29 



up to profitable size. In Florida this is from five to ten years; in 

 Cuba, five to eight years; and in the Bahamas, in exceptional cases, 

 as much as fifteen years. 



MARKETING OF PINES. 



To grow a first-class pineapple requires more skill and intelligence 

 than is usually considered necessary, but to market it well requires 

 even more. "Marketing" embraces two quite distinct operations: 

 First, the preparation for the market; and second, the actual finding 

 of the market, the transportation thereto, and the selling of the fruit. 

 The preparation of the fruit for the market involves two series of 

 operations — those of the field and those of the packing house. 



GATHERING. 



In the picking of the fruit, the method of bedding, the variety, and 

 the size of the plants influence the method used. Pineapples, prob- 

 ably because of their appearance, are commonly considered able to 

 stand rough handling. On the contrar}^, they are very susceptible 

 to injuries, especially in the field before curing, and should be handled 

 almost as carefully as are strawberries or ripe avocados. 



Because of the spines, the pickers should wear long-sleeved, heavy 

 canvas gloves, and where they must walk through the pines it is also 

 well to have protection for their bodies. 



Stiff bushel baskets are best for collecting the fruit. In the one- 

 to-five row systems of bedding each picker carries his own basket. 

 In larger beds it is more economical to have extra men to collect 

 fruit from the pickers, regulating the number of baskets by the 

 quantity of pines. Each fruit should be placed in the basket, not 

 thrown or dropped. The Red Spanish can be broken off its stem by 

 a quick sidewise and downward jerk or by placing the knee against 

 the fruit stalk and giving the fruit a quick jerk across the knee. The 

 Cabezonas must be cut off, since, if broken like the Red Spanish, the 

 stem will break deep into the fruit and decay will soon follow. A 

 good way is to cut a long stem with a machete, and then in the pack- 

 ing shed arrange a cutting knife like that used in stores for cutting 

 tobacco, dried beef, etc. Keep the knife sharp so it will make a 

 clean, smooth cut flush with the base of the pine, being careful not to 

 bruise the fruit. All other varieties are treated like the Red Spanish 

 or the Cabezona. depending upon how they break from the stem. 



COLLECTI N ( J CRATES. 



From the picker's basket the fruit is transferred to the crates for 

 transportation to the packing shed. It is here that much fruit is 

 injured by roughness and carelessness. The fruit should be trans- 



