in solution to 

 all parts of the plant wherever needed. 

 Both sunshine and chlorophyll are 

 necessary to the formation of the prin- 

 cipal food, so that a leaf losing its colour 

 loses its power to form food. It is thus 

 seen how important a large, healthy leaf 

 is to the formation of a good fruit. 



Food not needed immediately is stored 

 up in the plant tissue usually in the form 

 of starch, and it is this reserve supply 



follow with a blunt dibble with which 

 to make holes 1| to 3 inches deep, 

 according to the size of the plants. The 

 base of the plant is inserted into the hole 

 and the soil pressed firmly down with 

 the dibble and with the foot. 



The number of plants pei acre will 

 differ, depending: on the system of plant- 

 ing adopted. The following table gives 

 the approximate number of plants per 

 acre for the different systems of 

 planting :— 



that carries the plant over periods 

 of hardship and vitality enters into the 

 formation of extra-grade fruits. It is 

 probably due to this that, as a rule, the 

 pineapple plants that have a longer 

 period for development will give larger 

 fruit. They have, as it were, more 

 accumulated reserve energy to use in the 

 reserve strain of fruit producing. 



The root system of the pineapple is 

 shallow and usually does not extend 

 much over 6 inches in each direction. 

 Among the larger varieties it is not un- 

 common to find a few roots extending 10 

 to 12 inches from the stem, but the main 

 portions are matted closely together 

 within a distance of from 4 to 6 inches. 



The development of the root system 

 is of great importance in considering 

 planting, cultivating, and fertilising. It 

 will be readily understood that the plants 

 can be set as close as 12 inches apart 

 without the roots interfering. It will 

 also b6 seen that cultivation must neces- 

 sarily be shallow, especially close to the 

 plants, and in fertilising it would be a 

 waste to spread the fertiliser in the 

 middle, where the rows are 3 ft, or more 

 apart, 



Approximate Number op Plants per Acre. 





Distance i 



Width 



of paths 



between 



banks. 





cX\)<X\. If UJ. 



plants in 

 rows. 











Varieties. 



3 feet. 



4 feet. 



5 feet. 



6 feet. 





inches. 











Small 



12 



14,520 



10,890 



8,712 



7,260 



Large 



15 



11,616 



8,712 



6,969 



5,808 



Small 



12 x 12 



21,780 



17,424 



14,520 



12,446 



Large 



15 x 15 



16,366 



13,282 



11,022 



9,504 



Small 



15 x 15 



19,038 



16,082 



13,926 



12,324 



Large 



18 x 18 



14,520 



12,445 



10,890 



9,379 



Small 



18 x 18 



15,488 



13,620 



12,232 



11,120 



Large 



24 x 24 



9,680 



8,712 

 14,520 



7,920 



7,260 



Small 



18 x 18 



16,133 



13,200 



12,100 



Large 



24 x 24 



9,900 



9,075 



8,377 



7,778 



Small 



18 x 18 



16,594 



15,151 



13,939 



12,906 



Large 



24 x 24 



1 10,050 



9,334 



8,712 



8,166 



Small 



18 x 18 



i 18,630 



18,264 



17,889 



17,514 



Large 



24 x 24 



10,710 



10,539 



10,371 



10,209 



