The different modes of cultivating the pine-apple: From its first introduction into Europe to the late improvements of T.A. Knight, esq. — John Shaqi
The different modes of cultivating the pine-apple: From its first introduction into Europe to the late improvements of T.A. Knight, esq.Loudon, J. C. (John Claudius)
History
The different modes of cultivating the pine-apple: From its first introduction into Europe to the late improvements of T.A. Knight, esq.
Loudon, J. C. (John Claudius)
Pineapple
_Insects._ Those which more immediately infest the Pine, were first
described in Speechly’s book. They are all species or varieties of the
Linnean order Hemiptera, and genus Coccus. The first is the _brown
turtle bug_, _Coccus hesperidum_ (_Fig. 9._) The female has at first the
appearance of a flat scale (_a_); afterwards, when depositing its eggs,
it becomes fixed and turgid (_b_); these eggs (_c_) are hatched under
the mother, who soon afterwards dies; the young insects, seen under a
magnifier, appear like turtles in miniature (_d_). Only the males,
(_e_), which are few in proportion to the females, have wings; these
devour nothing, and having performed the office of impregnation, die.
The _white scaly bug_, _C. hesp. var._ α (_f_ to _l_) bears a
considerable resemblance to the above; but the scale (_f_) is somewhat
smaller; the colour is white, and the males or flies (_l_) not so large
as those of the brown.
The _white mealy crimson-tinged bug_, _C. hesp. var._ ϐ (_n_ and _m_)
differs from the former in being larger and crimson-coloured. Speechly
considers it as viviparous. This and the former species are much the
most pernicious.
Mr. Speechly’s mode of destroying these and other insects, being much
too elaborate for modern practice, it would be a waste of time to repeat
his processes. Simple modes are always the most effectual, and nothing
can be more so than M’Phail’s mode of applying the steam of water; or
Baldwin’s, that of horse-dung.
_Fruit produced._ Mr. Speechly does not seem to have had a fixed object
as to the production of fruit, unless it was to have it good. Some
cultivators, as Justice, aim at having all the fruit ripe at that season
when they will attain the greatest size and most flavour, viz. in August
and September; others aim at having some weekly throughout the year. It
would appear that the former was Speechly’s object, and that he did not
contemplate the other as now generally practised. “Large fruiting
plants,” he says, “will sometimes show their fruit in the months of
August and September, but these are generally thought of no value, and,
consequently, thrown away. To prevent this, I frequently take such
plants out of the hot-house as soon as their fruit begin to appear. I
then set them in a shed or out-house for five or six weeks; at the
expiration of which time I pot them as in the month of March, after
shaking off their balls. After this I plunge them into the tan.”
What was the common weight of the Queen Pines produced at Welbeck, he
does not inform us; but a fruit of the New Providence, produced in the
gardens at Welbeck in 1794, weighed 5¼ lb., or 84 oz. He generally
fruited the Queen Pine in the third season, being under two years of
time; and the Providence and Antigua in the fourth season.
SECT. VII.
_Culture of the Pine Apple by James M’Phail, gardener to the late
Earl of Liverpool, at Addiscombe, in Surrey, from 1788 to 1808._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account