12 



Report upon the Varieties of Pine- Apple, 



and thinly set. Flowers purple. Fruit oval, not much lengthened, rather compressed 

 at the ends, colour before ripening very dark olive, afterwards a dark orange inclining to 

 that of copper. Pips roundish, irregularly angular, about the middle size, rather pro- 

 minent at the margins and concave in the centre. Scales covering one third the Pips and 

 terminating in lengthened points. Flesh pale yellow, opaque, firm, slightly stringy, 

 very rich, juicy and high flavoured. Crown large, spreading and very mealy. 



A Pine of great excellence, weighing from three to five pounds, 

 deserving to be generally cultivated, and richly meriting the cha- 

 racter given it by Speechly, namely ; that " in the autumnal months 

 and even during winter it produces a fruit much more swelled and 

 more perfect than any of the other sorts, and not liable to suffer 

 by decay or imperfection either in the fruit or stalk, as is usual with 

 those of the other sorts, in a season when the sun's power is not 

 great." The Ripley however, is a sort in every respect equal to 

 the Black Jamaica as a winter fruit. It has been thought advisable 

 to adopt the name of Black Jamaica in preference to Montserrat, 

 because the former is that under which it is almost universally 

 known, while the name Montserrat which usually belongs to a dif- 

 ferent and very inferior variety is applied to the Black Jamaica in 

 only a very few places. 



12. Orange Sugar-loaf Pine. 



Leaves rather long and narrow, somewhat keel-shaped and a little spreading, of a dull 

 green, considerably tinged with dark brown and rather mealy ; spines short, thinly set 

 and regular. Flowers pale purple. Fruit cylindrical, before ripening very dark olive, 

 somewhat shining and slightly mealy; when ripe deep yellow inclining to an orange 

 colour. Pips large and flat. Scales covering about half the pips, and ending in short, 

 blunt, reflexed points. Flesh pale yellow, almost destitute of fibre, very juicy and sweet 

 with a rich highly flavoured acid. Crown middle sized, leaves numerous and spreading. 



Received from Mr. Isaac Oldaker ; it is one of a great number 

 of seedlings raised at Blithfield, the seat of the Right Hon. Lord 

 Bagot, and is much superior to any of the numerous new varieties 

 obtained from that source. 



