The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1894-08-17
CULTURE OF PINEAPPLES.
AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY ON THE
EAST COAST OF FLORIDA.
The Pickers Have to Wear Mittens-
Plants Mature In Two Years-In-
crossing Yield--Average Profits.

y
up and down the Indian
River at this season of the year, writes |
q Jensen Fla correspondent of the
New York Tribune, is constantly con-
fronted in the country stores with
signs like this: "Mittens! Mittens!
Singles % cents, doubles 49," If he
is "new" in the country, and If he has
any curiosity, he will learn upon in
quiry that these mittens are not for
keeping off the cold, but for protect
ing the hands Of the pineapple pick
ers. Sometimes they are displayed on
lines strung across the store, and they
are queer things to look at-rudely
shaped gauntlets of coarse white duck
or canvas; long enough TO reach from
the fnger-tips to the elbow, and pro-
vided with o "pocket" for the fore
finger as well as for the thumb. A
protection of some kind is absolutely
necessary for the pineapple pickers,
the long, narrow leaves Of the plant
bristling all about the apple in the
centre, and their edges being as sharp
and dangerous as saw teeth These
mittens are so far the best device
known for the purpose. The picker
has both hands mittened; with the
left he seizes the plant and pushes
away the leaves from the fruit, while
with his right he twists off the apple
from the stalk, being careful to leave
the suckers" which grow in a circle
all about its base. These suckers are
used for setting out new plantations,
and are in great demand all through
the pineapple country after the crop
is off and marketed.
The pineapple crop Of the Florida
East Coast-not including the Keys
is estimated this year all the way from
10000 to $4,000 crates. These crates
are in size about that of the regulation
orange box, but in weight they will
average, when filled with "pines, " over
twice as much. The freight agents
figure on about 100 pounds to the
crate, or $50 crates to the car. But
sometimes nearly 200 crates are slowed
away in car, if cars are scarce. The
average number Of pineapples to the
crate is sixty-four, but the fruit varies
in size, some varieties growing very
( large and heavy. A conservative esti-
mate of this years crop is about 30, 900
crates, or fully 5000, 600 pineappIes.
The marketing season extends over
about seven weeks, beginning late in
May and closing about the middle Of
July. There are some late varieties
and some late loads, so that few
struggling shipments continue up into
the month of August and sometimes
as late as September.
So great has been the stimulaus given
to the pineapple industry here during
the last three years that crop of fully
100000 crates is expected in 1895.
The plantations come into bearing in
two years from the planting, and the
cost of cultivation is not great 4
grower of fourteen years experience
gives the following figures;
Cleaning one acre ofland.. .........." 97i
| Plants--14 900 at SIS per 1000. ..... 49,. 81
! Setting out plants ,. ................... Il
| Care of plants--hrst two years. ......... 50
| Fertilizer .....s.---> -..........'.,..... bO
Total. .............................. 1920
If the land cost 5000 per acre-an
average price-this would make the
cost of one acre, at the end Of two
years, $500, to which must be added
II per cent. for interest on the in
vestment, taxes, etc.-or grand total
of $54S.80. The yield per acre at the
end of the second year ought to be
IA, 900 "pines for every plant !;
but fair estimate would be II, 500
apples, which at cents apiece net,
would bring 1925 as return upon an
investment Of $548.80 for two years.
This Is something over 81 per cent,
or 1876 per cent. per year. After the
first crop there is no expense for
clearing the land, and none for plants
or setting them out--in fact small
revenue can be had from the sale Of
the suckers.
Some of our pioneer growers here
have grown rich in the business. 1t
is said that one years crop not long
ago brought $4,000 net to Captain
7. E. Richards, OF Eden, about three
miles north of here. There is no in
dustry in the world which pays better
than pineapple growing on the Indian
River, and by the year 1900 it prom
Uses to yield an aggregate annual
revenue of So, 100000.
Discoveries IN Iceland