The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-05-21
THE PINES OF ELEUTHERA.
Delicious Fruit that Thrives on CoraI
Rocks.

hama Islands, and was brought IN Dy
Capt. William Rowe Of the schooner
Levi Rowe. OF Fairhaven, Mass. The
shipment was made by Thomas Cash Of
Harbor Island in 1920, as a speculation
IL turned out so well that the pineapple
trade Of the Bahamas with New York
and other American ports soon became a
regular and profitable business. New
York dealers alone for many years paid
to growers OF pneapples In those Islands
100000 annually. The Bahamas still sup
ply this country with a large share OF It's
best pineapples. Many OF these are
grown on the island OF Eleuthera, the
finest of that famous coral group. The
cultivators ace chiefly residents OF Har-
Dor Island where the pineapple trade
had its origin.
THAT Eleuthera Island should grow
the fruit in such abundance and OF such
delicious quality is a source OF wonder TO
persons who suppose that the fruit re-
quires the richest and most fertile soil
and the greatest care in cultivation. The
visitor sees no SOIL according TO what he
has always been in the habit Of looking
upon as soil but only a surface OF rough,
sharp, ungrateful. and forbidding rock
where certainly no plough, hoe, or other
instrument OF cultivation can be used.
Yet wild vegetation springs up in rank
Inspection of the coral formation shows
him deep cavities In the rocks Of every
shape and form. These are filed with a
soil peculiar 10 that group Of islands. II
consists of decayed vegetation and art
or mould that seems TO have been eVol-
ged from the coral rocks themselves. The
cavities are thickly distributed over the
coral mass and to the soil they contain
the pineapple is indigenous. The Gull
walton Of the pineapple consists merely
I'm sticking sprouts OF the plant in these
holes, keeping down the weeds that ac-
companied the growth Of the plant IN
its wild state and strive TO maintain the
old cOmpaniOnshp. and IN protecting the
ripening fruit from insects and animals.
The sprouts can be set out within foot
of each other. and as they grow and eX-
pand their long. hard, saw-edged leaf
blades they form an almost unDroken
growth of interlaced plants all over the
island.
'fhls close planting aids the planter IN
his fight against the weeds. as the inter-
facing leaves choke down the weed
growth. The principal nuisance Of this
kind Is that hardy and persistent weed
familiar to our bOyhoOd days as the
Spanish needle, which was introduced
into this country through the shipment
of pine-apples and other tropical fruits,
and. like the Canada 1listle, needs no
aid 20 make itself at home all over the
country Even with the aid Of the thick
growing pineapple plants. IL keeps the
planter busy 10 fight out this prolific
weed. and during the entire year his ne
groes must keep at IL every day one
negro will attend to about two acres OF
pineapple plantation. II he Is active.
There Is no other producing plant. tree,
shrub. or other vegetable that would
yield its kind In either satisfactory guam
tity or quality II allowed TO occupy the
soil I'm so closely planted a mass as the
pineapple. but this delicious gift OF the
tropics thriyes so well under its crowded
possession Of the soil that an acre or
plants will contribute from 10000 to l2.oN
plneapplcs toward the total crop, al
though each plant bears but one and then
dies. The dead plant leaves a numerous
progeny of thrifty young sprouts from
which are selected the plants 10 provide
the next years crop. The soil In the
coral cavities Of the island will furnish
nutrition and life to the pineapple plants
for six years. As the soil becomes eX-
hausted and plants die out, the unfruit-
ful places are left 10 themselves and new
fields are sought. In the course Of two or
three years the abandoned holes become
noticeable again by the sprouting mp OF
separable weeds. This is the token that
the soil has been renewed by some mystic
rious process of nature and for six years
more will bring forth luscious fruit This
rotation Of life and death I'm the soil is
constant.
81 will never forget my first visit 10 a
pineapple PLANTATION on Eleuthera Island.
It was at the season when the fruit was
ripening and l had expected 10 be greet
cd by their fragrance burdening the
warm. sleepy air AS / drew near the
! plantation. however, very different
| odor filed my nostrils I was greatly
! surprised al this. and the owner Of the
/ plantation seemed 20 recognize from my
| behavior the fact that the smell was not
exactly wha a Stranger had "A right 10 ex-
pect from a field Of ripe pineapples.
All, Senior. rata
ut didn't make the situation any more
| agreeable or my disappointment the less
I 10 learn that rata was Spanish for rat.
| one Of the most destructive enemies Of
| the pineapple crop / found was species
| of rat that swarmed on the islands and
| had defed all Efforts 10 lessen the dam
age II lid annually 10 the pineapple crop
| until a cute Yankee sailor told the plant
| ers Of a plan he thought would work. lie
| advised them 10 boil sweet potatoes. and
after they were thoroughly cooked and
! stin hot. 10 stick the sulphur ends Of old
/ fashioned lucifer matches here and there
! I'm the potatoes The poison in the
! matches. he said. would be quickly abb
sorbed by the pulp OF the sweet potato
| and as there was nothing in the world
| a tropical rat was so crazy after a. a
boiled sweet potato. 81 might be that by
| placing them among the pineapple plants
/ the rats would pay their whole attention
| to the potatoes. The plan was tried and
| its success was beyond the widest hopes
| OF the planters. The rats chose the pois-
| oned potatoes before the rich-hayOred
| pulp of the pineapple. The negroes pick
| up the dead rats as they 30 their daily
rounds and cart them away but many
ESCAPE their sight. The planters be-
come used to the smell. because it as
sures them that the poison IS working
| all right and that the prospects are for a
| good crop OF pineapples.
| pineapple planting begins In July,
| The fruit is ready TO pick In the follow
ing March. and we look for our first con-
| signmeuts here early In April. There Is
one curious thing about pineapples that
| no one has ever been able TO explain
| A cargo OF the fruit may leave the Ba-
hamas for this port and arrive here after
, an unusually quick voyage and yet every
| pineapple on board the schooner may bt
so badly rotted as to make the cargo ar