176 VEGETABLE STRUCTURE, 
The furface of the Fruit, from tlie bafe of this Crown to the Stalk, iV 
every w'lere covered vvitli Tubercles, within which are placed tlie Flowers 
and Seeds cf the Plant, in this mof!: fingular fnh.jedt many of the Tuber-- 
cles (.f the Fruit grew out into fo many little Crowns, each formed per- 
fedVy as the natural Crown at the top of a common Pineapple ; and alb 
as ht for grov/th. The Tubercles on one fide of the Fruit, for a fmall 
fpace, retained their natural form, while the whole circumference befide 
'vas covered with thefe leffer Crowns fo clofc, that they crowded one ano- 
ther. 'I'iicre were not Icfs than feventy of thofe new preduftions on the 
fiiigle Fruit ; and the whole appears to have enjoyed a hate of vigour and 
full growth at the time when it was cut, which feems to have been about 
ten davs before it natural ripenefs. A Figure of it entire is given in Plate 
XIII.' 
Since wc know from tliis flrange effort of Nature, that the Pine- 
apple Fruit is capable of Proliferation in an extreme degree,, it may not 
be impolfibie to turn the fjbje< 5 t to account : for we know Proliferation in 
Flowers may be brought on by a peculiar management ; and probably the 
fame holds true cf this : if it Hiculd prove fo, the incrcafe would be many 
limes greater than any other way. It may not be foreign to the purpofe, 
to hint fo mud), as to the polTible utility of the Proliferation of Pine- 
apples : but our immediate bulinefs here is to examine in what manner’ 
nature produced tliis mod extraordinary offspring. 
I HAVE been permitted to cut the proliferous Fruit afunder, to affid In 
this rcfearcli, and by comparifon of its condrudtion with that of the na- 
tural and common Pineapple, I think the courfe by which thefe new 
Shoots were protruded may be found. The fird Step toward this is, to 
know truly the druffure of the Pineapple in its ufual date; for in this 
there is fomething very different from the formation of other Plants ; That 
we may trace this from the fird dage to the 'lad, under our own fight, it 
will be proper to fclcdt a Plant raifed from a Crown of a common Pine- 
apple. Its growth is this. 
The Crown of Leaves being twided off from a ripe Pineapple, there 
comes out witii them that Flediy Bafe before named, to which they are 
conuedled, and from which they grow. When it has been fometime plant- 
ed, Fibres arc fhot out from this Flediy Subdance at the bafe, for feeking 
nouridiment ; and thefe, by degrees, grow to be fo many Roots, of the 
thicknefs of a large Packthread, and of an extreme length. From their 
fidcs alfo grow numerous branched Fibres. As we plant the Crown in 
Pots* 
