Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-29
RAISING PINEAPPLES.
How the Fruit in Best Cultivated in
FlOrida.

How the Fruit in Best Cultivated in
Florida.
From the Jacksonville ,Fla) Times-U Union.
The pineapple industry is the main sup
port of Orlando, and still it is in Its in
fancy, only about one hundred acres being
shielded and about sixty or seventy-fve
acres planted in pineapp,es
The smooth cayenne-an apple. sweet
favored like the famous liberia peach,
mellow juicy. firm, having an unusually
small core and free from such fiber as is
found in common varieties, weighing from
four to eleven pounds, the average net
price to the grower being about 80 cents
each-is approved by the growers as the
best variety for the place. because of its
excellent flavor. beautiful appearance,
many fine qualities and superiority over
other varieties shipping fruit to for
eiSn countries. The smooth cayenne pine
apple grown at Orlando, once introduced in
and market of the world is more salable
and brings a better price than fruit from
elsewhere.
Here is a conservative estimate of the
cost of a pinery for the first two years:
The she'd extra cloth cover and heating
for winter protection, fertilizers. cultiva-
ton. &c. about 5000 The average gross
income from acre for each two years
period is about $3.50, sometimes more and
sometimes .ess, according to the care given,
experience and executive ability of the
grower in planting. cultvating and mar
keting the fruit and plants. About % per
cent of the plants will fruit, if properly
cared for. within two years from the time
they are planted, each producing an apple
The fruitIng period begins within twelve to
tWenty-four months from the time of plant
ing. and the apples will ripen within three
to five months after the fruiting. Usually
the larger percentage of fruit Is available
at the expiration of two years, though
plants fIuiting late will ripen later When
plant begins to fruit it also begins to pro-
duce severa. suckers, which will grow suf-
iiciently during the fruiting period TO be
removed within two weeks after the APP
pie is cut off and replanted. when they
will, within two years, stand the same
chance that the parent plant had in pro-
ducns its apple and several suckers, and
on indefinitely, with similar results, each
succeeding two years.
When plant has produced its apple and
its several suckers at about the expiration
of its two years of existence. it can be
eft to produce other suckers, which it will
do for two or three years or, as is done by
some growers. such plants or stalks can be
maSsed together in a bed as nursery,
when each one will within two or three
years produce several plants.
These plants and suckers are steadily
growing in demand and bring from II to
~ cents each according to size, health
and vigor 1t is customary among the
the expiration of each Two years, which is
less expensive than the original planting
they having produced crop of suckers
sufficient supply their own demand for
rep anting and large majority to spare
to customers at - to ~ cents each.
Thus it be seen that the industry is
more profitable after the first two years.
there being no rebuilding of sheds or refur-
nshng of extra cloth covers for a number
of years. Take into consideration, then,
the fact that the cost Of building shed
for an acre is from 500 to $500 the cost of
extra cover for the same is from 500 to
So making total saving for each two
succeeding years. for period of possibly
ten years in the cost Of the pinery, OF from
$500 to 1925. besides the saving in the re-
planting of the pinery each TWO years Dy
the grower furnishing himself with plants
from his own previous crop of suckers
The cost of plants for setting out an acre
at the beginning of the hrst two years pc
Rod is usually from sl.2!D TO Sl.T5. but for
replanting for each succeeding two years
period the successful grower uses suckers
of his own production. saving considerah
money by doing Hence the original cost
of a pinery only slightly reduces the profits
for the first two years period and does not
subtract at all from the profits of future
two-year periods till it shall be necessary
to rebuild the pinery, a necessity that
might not occur in fifteen years
The cost of shedding per acre in large
pinery, say from two TO eight acres, the
usual size of pineries here, Is probably less
N'''A ~
all The work required under the direction of
an experienced grower Tor three-acre
pinery.
Tte plants require constant watching and
Intelligent care and working every Two or
three weeks with a scufite hoe.
The pineries require proper heating ana
extra cover in winter for protection against
cold The sheds made of good dead
cvnress or heart pine posts eight feet long.
arranged in symmetrical order throughout
the pinery and securely set in the ground
Across the tops are firmly fastened the
necessary stringers, on which the stating,
three inches by one inch. is p acsd as a par
tiaI cover TO give the plants an equal DIS
tribution of light and shade The shed is
:ncIosed in board wall, securely closed. TO
shut out the wind and cold. The soil should
be sand loan. moderately 'Ow and level.
About s125 worth of fertilizers. blood and
bone and potash. can be used prohtabl!
acre III producing II crop VI dppies
ard suckers.
The land should be thoroughly cleared
of stumps, trash. &c. and plowed deep
before the shed is erected Then another
blowing and thorough puiNeriZlns Oh the
soil is necessary.
The p!nery must he laid out in beds nine
to twelve feet wide. and alleys four to
five feet wide. a proper amount of fer
tilizer should be distributed over the beds,
and then the plants can be set out about
eighteen inches apart. in rows about thirty
inches wide. allowing about 500 to 9,F)J
plants per for fruiting. If all the
pinery is set out at the same time the
most of the fruit will be available by the
expiration of two years. but if it is set
out 1T Intervals there will be fruit con-
stantly after the first two years.
The fruit is packed in crates holding from
eight to sixteen apples. according to size
of fruit. which will weigh from eighty-tive
to ninety pounds gross. Smooth cayennes
grown here have been sold in New York
at wholesale high $1.25 each. 1t
was, however. for unusually large apes.
OF Course.
From the Chicago Record
I'VE are not English: don't think we
ought 10 continue to say parliamentary
or 'unparliamentary
what would you saw"
why. congressional or 'uncongres-