,,bananas ,,nature',s ,,institution ,,for ,,the ,,promotion ,,of ,,laziness ,,by ,,edward ,w4 ,,perry ,,copyrighted #aijc ,,by ,,harry ,,wilkin ,,perry ,,revised ,,edition ,,note ,the chapter given in the following pages is from a work entitled3 8,,tropical ,,america3 ,,its ,,planters ,,and ,,plantations10 now in preparation4 ,sports ,afield said of the author3 8,probably no ,american is more competent to write of the country life than is this author1 who1 because of his long-trained habits of observation1 careful search for the bottom facts and weighing of details1 of deducing therefrom the essentials and presenting them clearly and concisely1 has made the best possible use of his time and experience40 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,nature',s ,,institution ,,for ,,the ,,promotion ,,of ,,laziness4 ,,bananas3 ,,what ,,they ,,are1 ,,how ,,they ,,grow1 ,,what ,,they ,,cost1 ,,and ,,what ,,they ,,give ,,to ,,man4 ,long before the dawn of history in the ,old ,world1 mayhap long before that ,old ,world arose from the waters1 man lived on the fruit of the ,musas4 ,there are those who would tell you that the banana is the fruit which tempted ,eve1 to the downfall of ,adam2 and that evidence of the truth of this may be found in the fact that if one will cut across a banana1 of the right kind1 he may find in its heart the sign of the cross2 and in the other fact that men of learning have given to a banana the name of ,musa paradisiaca1 which being interpreted means the ,fruit of paradise1 and to another banana they have given the name ,musa sapientum1 which the sapient know means the ,fruit of knowledge4 ,less evidence has served well enough to burn heretics at the stake4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,bunch ,,of ,,bananas ,man has carried this gigantic herb to every fertile spot in a belt that girdles the waist of the globe--a girdle that is four thousand miles and more in width4 ,millions uncounted have looked to it for the chief of their diet1 as other millions have looked to the cereals4 ,and to this hour puling babes and doddering ancients are fed with the fruit in all its stages and conditions1 green or over-ripe1 raw or roasted1 baked or fried1 liquid or dried4 ,at least forty species of the ,musas are known and described1 and of these there are several sub-varieties4 ,they have been classed by ,dr4 ,sagot into three groups1 as follows3 ,giant bananas1 of which ,m4 ensete is the type4 ,in this group no suckers are formed4 ,fruit leathery and not edible1 with few seeds4 ,fleshy-fruited bananas2 ,m4 sapientum the type4 ,stem produces suckers2 spike long and decurved2 fruit fleshy and usually eatable4 ,ornamental bananas4 ,spike often erect1 not pendant2 bracts persistent1 brightly colored1 each with a few flowers on its axil2 suckers many2 fruit leathery4 ,m4 rosacea furnish familiar examples of this group4 ,when in the course of human events it becomes necessary for the single man of the tropics to take unto himself a helpmeet for him1 and to provide for other events likely to come after1 he selects some fertile spot1 usually on the border of waters over which his canoe may easily carry the bulky harvests he will have2 and there he cuts down tree and vine1 bush and bamboo1 and lets them lie as they fall in tangled mass4 ,every day the ardent sun helps the constant wind to shrivel leaf and twig until1 one day1 the windward edge of that snarl is touched by the torch1 and in a moment a blazing hades is where a cool and shady grove will soon rustle in the breeze4 ,when the last flame has flickered out and coals lie dead beneath their gray shroud1 women paddle to that place with canoes laden with banana sprouts4 ,with machetes they dig little pits amid charred stumps and trunks and branches1 and in each hole they set a sprout4 ,then they go away to wait1 and rest2 and the sun shines warmly down into that clearing1 breezes sift a gray veil of ashes over the wilted suckers that look like black and ragged stakes2 and at last come showers which wash them clean4 ,those stakes are made up of sheathes of leaves tightly rolled one around another1 the inner ones narrow1 cream-colored and tender2 those nearer the outer ones wider and yet wider1 until the outer one is reached4 ,the outer one covers nearly or quite three-fourths of the stem4 ,when the warm rains fall1 the tender leaves unroll and spread to their widest1 and the sun dries and the wind whips them until soon they are split into narrow ribbons2 and a few weeks after that planting a sea of giant leaves waves and whispers in the breeze--a roof of bright and tender green covering the moist1 black ground4 ,not before the plant has grown to a height of ten to twenty1 and in some places to thirty feet1 does the flower-stem begin pushing its way up from the base through the middle of the stalk4 ,in a short time it sends out at the top one or more leaves1 smaller than their older fellows1 as a signal that flower and