The Florida agriculturist., 1907-10-23
Timely Topics.

Prof. H. E. Van Deman, associate
editor of Green's Fruit Grower, Ro-
chester, N. Y, has been tasting some
of the fruit of the new varieties OF
pineapples under experiment at the
Sub-Tropical Garden at Miami, and
feels sure that some Of them will sup
plant those now commonly sold. Per
haps. They are, he says, as much
better than the common as Grimes is
better than a Ben Davis" But there
are those who think the poor, abased
old Ben a pretty good apple, and there
were some on exhibition at jamestown
in June that tasted mighty fine. But
it will be years before the new p1neap-
pies will appear IN Our markets to any
extent. The y. S. Department re-
quires those to whom a few Every few
sample plants are sent, to sign an
agreement not to offer the plants tor
sale for three years after first fru1t1ng
and so few are sent out that there will
not be many on the market for several
years. The Ideal Pineapple"' is yet in
the womb OF the future. Prof. Van
Deman's description Of such is an ex-
cellent one, but the combination Of
qualities will be hard one to realize.
Meanwhile, here's to the good old (Ben
Davis type) Red Spanish of open field
culture and the "gooderer" (Grlmes
Golden type) Smooth Cayenne of shed
culture.
Ocean transportation Of Pine
apples.
While the pineapple growers Of Flor
ida have no need to fear the cOmpetl-
ton from such far away insular posses
sions of Uncle Sam as the Hawaii Is
lands, or to follow their methods Of
cultivation, which differ somewhat from
those in vogue with us, yet, when it
comes to the matter Of marketing
tropical fruits it may be that the ex-
perience Of other countries may teach
us methods of some value. The whole
Pacific coast and possibly the Rocky
Mountain region can be made market,
and a profitable one to the growers Of
pineapples in those islands midway in
the Pacific ocean that, combined, some
day will enter as state into the Union.
I have in hand Bulletin No. IA, issued
from the American Agricultural Sta
ton on Marketing Hawaiian Fruits, by
J. E. Higgins, horticulturist Of the sta
ton, of which Mr.. J. G. Smith is
special agent in charge, which de-
scribes, in detail, many interesting ex-
periments tried to establish the best
methods for safe transit in good con-
dition to the markets thousands OF
miles distant, by conveyances more or
less detrimental by slowness of car
riage and closeness Of packing, such as
is afforded by ocean steamships plying
between the islands and California and
Oregon ports.
These experiments, as described,
give evidence of careful study Of con-
ditions and conservative views of re-
suits; these are under the main heads
of Experiments in shipping of fruits
from the lower lands and from the up
per or red soil lands; merits of differ
ent sections of ships; the use of hay,
excelsior or paper for wrapping the
fruit; methods of packing and size of
crate, etc. The Bulletin also describes
three other kinds of tropical fruits
experimental with, the Avocado, the
Papaia (pawpaw) and the banana, but
| confne the article to matters connect
ed with the pineapple i
For many years, Mr.. Higgins says
"very heavy loses have been expert
enced in the shipping of pines from
Hawaii Recently these losses have
greatly increased and there has been a
growing tendency to can the greater