Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/544

 528 PINEAPPLE known as long moss. As the pineapple has become naturalized in parts of Asia and Afri- ca, its American origin has been disputed, but there is little doubt that it is a native of Bra- zil, and perhaps of some of the Antilles ; the aboriginal South American name was nanas, Pineapple (Ananassa sativa). from which the Portuguese derived ananas, a name which it holds in most European lan- guages, and with a different termination serves for the genus. The pineapple is a biennial, with the habit of an aloe, but with much thin- ner leaves, which form a crown of foliage, each leaf being handsomely recurved, and furnished upon its edges, except in one variety, with small sharp spines ; from the centre of the cluster of foliage arises a stem 2 or 3 ft. high, on the upper portion of which the flowers are crowd- ed in the form of a conical spike ; each flow- er consists of three outer divisions, or calyx and three inner, much longer, and petal-like divisions, all attached to the (inferior) three- celled ovary; six stamens, and three styles; each flower is placed in the axil of a bract, the upper bracts, which are without flowers, de- veloping at the top of the stem as a crown of small crowded leaves. The pineapple in culti- vation rarely produces seeds, but in ripening the whole flower cluster undergoes a remark- able change; all parts become enormously en- larged, and when quite ripe, fleshy and very suc- culent, being pervaded by a very saccharine highly flavored juice. Instead of being a fruit in the strict botanical sense of the term, it is an ag- gregation of accessory parts, of which the fruit proper, the ripened ova- ry, forms but a small portion; in this succu- lent mass, gorged with juice and blended together, are the central stem, the bracts, calyx, corolla, and ovary, all much diverted from their normal form, and together making what is called a syncarpous or collective fruit; indeed, the pineapple is analogous in structure to the mulberry, though Flower of Pineapple, with Section. that ripens its seed. Upon the exterior tessel- lated surface of the pineapple can be traced the tips of the bracts which support the flowers, and the points of the petals; a careful dis- section will show all the parts of the flowers, though greatly distorted, and even the stamens may be frequently detected. The first pine- apples known in England were sent as a pres- ent to Cromwell ; the first cultivated in that country were raised about 1715, though they were grown in Holland in the previous centu- ry. The successful cultivation of the pineapple was formerly considered one of the highest achievements in horticulture, and the works of a few years ago are tediously elaborate in their instructions ; but the matter has been of late so much simplified that any one who can command the proper temperature and mois- ture may expect success. Pineapples are taken from the West Indies to England in consider- able quantities, but the fruit is so inferior to that raised under glass that its cultivation for market is successfully prosecuted. The price quoted in London in April, 1875, was 3s. to 6s. a pound, while the whole imported fruit was sold at about half a crown. The largest fruit on record as the produce of the English pine- ries weighed 14 Ibs. 12 oz. Better West In- dian pineapples are sold in our markets than in those of England, as we are nearer the places of growth, but the fruit raised under glass is greatly superior to the best imported specimens. In 1874 there were sent to New York 4,937,125 pineapples, of which 1,484,- 673, or about 30 per cent., perished on the voyage. Of these, 25 full cargoes came from Eleuthera, 21 from San Salvador, 15 from Harbor island, and a smaller number and parts of cargoes from about a dozen other ports. The business of canning pineapples is largely pursued at Nassau, New Providence, whence many are also exported whole, both to Eng- land and the United States. More than 50 varieties are enumerated, and among these Lindley thought were those sufficiently dis- tinct to be derived from four different spe- cies ; the plant is evidently very variable, and when South America was first visited by Euro- peans, they found the natives cultivating three distinct varieties or species. New varieties are obtained from seed, which the cultivated plant on rare occasions perfects, but which the partially wild plants afford more abun- dantly ; while established sorts are propagated by means of the suckers produced freely by most varieties, or by the crowns, which are less desirable than suckers, not producing fruit so soon; some varieties with proper manage- ment will be in fruit in about 18 months from the time the suckers are rooted. Among the most esteemed varieties, the Queen, smooth- leaved Cayenne, Charlotte Rothschild, and Prince Albert are regarded as the best and freest fruiting. Aside from its use as a dessert fruit in its whole state, large quantities are canned in Jamaica and other localities for ex-