4 
phosphates and lime. Richer soil does not seem to suit the pine- 
apple better, but the plant does not appear to be very particular 
as to its habitat so long as the soil is free and open, and not damp 
or low lying. 
Under shade the pine-apple grows and develops long leaves but 
little or no fruit and that very inferior. 
That pines will grow in the very poorest soil so long as tuey 
have suitable drainage is shown by the cultivation in Florida where 
they are grown in hundreds of acres on coralline rocks covered 
with a thin layer of soil, without the use of fertilizers. 
Pines grown in low lying damp ground do not thrive. I hey 
fruit badly aild are more liable tc disease. 
Planting. 
The Chinese plant the pines in rows, each plant 2.1 I03 feet apart 
with a path of about 4 feet width between each row so that they 
can hoe out the weeds between the plants. The Bugis planters 
plant them about the same distance apart but without a wide path 
between, each row forming beds about 40 or 50 feet long, the paths 
being between each bed. The best plan is to plant them in rows 
2 1 feet apart with a five feet path between every 3 or 4 rows. In 
any case the plants should not be more than 2 \ to 3 feet apart. 
The fields require careful weeding, hut are not generally ma- 
nured here. The first pines are produced from the suckers in from 
12 to 18 months. After the ripe fruit is removed the suckers should 
be cut out leaving only two or three of the strongest. If all the 
suckers are left they will produce fruits next crop perhaps as many 
as a dozen, but the fruits will be small, If only one or two are left 
the fruits will be much larger. 
There are three crops in the year, November to December, Feb- 
ruary and March and the biggest in June and July, but the crops 
depend very much on the rainfall. When there is a spell of dry 
weather of long duration the pines do not fruit. 
A properly cared for estate as cultivated in the Straits Settle- 
ments lasts five or six years, but the pines gradually get smaller. 
If neglected it lasts but 2 or 3 years. Doubtless an estate could be 
carried on for very many years and there is a record in the West 
Indies of a pine-apple field lasting for sixty years. Pines remain, 
on abandoned ground for very many years and go on growing, but 
when over crowded or covered with scrub produce few or no fruits 
and those that are produced are small and poor. In long grass 
and bush under shade the leaves often attain a great length' 8 or 9 
feet, and these are suitable for making fibre.. 
Manuring. 
Manure is not commonly used in the Malay Peninsula on the 
large estates, but the Chinese occasionally apply a small quantity 
of covvdung, burnt earth, etc. For tinning pines which require to 
be cheap it would not be worth while to go 1 lie expense of manur- 
