Am.  Jour.  Pharru.\ 
March,  1895.  j" 
Pi?ieapple  Cultivation. 
177 
In  India  several  species  of  Willnghbeia  are  said  to  yield  caout- 
choucs. The  Alstonia  scholaris,  the  source  of  Dita  bark,  is  said  to 
yield  a  gutta  of  poor  quality.  In  the  region  of  Iixlo- China  a  number 
of  species  yield  caoutchoucs  generally  of  little  value. 
The  only  Apocynacece  of  Oceanica  important  in  this  respect  is  the 
Urceola  elastica  Roxb.  This  plant  and  the  Asclepiad,  Calotropis 
gigantea  furnish  nearly  all  of  the  caoutchouc  of  Borneo  and  is  like- 
wise known  as  white  Assam  caoutchouc.  The  Urceola  is  a  tree 
about  10  c.m.  in  diameter  and  the  latex  is  extracted  by  making  a  V- 
shaped  incision  as  far  as  the  cambium. 
PINEAPPLE  CULTIVATION  IN  THE  INTERIOR  OF 
FLORIDA. 
The  question  is  frequently  asked  us  :  "  Can  pineapples  be  successfully  grown 
in  Lake  County?"  We  unhesitatingly  answer,  they  can.  Many  are  grown, 
but  generally  in  small  patches,  here  and  there,  of  which  little  is  known  except 
to  the  individual  growers  ;  yet  sufficient  to  demonstrate  the  adaptability  of  our 
soil,  and  showing  that  with  the  same  treatment  they  require  elsewhere  success 
is  equally  certain.  We  give  below  a  few  facts  concerning  the  plant  and  the 
mode  of  culture  in  the  interior  of  the  State. 
Although  the  lower  Indian  River  and  Lake  Worth  region  is  the  great  pine- 
apple district  of  Florida,  yet  there  are  other  portions  of  the  State  where  much 
attention  is  now  being  given  to  pineapple  culture.  In  the  vicinity  of  Orlando 
the  industry  has  probably  made  the  greatest  advancement,  although  possessing 
no  greater  natural  advantages  than  many  other  portions  of  South  Florida.  The 
best  results  are  reached  in  this  region  by  growing  the  plants  under  a  grating 
cover,  which  affords  protection  from  occasional  frosts  and  strong  winds,  and 
shuts  out  some  of  the  summer  sunshine.  The  cover  is  made  of  narrow  boards 
placed  a  few  inches  apart  on  stringers  and  supported  by  posts  at  an  elevation 
sufficient  to  allow  persons  to  walk  upright  under  it.  The  sides  of  the  sheds  on 
the  north  and  west  are  weather-boarded  in  order  to  further  protect  the  plants 
from  cold  winds.    The  cost  of  such  sheds  varies  from  $300  to  $500  per  acre. 
Near  Orlando  there  are  three  large  pineries— Russell's  Fairview  and  Modela 
Park.  The  latter  is  the  largest  covered  pineapple  field  in  Florida,  and  probably 
the  largest  in  the  world.    It  contains  six  acres  and  about  6o,oco  plants. 
Pineapples  grown  under  cover  average  much  larger  in  size  and  have  a  better 
flavor  than  those  grown  in  plantations,  and  hence  command  a  better  price. 
They  generally  net  the  shipper  from  15  to  30  cents  each.  Six  thousand  apples 
sold  from  the  Fairview  pinery  last  year  brought  #1,200.  The  suckers,  however, 
produced  by  this  pinery,  which  are  in  great  demand  for  planting,  were  much 
more  profitable,  nearly  $8,000  having  been  realized  from  their  sale. 
While  the  pineapple  ripening  season  in  the  Indian  River  region  is  from  April 
to  September,  in  interior  Florida  it  is  not  strictly  confined  to  these  months,  as, 
