CHE REFERENCE LIBRARY - Pole Shift Survival Information

384 !i?HE NURSERY-MANUAL
o\-cr the winter in ;t cwoi grcenhousc. Sectilings art‘ handled much as
are rl~odotlc~ndrons and similar things.
Pilea (;\rtill(~r~ I’lant). Urti~mww.
Increased 1’3’ st~~tls (whtkn availabk),
commonly thta last.
division and soft cuttings,
Pimelia. ‘I’/1 j/111 hw’r ‘cr.
Propagated I,>- c*uttings of half-ripenctl shoots iu Mar&, placed
in mixture of loam, p6h;tt. and silvW sand, covered with glass, and
kept in a temprratllrc~ of 55” to CO”.
Pinanga. I’d~ll(lr’i’ct’.
Prop:tgattd I))- irnporkl seeds. See Z’alws, p:tgr 377.
Pine :
Pill us.
Pineapple (il Il~t?l(ts srrii/~&s). I~ro~lrrllianrlr~~. (I'. I-I. Rolfs.)
Pinc~lpplc fruits as obtained on the mark rarely contain seed,
but b>p hand-pollinatin, (r it is comparat.i~~~4y easy to produce an .
abundwnct~ of seed. The only use that can lrc ndc of these seeds
is in producing now ~ariet~ies. In this countryr, pincapplils arc rarely
grown under glad for fruit, but specimclns art‘ sotnctimes found in
botanical collections and there are stripe-leaved varieties grown for
ornamt~nt. Tl 1c . m( * .l oor propagation is mostly by suckers or offsets
from the base.
The stock or trunk of the pineapplr, as the plant is grown cornmercially
in sul,tropic;tl Iinitclcl Statcls, is usually spoken of as the
“root ” and also as the “ stool.” This bears a bud in the asil of
every leaf. Thy root proper of the pkcapple plant is a small fibrous
organ and contains no buds. In commercial pineapple fields, from
one to a large nurnbcr of buds sprout from the old stem after the
fruit hilS been rcmovctl fro-m the plant. In local vernacular, these are
spoken of as “ suckrrs.” In most va,ricties, the suckers are preferred
for the settin, (r of new ‘fields. They are commonly set out
when 3 to l-1 incltcs long. The bases are usuallq’ trimmed and the
tops c11t lM!lL The suckers may he allowed to lit on the sand for
dq3, or ~~v~ri VXY&, without serious damage. They start into
growth more quickly, however, if set out promptly. Sometimes
“ rattoons ” propagate the plant ; these are shoots arising from
an underground part and developing a plant independently of the
parent stock. Figs. 52-55.
When the pineapple plant fruits, a stalk is produced varying in