Pineapple

3738

Ping-pong

slopes. They are distinguished by their
needle-like leaves in clusters of one to five.
The fruit of the pine is a woody cone matur-
ing in two or three years. Most of the
species fall into two fairly well-marked groups
—'hard' pines and 'soft' pines. The hard
pines are heavier and darker-colored, ranging
from yellow to deep orange or brown. The
soft pines are lighter, and range in color
from light red to white. When once well
seasoned, pine wood is not subject to the
attacks of boring insects. The straight-
growing, tapering stem Łts in for masts and
spars. Perhaps the most valuable American
species is the white pine (P. strobus), a tall
statelv tree from 100 to 120 ft. in height,
found from Newfoundland to Manitoba and
as far south as Northern Georgia. Another
species of great economic importance is the
long leaved P. palustris, also known, as
Georgia pine. Among the western pines is
the valuable yellow or bull pine (P. ponder-
osa), a gigantic tree (300 ft.) with a narrow
spire-like head, which forms in the Western
United States the most extensive pine for-
ests in the world. There are several pines
which have edible seeds. In the West are
the small, irrgular pinon (P. edulis], the dig-
ger or bullpine (P. sabiniana), and others.
These furnish a staple food supply for the
Californian Indians.

Pineapple (Ananas sativa), a plant be-
longing to the natural order Bromeliaccac.
widely cultivated for its fruit. The plant
grows to a height of from three to four

Pineapple,

feet, bearing long, rough edged, ridged and
sharp-pointed leaves from the center of
which springs up the flower stem—later
turning to fruit. The pineapple grows in

warm climates, the West Indies, the Bahama
Islands, Florida, the Azores, parts of North
Africa and more especially the Hawaiian
Islands, which have that porous, well drained
soil, and alternate wet and dry climate in
which it thrives best.

Pine Bluff, city, Arkansas, co. seat of Jef-
ferson co., on the Arkansas River. Here are
situated the State Branch Normal School,
the Merrill Institute, St. Joseph's Academy,
and a girls' industrial school. There is a
large wholesale trade; the city was settled
in 1832; p. 21,290.

Pinero, Sir Arthur Wing (1855-1934),
English dramatist, was born in London.
Commencing a legal career, he afterwards
became connected with the stage, and acted
at the Lyceum and Haymarket theaters,
London. He became a master of the tech-
nique of playwrighting. Beginning with The
Money Spinner (1880) he produced a series
of remarkable farces and problem plays, as
well as sentimental pieces. His plays, es-
pecially Trelawney of the Wells and The
Second Mrs. Tangueray, attracted many fa-
mous actors and actresses. The latter was
translated in several languages and acted in
by Mrs. Patrick Campbell and Eleonora
Duse. His later plays included The En-
chanted Cottage, The Gay Lord Quex, Mid-
Channel, and A Cold June.

Pinerolo, tn., prov. Turin, Italy. The
prison is famous for having held the Man
in the Iron Mask from 1679 to 1681, and
also Fouquet; p. 18,039.

Pines, Isle of, an isl. 35 m. s. of Cuba, to
which it belongs. Area, 1,214 sq. m. The
scenery is picturesque, the climate mild and
healthful, the soil light. The island was dis-
covered by Columbus in 1494, an<3 was long
a resort for pirates; p. 3,199, chiefly concen-
trated in the town of Santa Fe and the cap-
ital, Nueva Gerona.

Pine Snake, or Bull Snake. A large,
variegated, harmless serpent (Pityophis met-
anoleucus) common in the pine»covered
country of the southern coast-region of the
United States, noted for the loud blowing
noise it makes when angered.

Pine-tree Shilling, money coined in Mas-
achusetts from 1652 to 1682, deriving the
name from the figure of a pinctree stamped
on one side. There were also 'pine-tree7
threepence and sixpence pieces.

Ping-pong, or Table TennU, a game that
suddenly became popular in xgox, and ha*
recently been revived* It is for two or four