Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-08-11
piNE app S, FOR INSTANCE.
Something About this Most Royal Fruit
"A Luxury of the Far south.


Something About this Most Royal Fruit
"A Luxury of the Far south.
Orlando, Florida, Aug. 3, 1SSS-To
the Press and Dakotaisn: Although the
pineapple has "all seasons for its own"
IN this region, yet these midsummer
days develop the greatest yield and the
most luscious fruit. The market, the
provision stores and the fruit stands are
full of fine ripe specimens, nearly ell OF
home growth. A few common ones
from the Bahamas are sold at fifteen
cents each. Another medium sort from
our Indian River region bring Is to rs
cents. But the gardens in and around
Orlando send 10 the fruit that beats the
world, SO far rs I can ascertain.
Those earlier settlers who started q
"pine-apple she'd, a few years ago are
now in luck; and their profits induce
many other to do likewise. The finest
fruits are placed on sale labeled like this:
"Trinidsd from Bidwells; price $3.50 If
sold with the crown, or $l,0O for the
apple alone. Or another: Golden Queen,
from 81. B. Church, rs cents; br Sl.50 if
sold with crown end buds" TIE surest
way to secure choice varieties for plant
ing is to get the green crowns end side
buds from the most valuable fruits
placed on sale; and each dealer keeps
his boxes of earth in which he places
every bud he can secure. They in.
varisbly root and grow, bringing from
q dime to q dollar each, according to
name. I have over 100 choice plants
growing in boxes, soon to be planted out
in a permanent 'sshed." They ,nclude
eleven of the choicest and most desirable
kinds, 1 bought n apple for 80 cents,
which had a mass OF eighteen buds at
the top all of which are now growing
as thrifty little plants; besides affording
three pounds of delicious dessert.
A "shed" is a cheap framework OF
posts and level scautling. across which
are laid strips of board three inches wide
with three inch spaces. This intercepts
over half The sunlight, and gives the
plants a partial shade. Then in winter,
in case OF danger of freezing, extra COW
ering such as Spanish moss, can be
added. The most successful and enter
prlsing c%ultivator OF this fruit here, is
Mrs. j. M. Wilson. Her husband was a
merchant of Webster City, Iowa, and
migrated here ss o hopeless consumptive.
After securing and planting sixteen of
the choicest imported varieties of pine
apples, in R4hed only ninety feet square,
he died. The lady remained there with
her children, cared for the plants with
her W hands, propagasing end market
ing both fruit and slips and supports
herself handsomely from that one-ifth OF
en- acre.
Mrs. Wilson's %pine.apples have been
exhibited in the great expositions OF the
past year, as at Jacksonville, Atlanta
and Cincinnati. People pay from one
to two dollars each for the largest,
either to eat on some special occasion OF
to send north to astonish the natives
who never SAW q large one before. She
yesterday presented our household with
a Smooth Cayenne" specimen, which
measured nearly eight inches long and
seventeen in circumference; q great
golden cylinder of the deepest yellow
within and without, yielding a plate full
of Juice when out up and, like most 9th
ers here, too sweet to require sugar. II
was adorned with q fine crow of leaves
worth q dollar, at the base of which
many r~ootlets were already started, and
giving fair promise OF q fruiting plant in
q year or two.
The big costly sorts like the Trinidad
(often 6 inches diameter and 8 in lengthy
the Montserrat, the Abbakaohie from
Egypt and the Smooth Cayenne, weigh
from six to eight pounds each. The
Grown Prince, Strawberry, Almeria, &o..
from one to three pounds.
The wealthy English settlers here
are rushing into the business. Fox
over 800 years the British aristocraoy
have cultivated the fruit IN their hot
houses or "pineries," as q most expen-
, sive and desirable luxury for their
tables, But here, in the open air, they
are raising such "pines" as their anoes,
tors never imagined, just as easily q.
!, my friend OF Calamity farm can raise
cabbages. An Englishman this week
started back to England, carrying nine
OF Mrs. Wilson's huge, perfect fruits, to
} show the people at home how this oil
mate beats the world in that line oil
business. Those nine will be good i'm
, migration agents. They will enter into
the inner consciousness of many an cpl
cure, and speak in a language they Jan
I, not disregard.
The plant is almost an air plant, and
is not destroyed by pulling it up and
letting the roots dry. Its curved, strap
shaped leaves are armed on the edges
with fine sharp proxies which enter the
skin. and break off easily, I do dislike
|, to hoe among large plants with leave.
three feet long. When about to bud foi
blooming the center of most kinds turns
bright red. Then the flower head comes
up and blooms with a little purple
flower at each eye. Then the fruit de
velops, and stands on a stout, straight