The Republican., 1893-12-28
ABOUT PINEAPPLES.
They Cost Five Dollars Apiece In England
and All Over Europe.

anu All OVeT ESurOpe.
In England and all over Europe
pineapples, or "pines," are eaten only
by the few who can afford to raise
them in lighthouses or pay the extrav-
agant prices for which they are sold,
says the Youths Companion. So rare
are they on the other side of the At
lantic that they are sometimes hired
to impart crowning glory to ban
quets, where they may be admired and
longed for, but not eaten.
In England a pound, or FIVE dollars,
is considered a reasonable price for
the hot-house pine" and even in this
country as much has been paid for
choice specimens of the fruit at the
season when they are not in the
market. Until within dozen years
nearly all the pineapples raised for
market were grown upon the Bahama
islands, whence they are shipped by
swift sailing vessels to New York or
Liverpool.
To-day the principal pineapple pro-
ducing district of the world is the
United States, on a group of five
small islands or keys" lying on the
extreme southern part of Florida.
These keys are Elliott's, Old Rhoades,
Largo, Plantation and Upper Meta
cumba. On them less than seven hum
dred acres are devoted to the cultiva-
tion of 'pines," but from this small
area four million five hundred thou
sand pineapples were shipped to New
York in one year recently.
The shipment from the Bahamas
for the same year was about two-thirds
of this amount, while less than mil
lion and quarter were brought into
the United States from other West
Indies islands.
The mainland of southern Florida
has also begun to produce pineapples
in great numbers. On the island of
Cuba the sugar planters are just be-
ginning to convert their Improbable
canefields into pineapple patches.
The Bahama pineapples are detcrio-
rating or account of the impoverish-
ment of the soil, and the growers are
| turning their attention to sisal hemp.
On the other hand the area of pine"
lands in south Florida is being ex-
tended with each year, and such pains
are taken in gathering the crop that
Florida pines" like Florida oranges,
now command better price than any
others.
Pineapple plants, frequently called
''trees" by the growers, rarely attain a
greater height than three feet. and are
provided with stiff, sharp-pointed
leaves like those on the top or crown"
of pineapple, except that they are
much longer. In fact, the crown of a
pine" is in itself perfect plant. and,
if thrust into the ground under proper
! conditions, will bear fruit in eighteen
months.
The pineapple has no seed, but is
propagated from slips or suckers. Sew
eral slips spring from the base of each
perfected fruit, while the suckers shoot
from the bottom of the plant.
Each plant produces a single fruit
and then dies, but it's suckers become
bearing plants year later, while it's
slips, if thrust into the ground, will
yield fruit in eighteen months.
About ten thousand slips may be
planted to the acre, and of these two
thirds will bear fruit. Thus the yield
of pineapples is about seven thousand
30 the acre II growers could be GER
tain of realizing one dollar per dozen
on every crop pineapplc-raising would
rank among the most lucrative of agri-
cultural pursuits, but the present lack
of transportation facilities and the de-
pendencc of the growers upon commits
sion merchants diminish the profits
greatly.
The pineapple is perishable, and
there are many chances against its
reaching distant market in good con-
ditiol, consequently it is generally con-
sidered best to sell the crop in the field
rather than run the risk of shipment