50 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
PINEAPPLE CULTURE IN FLORIDA 
A SPECIALIZED INDUSTRY 
By B. K, McCarty 
The successful and profitable production of pineapple 
fruit depends mainly on three things: first, the proper sort 
of land; second, high grade fertilizer applied at the right 
time; and third, careful, systematic, and intelligent cultiva¬ 
tion. Florida, fortunately, has varied types of soils, and 
there are belts in her borders which are famed for their 
particular products. Hastings is famed for the potato, 
Sanford for the celery, and Fort Pierce for the luscious pine¬ 
apple. 
The pineapple requires either what is known as high 
hammock or pine land. A wet, low place will not give 
satisfactory results, as the pineapple requires a high, dry 
soil. Our East Coast land, when used for pineapples, is 
first cleared of all growth and underbrush, which is burned; 
and the land is then “grubbed,” i.e., completely pulverized 
and stirred by means of a grub hoe, shaped somewhat like a 
mallox, but wider. Grubbing should be done with care, 
as too many roots left in the ground prevent the plant from 
starting properly, and make the cultivation harder and 
more expensive. The land is carefully and systematically 
raked of all trash roots and other rubbish. This material 
is burned in windrows in the trails. The land should not 
all be burned over, as this destroys humus which has taken 
nature centuries to produce, and which, if left on the ground, 
prolongs the life of the field. A pineapple field is laid off 
in beds of twenty rows each, planted in the row twenty 
inches square with a six foot trail between the beds. This 
gives twelve thousand five hundred plants to the acre. 
Some people plant in narrow beds, but, personally, I prefer 
the "wide beds. The land is marked off with a marker 
pulled by man power. When you have your land prepared, 
the next move is to plant your slips. A pineapple plant 
or slip is first shucked, or the hard base or tip is cut off with 
a sharp knife, and the lower leaves are removed, which will 
show the small rootlets all on the under side. The plant 
should not be peeled so high that white shows, because in 
that case the plant will scald in the soil. Planting is done 
by means of a trowel, and care must be taken not to set the 
slip so deep that sand will fill the bud or heart of the plant. 
Plants should be set as soon as they can be obtained in the 
summer from July 15th to August 30th. Slips set later are 
in danger of rotting. About ten days after setting, or as 
soon as they are firmly rooted, I cultivate them to remove 
the sand which may have gathered around the base of the 
plant; and until the plant gets too large, I do this at least 
once a month, if ground is dry enough, as this cultivation 
will greatly aid in growing the plant. From the time of 
planting until the first crop is harv^ested is about twenty- 
two months. 
The original plant suckers form the bole of the plant, and 
this continues from crop to crop. The life of a field should 
be about ten crops with proper care, and sometimes the life 
of the field may be lengthened by extra good care. I use 
from 3000 to 4000 pounds per year per acre of high grade 
fertilizer. This, for the first year, is mostly worked into 
the ground: after that it is broadcast over the plants, and 
the rain washes the fertilizer down to the base of the plant. 
Pineapple plants require lots of ammonia. The current 
opinion among the pineapple growers is that too much 
potash has been used in the past. A volume could be 
written on the matter of fertilizer, and this should be worked 
out most carefully for each particular piece of ground and 
each season. The pineapple season in Florida varies in 
different years, but usually commences about May 20th 
and continues for about forty days. 
Pines are picked in the field by men who wear canvas 
leggings and mittens to protect them from thorns, and the 
apple is thrown to a catcher in the trail, who wheels the fruit 
out to where it can be picked up by the wagon. Great care 
should be used in picking. The fruit will show a light 
, greenish cast around the base when it is ready for ship¬ 
ment, and if it is picked too green, the result is a poorly 
flavored fruit. Pines should be cut with a knife inserted 
under the base of the apple, severing the stem. This 
prevents the fruit from rotting around the core. Pine¬ 
apples are easily bruised, so unusual care should be taken in 
handling. The packer must always remember that when 
the fruit first strikes, it has no elastic skin to protect it, 
but, instead, is solid meat. The hauling from the field is 
done in field boxes which are made with orange heads and 
centers and pineapple slat sides. This gives room for three 
full layers of fruit of any size without bruising when crates 
are stacked together. Upon arrival at the packing house, 
the apple should be carefully laid down upon a padded bin 
to prevent bruising. 
The ordinary packer packs one hundred crates of pines 
a day of all sizes, running from eighteen to. forty-eight in 
the crate, packed in layers, alternating crowns and apples. 
The fruit is wrapped in paper fifteen by twenty inches, and 
the crate is ten and one-half by eleven and one-half by 
thirty-six inches. Paekages should be neat and attractive. 
The fruit should be carefully wrapped and packed and graded 
as carefully as possible, for the package reflects upon its 
grower and packer. Try in all possible ways to establish 
your mark upon the market as being absolutely reliable, so 
when a person purchases a box of your fruit he will find that, 
as far as in your power, you have fulfilled your part, both in 
pack and flavor. Don’t hestitate to throw out even the 
slightest marred or defective fruit, for by so doing you are 
protecting your name and brand, whose value is priceless. 
Pineapples are loaded in cars and then slated in tiers, three 
hundred crates to the car, while some markets accept a 
