November 2, 1891.] THE TROi»^CAL ACSRIOULTURIST. 
and in order to seciu-e one, it was found necessary 
to separate it from the branch with a file. On 
furtlier examination and experiment, it was found 
that the plant, or tree, eagerly devoured any metal 
its roots might come in contact with, and changed 
its color to the color of the metal last absorbed. [? Ed. 
T. A.] 
Major Quiucy A. Steele, who has been with an 
engineering corps surveying railroads in Central 
America for the last two years, gives an account of 
some very curious trees he met with there. Among 
.the funn'iest are the electric-light tree, which gives 
milk, and the dough-producing tree. The electric- 
light tree gives a light so strong that you can read 
or write by it by night ; this tree is not a large one 
but very conspicuous, and scores of them may be seen 
over the country, like beacon lights set in the hills- 
The milk tree has a big tough skin that can be 
used for half-soleing shoes. To milk tlie tree, a 
hole is bored in the trunk ; then it lets down sap 
as white and as sweet as any even milked from a 
cow. ■ 
The bread from the bread tree is not exactly bread 
when picked, but it is a nice stiff dough inclosed 
in a nutshell about the size of a goose egg. The 
nut is cracked, the dougli taken out and kneaded 
a little, then is ready for baking. By thinning it 
clown with a little miik from the milk tree, it makes 
excellent pancakes. 
In behalf of those who are interested in trees, 
I have collected the foregoing from what appears to 
bs reliable literature, and without doubt truthfully 
describes these forest wonders. — Cal. liural Fress. 
THE CULTIVATION OF THE PINE-APl'LE. 
{Ananas sativa, Scli.) 
The pine-apple is a native of tropical America, but 
having become naturalised and growing in great abun- 
dance in the warmer parts of . Asia and Africa, some 
authors have written of the plant as being indigenous 
to those countries. Dr. Lindley, in treating of Bro- 
meliaceous plants, affirms, however, that it is a native 
of the continent and islands of America. The pine- 
apple is exceedingly tenacious of life, and, owing to this 
circumstance, was probably one of the first tropical 
fruits transplanted successfully from its original home 
to other warm countries. It has been grown success- 
fully for very many years in most of the warmer parts 
of the earth. The plant has already proved itself to be 
well adapted to the Australian climate. It frequently 
ripens its fruit in sheltered positions in the vicinity of 
Sydney ; but to grow the plants as a commercial prociuct 
it requires a warmer part of the Colony than the latitude 
of Sydney. From the Clarence to the Tweed Pvivers, 
however, there are numerous eligible sites for pine- 
apple plantations, which would, under careful man- 
agement, return handsome profits on the outlay, not 
only by shipping the fruit to market but also by grow- 
ing it for canning purposes. A cannery need not be 
an expensive affair, and one might very well be 
started by farmers on the co-operative principle in 
some central position on the Clarence, Kichuiond, or 
Tweed Rivers. If the cannery were supplied with 
Iilenty of fruit during the season (and this could be 
easily done), I can safely say that, with good manage- 
ment, it would turn out to he a commercial success. 
About twelve months ago, I visited a large cannery 
in Melbourne, where pine-apples were being imported 
in great numbers from Queensland for canning pur- 
poses. If it paid a Melbourne firm to import pine- 
apples from Queensland and can them, how much more 
would it pay New South Welshmen to grow them 
and can them on t)ie spot? Besides the ordinary 
profits made on canning the fruits, the amount paid 
Ui freight and customs duties by the Melboiune canners 
oould be added to the profits, which would be consider- 
able if the industry were properly started here. The 
canning process is withal so simple that it does not 
require a great outlay in machinery or a great amount 
of skilled labour. It is necessary for canning that 
the pmc-apples should be ripe, and as near the same 
size round as it is possible to get them ; so that when 
they ivrc cut, tli« sUcos will fit cvculy ia th<j cftiis; 
this will save syrup, and, besides, the preserves will 
present a better appearance when opened. The oper- 
ation of peeling and slicing is done on tables by either 
women or boys. The pine-apples are cut across into 
slices about a quarter of an inch thick; these are 
carefully laid in the cans until they are a little over 
three parts full ; a thick syrup is then poured out of 
a ladle into the cans, bu.t they are not quite filled. 
