PINEAPPLES. The pineapple takes its name from its resemblance to the pine cone, but the title is misleading for it grows on a low, spreading plant. Its native home is tropical South America, but from there it was long ago carried to every tropical and semi-tropical country, and is in Northern Europe raised under glass for wealthy pri vate trade. It is one of the most satisfactory of sub-tropical crops, bearing freely, having few insect enemies and being particular only in the matter of moisture—too much rots the roots and too little reduces the size and juiciness of the fruit.
A new pineapple patch is set out with slips—either the crown cut from the ripened fruit or the shoots which grow directly under it. When from a fine variety, they are rather costly, which accounts for the fact that some growers still waste time raising the poor, hard, woody, old-fashioned types. The new plant takes from eighteen to twenty-two months to ripen its first fruit. When the pines are cut, the plants send out new suckers which produce a second crop, the same process giving generally a third crop. The plants are seldom allowed to bear after the third time, as the fruit then begins to deteriorate.
The first sign of a fruit is the appearance of a tiny "crown" which develops slowly into a miniature of the matured pineapple. Next come, while the pine is still small, a number of pretty little purplish-blue flowers, one tiny blossom in each "eye," but these disappear long before the fruit attains its full size. The flower has but little odor, and even a field of fully ripened pines has less fragrance than would be expected from a fruit so pungently sweet. With miles of pineapples ready to be harvested, there is really little perfume unless one happens to be bruised or injured.
In the West Indies, the source of the majority of our fresh pineapples, there is a well-recognized division of the product into "field pines"—the little hard, reddish fruit which sell from ten cents up on city fruit stalls—and "garden pines," which are to be found in fancy fruit stores at considerably higher prices. The industry there is an old one, and in many sections is more or less cumbered with poor varieties and antiquated methods, but great advancement has been made recently, especially in Cuba and Porto Rico.
Most of the Florida fresh fruit is very good in quality and is improving every year, but the total possible crop there is comparatively small. Other sources of supply are the other Southern States, the Bahamas and Mexico. The two most popular types are the Red Span ish and the Smooth Cayenne.
In buying fresh fruit for immediate consumption, select those which look yel lowish on the smooth surface, though is not conclusive proof of ripeness. If one of the lot prove unripe, set the remainder aside and hold them a few days—they are not likely to spoil and will soon mellow. Ripening storage room must be kept at an even temperature of about to Fahr. It is a good idea to wrap each fruit in thick paper when setting to ripen.
In preparing a fresh pine for the table, peel off the outer skin, take out the eyes with a patent remover, cut in slices and core with a patent corer.
A still better method, which does not, however, give the even round slices of the preceding directions, is first to remove the outer covering and eyes as above, then stand the pine up on the table, insert a fork in the blossom and, with another silver fork, pick away the fruit-flesh from the core in small or large chunks as desired.
In either case, the result will be infinitely superior if the slices or pieces are packed in a glass fruit-jar, covered with sugar, and set in the ice box for at least twenty-four hours before serving.
The pineapple is credited with digestive properties and has other medicinal virtues, but it should not be eaten unless fully mature, as the unripe juices are caustic and are liable to irritate the coating of the stomach.
Hawaiian growers have specialized on the Smooth Cayenne, one of the choicest "gar den pines," and, both climate and soil conditions being very favorable, the fruits on maturity reach a weight of from six to eight pounds and are entirely devoid of the woody fibre so objectionable in poor grade pines.
Very few of the Hawaiian fruits are ex ported raw, though some may be found in the Pacific Coast markets, 95% being ripened on the plant and put up immediately after gathering in modern canneries erected on the plantations. All the work is done by machinery, and the cans used are of a size to hold the best part of an average fruit, cut into slices of regular size. The trimmings, which, in the case of those pines run ning larger than the average, amount to a con siderable proportion, are cut into cubes or grated and thus canned, to be used for cooking, soda fountain purposes, etc. An increasing number are also canned whole, only the skin and eyes being removed.
One of the reasons for the growing popu larity of the high grade canned product, whether from Hawaii, Florida, the West Indies or other sources, is that it is impossible to transport fully ripe pineapples any consider able distance without damage, and the fruit does not generally ripen to its full flavor if cut before maturity.
In buying canned pineapple from countries where there is no control of the output, special caution is given against any plain-packed, or water-packed, varieties. Only those put up in syrup have the fine sweet flavor that the customer expects—and of the syrup kind the best are those which consist of selected naturally ripened fruits, i. e., pineapples packed where grown.
Singapore was at one time the chief source of the world's supply, but it has lost much of its importance owing to the improvement of the quality of the fresh and canned West Indian and Florida products and the establishment of the Hawaiian industry.