Aug. 1, 190L] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
79 
development, and one can practically from day to day 
watch the maturino; of the crop, — The journal of the 
Jamaica Agricultural Soeietij. 
SIMPLE METHOD OF STRIKING 
CUTTINGS. 
The accompanying illustration of a simple method 
of striking cuttings, which we take from Farm and 
Home, will commend itself to all horticultarists. We 
have tried a plan somewhat similar and find it of 
great advantage. The Journal in question, replying to 
a correspondent, says of the method : — It has been 
recomended to us by an experienced gardener. It 
is made and used thua : Take two flower pots, one 
large and one a few sizes smaller. Place in the 
larger one a layer of pebbles, broken bricks, &c., 
a few inches of black earth. With a good cork plug 
the drain hole of the smaller pot and put it inside 
the larger one, centring it upon the layer of mould. 
Fill it with water, and fill the circular space between 
the pots with more mould. Insert the cuttings all 
round, and without further attention they will 
strike roots and thrive in a way calculated to make 
the floriculturist's heart glad within him. The roots 
and fibres make straight for the sides of the water 
reservoir, through which all the moisture they require 
is absorbed. If the packing of the earth in the larger 
pot has been properly done, the smaller pot can 
be lifted out now and then, and the process of root 
formation readilj observed. Seeds can also be ger- 
minated readily in a simple contrivance of this kind. 
Ohoose tine sandy loam for striking the cuttings. 
If the weather outdoors is very cold, stand the pot 
in the kitchen, particularly at nights. — Queensland, 
Aqricultiiral Journal. 
THE PINEAPPLE INDUSTRY. 
Pineapples attain to greate-st size in the West 
Indies, some weighing 12 to 13 pounds. Great 
care is taken in packing them to secure their 
arriving in England is sound condition. The 
stalk is cut several inches below the fruit ; an 
ordinary large-sized tiower pot is then filled wioli 
mould, into which the stalk is inserted in such a 
manner that a casual observer would almost take 
it to be the way it was grown. Each pine is then 
put into a skeleton wooden case made just enough 
to hold it, so tiiatit can be safely handled with- 
out the risk ot being bruised or injured. 
Pineapple culture is yet in its infancy in Florida, 
but the success that it has already met with in 
some parts of the State promises to establish it 
as one of irs most profitable industries. The 
following varieties have given the best satisfac- 
tion : Spanish, Sugar Loaf, Cayenne noted for its 
large fruit and the absence of stickers on its 
leaves, and the Egyptian Queen or Trinidad. 
This latter is probably the first variety grown in 
Florida : the fruit is of large size, superior quality, 
and with an almost entire absence of the tough- 
ness noticeable in some varieties. Cotton seed 
meal is found to be the best fertiliser, and gener- 
ally fifteen thousand plants are put to the acre, 
yielding an average of ten thousand fruits. Three 
or four annual crops are produced without re- 
planting. Last year a crop of Egyptian Queen 
yielded to the planter a net income of seven 
hundred dollars per acre. The lowest returns tb.e 
same individal ever received were three hundred 
dollars. The net price received is from three 
cents to twelve cents each, depending upon size, 
quality, season, and condition of the market. But 
the pineapple area is limited. The bulletin of 
the agricultural division of the Census Bureau 
states that there are now 23,496,000 bearing plants 
in Florida, which is the only State in the Union 
where it is cultivated. 
Mexico.— In the tropical districts of this country 
the culture of the pineapple is being rapidly pro- 
moted owing to the increased demand from the 
United States. E.xperiments made last year 
demonstrated that it was better to have the 
plants wider apart (saySJOOto H'.OoO per acre) 
as they then produced larger i)ines. The close 
planting hitherto practised is the cause of the 
larger puantity of small fruit that floods the 
markets. Between the rows of pines they planted 
corn, the product of which more than compen- 
sated for the necessary labour in caring for the 
pines. The pineapple not needing a very rich 
soil and only moderate food was benefitted 
rather than retarded by the corn : it was dis- 
covered that too miicli fertilizing actually re- 
tarded the growth of the pines, for being allied 
to air plants a large share of its nutriment is 
drawn from the ait, leaving the roots, but little 
to do. 
Othkr Countries.— In Ceylon, there are about 
9,000 acres covered with pineapples, in Cochin 
China about 8,000 acres and in India enormous 
quantities are grown in great ranges in Assam, 
in Rangoon, in the Tenasserim provinces and at 
the foot of the Himalayas. But it is mostly 
consumed locally and does not figure in foreign 
exports. From Acapulco there are annually 
shipped to San Francisco about 800 000 pine- 
apples realising about $6 per 100. Cultivation is 
increasing, owing to the large demand from the 
Pacific Coast. 
Honduras annually exports to the United States 
about 150,000 of three kinds— the horse, cherku and 
sugar-loaf. 
Antigua exports to England about 5,000 barrels 
annually of the black-pine pineapple. 
Havana exports principally to the United States 
the surplus over local consumption, about 60,000 
barrels each containing 35 pines of first, 45 of 
second, or 50 of third cuttings. The average 
price per barrel ready for shipment is $6 515, and 
$4, for each quality respectively, and the freight 
to New York is 3Uc. to 50c. per barrel. There 
is a continued increase of production. 
The annual import into the United States from 
the West Indies is over 5,000, OOti pineapples. 
PRE.SERVES.— In Florida an excellent wine and 
cider are made of the pineapple; and in the 
Azores wine and alcohol are largely made. 
In Nassau the local demand of fruit for tin- 
ning equals the amount of fresh fruit exported. 
The operation ot peeling and slicing is peiformed 
on tables in the yards near the waterside. The 
cans are carried to the warehouse on wooden 
trays (each containing fifteen), to be iinmer.sed 
in syrup. The tops of the cans are soldered 
on, and they are lowered in an iron framework 
400 and 500 at a time, into the steam boilint' 
vats. After boiling, the cans are preforated iCt 
the top to allow the stream to escape. Tliey are 
then hermetically sealed and spread over the yard 
to cool. Each can ot fruit, before the syruj) is 
atlded, weighs two pounds. 
AH the aparatus and the tins used in the can- 
ning factories are imported from new York. 
Almost every modern cook book furnishes 
receipts for making jellies, marmalade and pre- 
serves from the pineapple. The following, wliich 