The tops of the cans are then soldered on, and the 
cans are then put into an iron framework holding about 
fifty, and are lowered with a block and tackle into 
vats containing boiling water. After boiling for 
several minutes, the cans are taken out and perforated 
at the top to allow the steam to escape ; then they 
are hermetically sealed and put somewhere to cooL 
When the cans are labelled they are ready to be placed 
oir the market. 
Varieties. — There are numerous varieties of pine- 
apples. I once had twenty-two under cultivation ; but 
for all practical purposes the number could be reduced 
to three or four. I subjoin a list with description of 
those that I consider best for general cultivation. 
Black Jamaica. — Leaves small, narrow, dark green ; 
spines small and thinly set ; fruit oval, somewhat 
pyramidal, dark brownish yellow ; pips middle-sized, 
prominent, flattened in the centre; flesh firm, pale 
yellow, rich, juicy, and highly flavoured. Its weight 
is generally from 4 lb. to 5 lb. 
Charlotte Rothschild. — Leaves broad, with strong 
spines ; dark green above and mealy underneath ; fruit 
large, colindrical, or slightly baiTel-shaped ; pips large, 
flat, golden yellow; flesh yellow, and very juicy, its 
weight is generally from 7 lb. to 10 lb. 
Queen. — Leaves very short, broad, of a bluish green, 
very mealy ; spines strong, set widely apart ; fruit 
cylindrical, or a rich deep yellow ; pips middle-sized, 
prominent ; flesh pale yellow, juicy, sweet, rich, and 
excellent. Its weight is generally from 3 lb to 8 lb. 
This variety is undoubtedly the best to cultivate for 
a summer crop; it is very hardy and matures early. 
Smooth-leaved. Cai/cnne. — Leaves long and smooth, or 
with very few spines ; fruit very large, pyramidal, dark 
orange yellow ; x^ips large, flat ; flesh pale yellow, rich 
and highly flavoured. A very handsome fruit weigh- 
ing from 6 lb. to 9 lb. It is essentially an autumn 
and winter fruiting variety. This variety is largely 
grown in the Azores for the purpose of supplying the 
English market during - the winter and early spring 
months. 
The site of a pine-apple plantation should be fully 
exposed to the sun, but sheltered against prevailing 
winds — especially the southerly and westerly ones. 
The land should be well broken up with a strong 
plough, drawn by bullocks, to a depth of at least 1.) 
inches, exposed to the influence of sun and air for 
sometime previous to the planting taking place, and 
be scarified occasionally. The soil best suited to the 
growth of the pine-apple is one that is fairly rich in 
humus (which can be easily found in the north-eastern 
portion of this Colony), and affords a free passage of 
water through it, with a well-drained subsoil ; nothing 
harms the pine-apple so much as stagnant moisture. 
The Propagation of the Fine-ajjple. — This is effected 
by seeds, crowns, cuttings of the stem, and suckers. 
The latter, however, is the best and most expeditious 
way, and the one generally adopted. Suckers not only 
fruit much quicker than those propagated by other 
means, but also produce the finest fruit. Therefore, 
I shall only treat of that mode of propagation. Suck- 
ers will form at the base of the plant when it is in 
fruit, and, after the latter is ripe and cut ofl', they 
will grow quickly. The best time of the year to take 
them from the parent plant is in March, or at the 
latter end of September. March is the best month, 
however, for the yovmg plants will have a better oppor- 
tunity of making considerable root action before the 
hot weather sets in, and, conseqixently, they will come 
to a fruiting state much earlier than those that are 
not planted till spring. The suckers should be care- 
fully removed from the parent plant, by taking hold close 
to their base and moving them from side to side, be- 
sides twisting a little at the same time. Their bases 
should be pared with a sharp knife, and a few. only 
a very few, of the lower leaves takeu pff. They will 
0.9W Ijg ready i<)x plauUng. 
