AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 
OK THE 
STRAITS 
AND 
F E D ERA T ED MALAY STATE S. 
No. i.] JANUARY, 1904. [Vol. [II Part I. 
PINE APPLES. 
The Pine apple (. / uanassa saliva) of the order Bromcliacen' is a 
native of South America, probably Southern Mexico, and was in- 
troduced very early into the East Indies by the Portuguese, shortly 
alter the discovery of America, as according to LlNSCHOTEN, it 
was abundant in India in 1583, and in 1593 sold for as little’ as 
2 reals a piece (Acosta Hist. Arom. 295). It seems indeed to have 
spread over the world more rapidly than any other cultivated plant, 
and probably arrived in Malacca about the same time as it did iii 
India. The name Nanas, or Ananas by which it is known in 
almost all languages is of South American origin. The Spaniards 
called it I mas from its resemblance to a pine cone, and similarly 
we get the English name. 
Varieties of Pine-apples. 
1 he number of named varieties of pines is very large. Each 
country giving special names to its varieties. Unfortunately most 
of these varieties have hardly been adequately described, still less 
figured or classified. Mr. D. MuNRO, in the Transactions of the 
Horticultural Society of London 1835, gives a list of fifty-two 
kinds, which could probably be largely supplemented now. The 
plant varies in the colouring and presence or absence of spines on 
the leaves, the colour of the outside of the fruit, and the flesh and 
in size. 1 he earliest' cultivated appear to have been very small, 
about the size of an orange, and seem to correspond to what is 
now known as the Mauritius pine. 
Among the best known named kinds from various parts of the 
world are — > 
Tim Smooth Cayenne or Giant Kew, apparently identical with 
what is known in some places as the King pine. It has bright 
green long and broad leaves without thorns on the edge or but few 
and bright yellowish green cylindric fruit. The bracts often tinged 
with red. This pire is the one commonly sold in London, being 
imported, from the Azores, and it or a closely allied form is culti- 
vated in the fields in the Straits for tinning. Its weight when full 
sized is 8.1 lbs. 
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