fruit will quickly follow4 ,soon every supporting column of those graceful arches ends in a cone of red that deepens into purple and swells until its outer petals are crowded off by the fatness of the fruit they hide1 that these may have air and light4 ,under those petals the baby bananas are packed close1 like fingers tightly gripping the parent stem4 ,these closed ranks1 each separate hand or whorl reaching half way around the stalk1 grow so quickly that in six or eight weeks the bunch weighs fifty pounds or more4 ,to most people of northern climes bananas are merely--bananas4 ,for such folk know as little of the many varieties of bananas as they know of the many and varied uses of that fruit4 ,perchance that is why they fry the common yellow guineo which comes by millions of bunches each year to the ,united ,states1 and then wonder that folk who have dwelt in the tropics1 and who extol fried bananas1 show nevertheless that they cannot like the mushy1 cloying mess set before them here4 ,he who grows bananas1 and she who cooks them for him1 select for frying that thick-bodied1 hard-fleshed and rather tart fruit which they call pltano1 and which is by blundering ,english-speaking tongues misnamed plantain4 ,and even among the pltanos there is room for choosing1 for there are of them several varieties4 ,best of these is that little one which bears1 on the ,mosquito ,shore whence good bananas come1 the ,spanish name 8miel10 or honey1 coupled with the ,waika word 8silpe10 or little4 ,the name 8maiden0 pltano also is given to the 8little honey10 most fittingly1 for it has just enough of piquant tartness to give unfailing relish1 yet is tender1 plump and mighty comforting withal1 upon occasion4 ,if he is so lucky as to live near a port where steamships stop1 the planter may sell his pltanos for a cent or even two cents for each finger or fruit2 and as the plants may be set only eight or ten feet apart1 and each will mature a bunch of thirty to fifty fingers every nine months1 it is clear that he who has an acre of pltanos may have a tidy income of food or of cash4 ,usually the planter prefers to eat this food1 for which reason people in the ,north have few opportunities for learning the superior virtues of the fruit4 ,the planter is quite right1 for the pltano is the one banana fit to be cooked2 and is by no means bad to eat raw4 ,sometimes a planter may leave a bunch of bananas to ripen on the standing stalk1 but that will rarely be1 for the fruit so ripened is strong in flavor1 dry and too soft to bear transportation2 its skin splits1 and ants1 bees and other insects gather about the exposed flesh4 ,therefore the women lug home green bunches and hang them in the house to ripen1 where everybody who has the right--and that is every visitor1 every member of the family and every passing acquaintance--may pluck and eat as the fruit turns yellow and becomes tender4 ,meanwhile many of the fruits will have been taken from the bunch1 peeled and broken into bits1 to be boiled with beef or pork1 or flesh of the deer1 peccary or other game4 ,another sub-variety of pltanos bears1 in ,mosquitia1 the name of 8butuco10 perhaps from the name of the ,river ,patuca--or maybe the river has taken its name from the banana4 ,the butuco is perhaps rather more tart than the miel silpe1 and when fried reminds one of fried greening apples1 and when stewed has somewhat of the flavor of stewed peaches4 ,in either way it is most agreeable to the taste4 ,there are other pltanos1 also1 most of them giants among bananas1 many being fifteen or more inches long and some two or three inches in diameter4 ,these are firm in flesh1 resist decay much longer than do the common guineos1 and will1 therefore1 much better bear transportation4 ,they should become known to the millions of northern lands1 for they would afford a vast supply of food much more convenient and palatable than1 and equal in value to1 potatoes4 ,prof4 ,wynter ,blythe1 of ,london1 is an analyst who tells us that the relative values of bananas and sago1 corn meal and wheat flour are as follows3 ,constituents ,banana ,sago ,corn ,meal,wheat ,flour ---------------------------------------- -------------------------- ,per ,cent4 ,per ,cent4 ,per ,cent4 ,per ,cent4 ,water #h4je #ac4jj #aa4ji #ae4jh ,soluble albumen dextrine #d4de ,starch #hb4eg #gh4jf #he4cj #ha4fj ,albumenoids #b4bh #b4eg #b4cg #b4aa ,fat #j4gg ,ash #a4hh #j4ec #j4dc #j4ce ,in a report on the constituents and food values of most articles in common use on northern tables1 the ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture gave1 in the year #aijc1 very valuable figures which show that nineteen vegetables and ten varieties of fruits which make up the chief of our diet1 have the following parts and values3 ,elements ,vegetables ,fruits ,bananas ---------------------------------------- --------- ,carbohydrates1 parts #h4i #aa4a #ad4c ,fats #j4d #j4d #j4d ,protein #b4j #j4f #j4h ,ash #j4i #j4e #j4f ,water #gc4j #fd4c #dh4i ,refuse #ad4h #bc4a #ce4j ,fuel values #bjc4i #bjd4j #bfj4j ,this shows that while of valuable nutritive elements1 the nineteen fresh vegetables have #aa4c parts and the ten varieties of succulent fruits have #ab4a parts1 the bananas have #ae4e parts4 ,from this it appears1 also1 that if the fresh fruits and vegetables were actually worth1 as food1 say #a4ag1 bananas of like weight would be worth #ch cents more4 ,illustration3 ,,hard ,,labor ,,among ,,the ,,bananas ,statements made by other analysts seem to warrant the deduction that the nutritive value of a ton of potatoes1 at one cent per pound1 is #ai cents more than that of a ton of bananas at the same price4 ,there is a difference1 too1 in the cost of production of a ton of potatoes and the cost of raising a ton of bananas4 ,the field for potatoes must be plowed and harrowed in the spring1 the seed dropped in furrows1 which are then to be covered1 after which comes cultivating again and again until the time has come for digging and picking1 carting1 sacking and hauling1 often to a distant market4 ,luckily for the millions who have depended so largely on the banana for sustenance1 the plant has few1 if any1 insect enemies and diseases1 in which they differ somewhat from some fruits and tubers of the ,north4 ,many times an assertion has been printed to the effect that ,humboldt said that an acre of bananas yields forty-four times as much food as does an acre of wheat4 ,in the year #aijb the average yield of wheat in the ,united ,states equalled #ab4gi bushels1 or #gfg4d pounds4 ,this had a food value equal to nearly one-third that of the average output of bananas from an acre4 ,it is often said that one pound of bananas has as much nutrition as has a pound of beef4 ,the truth is that one pound of beef is worth three and one-third pounds of bananas4 ,bananas are far enough ahead of the harvests the farmer of the ,north gets1 without making exaggerated claims for the fruit of the tropics4 ,so the planter of bananas has each year four and a half times as much palatable food from an acre as the farmer gets from his potatoes3 and there is the further difference that the one has bananas at no other cost than that of keeping down bush and grass and vine1 that would quickly cover every spot to which the sunshine could penetrate1 along the edges of the plantation4 ,for bananas yield year after year without replanting4 ,each new stalk springs from the foot of its parent1 grows to a height of fifteen to thirty-five feet1 bears its burden of luscious fruit1 and dies2 but not before it has sent up from its own root new stalks to fruit and die--and so on through the centuries4 ,he who would grow bananas for market must plant on the border of navigable waters giving access to some harbor or anchorage where ships may safely lie while receiving the fruit4 ,for it is easily bruised1 and wetting by salt water blackens the skins1 thus injuring or preventing the sale4 ,plantations are usually on the banks of rivers or of estuaries1 but some are beside railroads1 to which the fruit is carried by carts thickly carpeted with banana leaves4 ,a cruder way is to hang a few bunches over the back of a burro or of a mule1 which plods along to the shipping place4 ,it is evident that the entire area which can so be devoted to banana culture must be small1 for most ,central ,american and ,mexican rivers are obstructed at their mouths by sandbars1 over which ships cannot pass4 ,bluefields1 ,nicaragua1 has been a most profitable field for banana growing1 because it has a river into which sea-going ships can safely enter1 and up which such ships may go fifty or sixty miles1 and receive their cargoes from landings on the plantations which border the ,rio ,escondido4 ,yet millions of bunches of bananas have been shipped from the open coast of ,honduras1 where the one good harbor is that at ,puerto ,cortez4 ,other millions have been shipped from ,port ,limn and from ,bocas del ,toro1 in ,costa ,rica1 whence a few hundred bunches were sent as a beginning to the ,united ,states in the year #ahhc4 ,twenty years later the port of ,limn itself sent #d1agd1bjj bunches to the markets of the world4 ,they brought to ,costa ,rica credit for producing the best bananas known4 ,for ages the native of banana lands was content with the fact that he got from his plantation more than enough food4 ,some thirty-five years ago a few bold men ventured to pay twelve or fifteen cents a bunch for a few cargoes in the ,bay ,islands1 off the coast of ,honduras1 and carried them to the ,gulf ,states4 ,there they found they could sell the fruit1 for there lived people who had traveled to the tropics1 and learned to eat their foods4 ,to-day millions of bunches are each year sold in the ,united ,states and even in ,canada1 and in #aijb ship-loads were sent from ,costa ,rica direct to ,europe4 ,that little republic alone received not less than #a1abg1djj for bananas sold abroad during the year