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13740—Harvesting Indian River Pineapples in Florida.

The pineapple (Anassa sativa) is a native of the American tropics. It is the only fruit of large value which did not originate in Asia. It is called pineapple because of the resemblance of the fruit to the pine cone. For a long time its cultivation was restricted to the Isle of Eleuthera in the Bahamas, though now it is found everywhere in the tropics, very considerable plantations being established in southern Florida. In England it is grown under glass. The fruit is most fragrant, and is largely used as a dessert. It is also preserved in sugar or in brandy, and is a large and growing item in our commerce with the tropics. New York

is the chief market. The plant is stemless, the fruit growing from the ground from a clump of thick, fleshy and spinous leaves. It is propagated by suckers or by the tuft on top of the fruit. It is a most uncomfortable crop to handle because of its hard spines, heavy gloves and leggings being required by the workmen. The Florida crop, gathered when ripe enough to ship, is collected in baskets, carried to the packing shed on a narrow gauge railway, and shipped fresh to the northern market. It is a large and growing industry.

We pass on through Florida Straits and across the Gulf of Mexico to Mexico.

Copyright 1909 by Keystone View Company

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