The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1905-11-29

country have learned the scientific
way to care for their fruit and they
lead in up-tO-date methods of culture.
FertiliZing has been studied from
scientific standpoint and the results
have been proven in the fruit far su-
periOr i'm carrying qualities and fla
vOr to that of our island neighbOrs.
The pineapple plant grows some
what like a century plant, but its
leaves are more similar to the leaves
of an orchid To the uninitiated it
may be well to state that a pineapple
does not grow on Il pine tree, as some
of our tourists are surprised to dis
cover The apple itself is first shown
by a crimson blush on the heart
leaves of the old plant and in few
weeks a well-shaped, tiny pink pine
apple appears. This grows upward on
a stalk from four to eight inches long,
changing its pink color for one of
green When the fruit is fully ma
tured and ready to pick for shipping,
it is of deep wine color and from
that it will soon ripen to the yellow,
as commonly seen. The old plant
dies and new ones called suckers de-
velOp at it's base. These suckers have
the root power of the old plant and
grow very rapidly, bearing the follow
ing year. As from two to four suck
ers sprOut from each old root. i'm the
course of few years unless some
have been removed, theAe will be
three to four times as many plants
on. the ground as were originally plant
ed
The original settings of field are
pnr, IIx- eli oil
the crowns or taps to pineapples are
sometimes used. Slips are small
plants that sprout from the fruit stalk
around the base of the pineapple.
When the apple is picked they are left
to grow and be planted later i'm the
summer or fall. two or three being
the average number of them to a
pineapple. The new plants are set
out i'm squares 20 inches apart and
carefully ''scuffled'' or cultivated with
hand cultivatOrS for a year. Each
summer and fall they are fertilized
The first crop comes two years
from the time of planting and should
average from go to 300 crates per
acre The harvesting season COM
mences in. June and lasts for about
six weeks. Each ''pinery'' has it's
DdthIllS Ill WHICH, TIE crate Hill
terial is stored, the crates made and
the apples. brought there in wheel
barrOws, tram-cars or wagons, are
packed. OF course, different growers
have different ideas of what width
of beds is best. but generally IS or
20 rows are planted before a trail
or path is left. The beds may be as
long as the land is suitable for To
pick the fruit. one man called a picker
or ''breaker'' walks through the beds
lengthwise and losses the apples to
ROLLER i'm the path, who wheels them
to the packing house. and places
them carefully i'm bin or table with
six inch sides built about waist high.
where they can be sized, wrapped and
placed in. crate. The standard sizes
are 8. "a 30. Sc. AZ and 4S.
Like other fruits, there are num-
Der of: varieties, the more common
being Smooth Cayenne. Abbaka,
Queen Porto Rico and Red Spanish
The latter are in universal use, hav-
ing been found to give the best sat
isfactiOn for all purposes. Taking it
all in all. the pineapple business is a
very interesting as well as profitable
industry in this great food-prOducing
world of ours. and only too few peO-
pie know the process of its culture
so different from northern farming