Huntsville gazette., 1893-12-30
ABOUT PlNEAPPlES.
They Cost Five Dollars Apiece in England
and All Over Europe.


and All Over Europe.
In England and all over Europe
pineapples, or 'spines," are eaten only
| by the few who can afford to raise
them n 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 browning glory to ban
quets, where they may be admired and
longed for, but not eaten.
In England pound, or five dollars,
is considered reasonable price for
the dollhouse 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 a 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 group of five
small islands or .'lxeys" 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 hun
dred acres are devoted to the cultiva-
ton 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 unprofita BILE
canefields into pineapple patches.
The Bahama pineapples are deterio-
rating on 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 a pineapple, except that they are
much longer. In fact, the crown of
pine" is in itself a 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 single fruit
and then dies, but its suckers become
bearing plants year later, while its
slips. if thrust into the ground, will
yield fruit in eighteen months.
About ten thousand slips may be
pIdnteu 10 Lne acre, and OF these two
thirds will bear fruit. Thus the yield
of pineapples is about seven thousand
to the acre. If growers could be GER
tain of realizing one dollar per dozen
on every crop pineapple-raising would
rank among the most lucrative of agri-
cultural pursuits, but the present lack
of transportation facilities and the de-
pendence 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.
dition, consequently it is generally con.
sidered best to sell the crop in the helc
rather than run the risk of shipment.