New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-29
AMONG THE BAHAMAS.
PINEAPPLEs, TURTLES AND DOGS.

captain IthUrie Roberts, the principal owner OF real
estate on the island. For some reason my words
seemed to have an inspnting effect After a moment
e tho boeteIous merTlment which like rich vein
through his life, the captain far composed himself
IS to say
We don't say pineapple Horchsrds' ERE. We says
pine fields"
Tho explorations Of the forenoon made evident the
reason for this elegant discrimination in the use OF
language. 1t would be about correct to speak OF
a strawberry orchard Of a pineapple orchard for
the fruit grows shrubs from twenty 10 forty inches
high, with long, blade-llke leaves, which have an az
sresslve calculated 10 keep TURNER'S at
| distance. Every shrub has dozen or fifteen such
dagger, and reminds botansts of the Florida Spanish
layonet As l made my way through a halfacre field
IN the wake Of Captain Ithurel, this point, or these
points, were impressed
Almost every tropical fruit grows luxlrously In the
coarse granular and porous coral limestone Of these
keys, cocoanuts. bananas lines. oranges. guavas.
manages. sspodillas, tamarinds and figs dOurishlns
especially but the pineapple demands peculiar rich
red loan which is found in sporadic pockets in some
Of the Islands. rpenng pineapple Is beautiful
and curious object, showing half dozen delicate ard
artistic shades in its scaly covering. Still IL Is diff
cult for not 10 the horn to keep on the
lookout for aesthetic effects when balancing on the
sharp pointed rocks which environ the pineapple
pockets and while endcavoring avoid the thrusts Of
the vegetable poniards which quart ths fruit growing
at the centre of the shrub. At Nassau there many
pineapple plantations. In the old slave DAYS the
culture OF cocoanuts and pneappes the principal
Industry, ranking ahead of even spongng. Large
gangs Of negroes kept at work under the direc
don Of merclless oveHeer, and the annual crop Of
pneapples far exceeded that of the present In the
Northern Bahamas slave labor spaingly used. The
size Of the pineapple crop In this section of the Wind
ward Islands has increased slowly but regularly. and
the growth has been heath1ul About 100000
pneapples arc annually shipped from Nassau and Of
these about quarter told. from the Islands
north of Hole I'm the-W9ll passage
Pineapple Cay is the nearest Of the isets in the
vicinity of Green Turtle Cay Ole principal port Of the
Northern Bahamas grow pines IN large quantte;
During the months of June, July and August is prac
tically uninhahed as the shrubs then require little
attention. and tho of the pine feld.' occupy
themselves with sponglng fishing and turtng. having
Green Turtle Cay as their headquarters. The place
last named is not only the main port Of the northern
Bahamas, but its urban glores such that It has a
population of 500, of whom about 400 are black and
yellow It boasts the only ship ch1ndlers establish
ment north Of Nassau and between Florida and the
coast of Portugal 1t has Government House in
which an insular Pooh Bah, Captain Bethel-pcrt
officer, port doctor revenue collector, postmaster.
Crown prosecutor and baillff-hpIds his court with
cOlored septuagenarian for chamberlain II has also
the honor OF being the residence Of the only physician
between Florida and Nassau-a stretch Of 400 miles.
1t is astonishing to what size vegetables grow
size of the Florida products and sweet potatoessweet
potatoes, like K1tisha something appalling reach
ing size eight or ten times great the pr0udest
triumph of the New-Jesey article. Immense growths
the rule The MANILA planG and the silk cotton
tree flourish with the roots fastened in stone wall
in the crlmbling limestone Of the region. 1t rs
fact that in of the KEYS holes are pounded in the
granular rock little soil IS m.Aed with the dsnte-
grated fragments and fruit stpuh is planted in the
composition thus obtained. In three or four years
the shrub grows into spreading bower bearing fruit
with tropical generosity
There few Bahama vocations more Interesting
than turtling Sea turtles of the species known as
green turtle numerous I'm the clear white water
Of this region. but albeit numerous they far from
easy to capture. They are immense, clumsy things,
weighing in maturity anywhere from 300 to 500
pounds In general appearance the. do not differ greatly
from the "sEappng turtle to whih Americans are in
oduced in their schooldays. with the exception of size
and the shape of the hppers, which somewhat resen
bic the fppeIs Of SEAL Two styles of strategy are
open to tho turtlewau bound. He may search the
beaches until he finds his prey taking a slesa on the
sand or he may so down TO the SEA In sloops and
spear one of The amphibans with Il curious single
pronged turtle spear OF the two styles the first is
the most entertaining.
Let us imagine ourselves tmue hunt It is
md-afterno0n, the spirit within the thermometer has
risen TO lao degrees and the sand of tAe beach under
our feet seems baking. We ourselves are baking
boiling, frcasseeing. But 1t would never do to 60
back to New-York without having comprised the capt
ure of green turtle. We walk carefully and noise.
lessly along the waters edge, thereby showing fine
comprehension of strategy. Should we espy one of
the creatures we desire to find. will be ready to
cut off her retreat to the friendly Of the sea-
say her" retreat, because neglected say that il
Is commonly only female turtles which have fond
for the beach-and very naturally. for the main
object OF repairing to the beach is to deposit eggs in
The sand. All there is one Diss Debsr of a turtle
which will tip the scales at 300 pounds at hast We
in time to intercept her II she makes dash for the
water But she is occupied with her own reflections.
one Of us remains By tho sad while the others
make detOur flank the enemy, steal silently to the
rear execute a surprise and dexterousy flop the en-
envy upon her back Not until her she'll CRATES upon
the sand does she realize what has happened. Then
she makes a wild fuss. She flaps her nippols in
wrath and, might be expected from one of her SEX
endeavOrs to scratch. IL pains 10 see such dis
position. Accordingly we cut some sapodlna tvigs,
slit her hippers and tie them together, two and two
Being her back the turtle can now move nothing
except her head, which she brings above the under
shell. We then excuse ourselves and got her eggs
Twelve or fourteen in number. They be made into
an excellent omeet. This is indeed good luck this
capture Of 300 FOUNDER, but sigh for more turtles
to conquer. We wind our way along the shngle ana
then by good fortune discern her turtle soma
hundred yards ahead and only a Of yards from
the water Cautiously on uptoe stealing like APP
proved heavy villains, attempt TO surprise her
ladyshi2 She however, us and OWNING our
nefarious designs scrambles wildly for the welcoming
water. Then We the villains still pursue her. break
ing into headlong run. We cast pebbles at her as
blndly squirt onward, and by shout, yell and
execration we try to rattle her But she gains the
brine, and as she disappears below the surface we
fancy that by way of adeu she gives dersve hirt
Of her twoinch tail. Well let her 20 She was
probably tough "loggerhead,' and tho "logger-
head as every Bahaman knows, is an Inferior
species Of tho turtle, hardly tit to be mentioned
in the same breath with the green turtle.
The next day start out our tiny sloop and
keen q bright lookout for floating turtle or for
floating turtle grass. This grass is the favore food
OF the creatures are hunting. which eat tho Juicy
mi next % the root and thus set free The lnalg