that ended with ,september1 #aijb4 ,the ,united ,fruit ,company1 of ,boston1 was formed in the year #ahhh1 and ten years later was said to have a surplus of more than #f1jjj1jjj1 owned thousands of acres of bananas1 and had built expressly for its fruit carrying business four superb steamers1 and employed many others4 ,it is safe to assume that more than #f1jjj1jjj was paid in the year #aijb1 in ,central ,america alone1 to planters of bananas4 ,nearly all of that was paid by products of ,american farms1 factories and forests4 ,farmer1 manufacturer and miner1 lumberman1 railroad man and sailor1 merchant and broker of this country1 are all concerned in and benefited by the work done in shady aisles beneath banana leaves on the banks of tropic rivers4 ,bananas reach their best estate on the low1 deep alluvium near the ,caribbean coast1 where the temperature never sinks below #fj and is seldom below #hj ,f4 ,such low lands serve all the better if flooded two or three times in the year1 for the banana will drink much water1 and such floods bring silt from the hills1 and thus keep the ground fertilized without cost to the owner4 ,in #ahig famed banana fields of the ,rio ,escondido were so deeply flooded that the steamship 8,saga0 voyaged through the main streets of ,rama1 fully sixty miles from the mouth of the river1 to pick off from their roofs the dwellers in that town4 ,the bananas barely showed their tops above the yellow flood4 ,along the coast flew reports that the plantations were ruined2 subscriptions were asked to help the planters3 and three months later they were harvesting better crops than in years before4 ,their plantations had been so enriched that they bore most bountifully4 ,bananas may be grown wherever there is some moisture and no near approach to the frost line2 but a touch of frost cuts down the banana as a breath from a fiery furnace would blight a tender lily4 ,the city of ,tegucigalpa is #c1fjj feet above the level of the sea1 yet in that town is a field some thirty feet above the current in the swift river which it borders4 ,it is very dry during months of each year1 but in that field are pltanos which reach a height of more than twenty feet and bear bunches enough comfortably to support the owner4 ,in narrow caon and wider valley near that place are many patches of bananas which bring to their planters a sufficient income4 ,and at that altitude the mercury sometimes falls below #fe ,fahrenheit4 ,in the land of bananas1 cats1 dogs and pigs1 mules1 horses and cattle1 parrots1 babies and all other domestic animals thrive on this perfect nature-food1 when they can get it4 ,i have seen an ,indian woman pry open with her fingers the jaws of a baby peccary1 and with a gruel of green bananas choke off its incessant1 rasping cry of 8ma1 ma60 ,and the next instant she put that same calabash of gruel to the lips of her own babe of three or four months4 ,i've seen other ,indians feed infant tapir1 suckling jaguar1 skinny squabs of parrots and very young monkeys on such pap1 which those folk call wabool4 ,i1 myself1 have safely carried abandoned cardinals through from their infant days of a beggarly few pin feathers to those of full regimentals of brilliant scarlet and epaulets of jet2 and they were as overflowing with joyful song and saucy happiness as they could have been had worms and bugs been the chief of their diet every day of their lives1 instead of the bananas on which they had been largely fed4 ,why not1 indeed1 when cakes and beer1 brandy and sugar1 pies1 puddings and sauce1 and many another thing good for man to take for his stomach's sake1 are made from bananas4 ,so1 too1 are paper and laces1 brushes and cloth1 and cordage enough to pull up the earth by its roots1 if only we had a place to hook the tackle4 ,illustration3 ,,harvesting ,,bananas ,when he has set out an acre or two of bananas1 the planter need have no fears for the future4 ,he has ample insurance against such privations as come from illness1 accident or old age3 and they who by a little labor pay for such insurance share each day its material benefits4 ,no need for them to die that others may enjoy the blessings of such wise provision2 nor need the planter toil with hoe or spade1 cultivator or plow4 ,it may be he will slash away with machete such vine or sapling1 grass or weed as happens to obstruct his path2 but as a whole he interferes as little as possible with the operations of kindly ,mother ,nature4 ,she is more than ready to do his work3 he is willing to let her do it4 ,he whose acre of bananas has been well planted has on it #bbe hills1 or #ijj stalks4 ,each stalk will give him a bunch which1 on rich1 new ground1 should weigh #fj pounds1 say #ed1jjj pounds each #ab or #ad months4 ,that is the theory4 ,the fact seems to be that the average yield is really #age to #cjj full bunches to the acre per annum1 say a mean of #bgj bunches weighing about #af1jjj pounds4 ,the average yield reported all along the ,caribbean shore and from ,jamaica1 during a dozen years1 equaled #bgj4ie full bunches an acre per annum4 ,in the year #aijb the average yield of potatoes in the ,united ,states was #hj4dd bushels per acre1 and the average farm value was #di cents per bushel1 or #ci4de an acre4 ,in ,costa ,rica the average price of bananas on the plantation was equal to at least #bg cents a bunch4 ,at that figure #bfa bunches would bring #gj4dg4 ,in ,august1 #aijc1 the price was raised to #ca cents a bunch on contracts to run three to five years2 which should give #hd4jj per acre each year4 ,that is a cash difference of #dd4ee in favor of the man whose bananas raised themselves for him4 ,there was another difference in his favor1 for his fruit may be eaten green or ripe1 raw or roasted1 boiled or fried1 with fish1 flesh or fowl1 or with none of these4 ,those who dwell in the mountain regions1 far from the ports whence bananas are shipped1 dip in lye and dry in the sun many a pltano4 ,it is then shriveled1 moldy-looking and altogether unlovely2 but if kept dry it remains sweet and wholesome many a year4 ,it may be eaten uncooked1 when it is a gummy1 sugary paste2 but drop it into scalding water1 put it into a hot oven1 or stick it up beside the fire1 and it becomes mightily puffed up1 tender and savory4 ,it might be sent thus dried to feed the people of the ,north or of ,europe1 for it would be easily packed and carried4 ,naturally the intelligent planter concerns himself mainly with the question3 ,what is the cost1 the yield and the profit of banana growing8 ,there are evidences that many people in the ,north feel a lively curiosity about the same points4 ,before one can give a trustworthy reply to such question he must study the evidence of those who have had opportunity to learn the truth1 and he should be able to present the general averages of the results shown by many such witnesses4 ,the planter of medium ability and industry may confidently expect to attain the average results2 he who has less intelligence and thrift should not complain if he fails to get as good returns2 he who shows more than common skill1 application and energy will win greater reward than is shown by the average of the banana-growing of the many1 as in other occupations great skill and industry bring the larger rewards4 ,reports covering years of experience by thousands of planters in the ,west ,indies and along the ,atlantic coast of ,mexico and of ,central ,america1 indicate that the cost per acre of making banana plantations and cultivating and harvesting the first crop therefrom1 the yield in bunches and the income1 are as shown in the following table3 ,countries ,bunches ,income ,cost ,profit ,costa ,rica #bej4j #gj #fg #bh #hd #da #hc ,guatamala #bfg4e #abd #cf #db #hj #ha #ef ,honduras #bid4j #aba #ac #ah #ig #ajb #af ,jamaica #bhh4j #aji #dh #bg #eh #ha #ij ,mexico #bhj4j #abc #fa #bh #ab #ie #di ,nicaragua #bdf4b #hf #cf #bb #jg #fd #bi ---------------------------------------- ------- ,averages #bgj4ie #aje #id #bh #jf #gg #hg ,from the foregoing it appears that the general average yield per acre during the twenty years covered by the figures given1 was #bgj4ie bunches per acre2 the average cost per acre was #bh4jf1 which was only #aj4c cents per bunch4 ,the profit per bunch was #bh4g cents1 or #bhg4i per cent4 ,a report dated ,august #a1 #aijc1 by ,las ,haciendas de ,santa ,clara1 ,costa ,rica1 which has #eej acres of bananas in full bearing1 and where wages are one colon or #dg cents per diem1 gives the cost of cultivating and delivering the fruit at the railroad1 as #ag4fi per acre1 the yield at #agc bunches and the income at #ed4ij annually4 ,that shows that the bananas cost #aj4b cents per bunch1 and that the profit was #bj4h cents a bunch1 or #bjj per cent4 ,but as the fruit is sold five years ahead at those figures1 the small percentage of profit may be regarded as a fair return for the investment1 combined as it is with an assurance of continued gain4 ,there are those who insist that the higher results shown in the foregoing table may easily be obtained by any one who will give as much thought and labor to growing bananas as are required for the successful raising of corn or of potatoes4 ,it is true that the figures on which the averages shown are based were1 in many cases1 from the experience of native and other planters of little diligence and skill1 and that they got smaller results than might easily have been obtained4 ,it may be possible that if one will allow two or three stalks to rise from each stand of bananas1 and together mature their fruit1 he many get #ddd to #ghj bunches from an acre each of a few years1 and that in such a case he might get #ahe to #bgh for the crop2 but it will be clear to all that he who expects to make only #bgj bunches per annum from an acre1 and get only #gh profit therefrom1 will be safer than he who invests his money with the expectation of making greater gains4 ,the ,hand ,book of ,nicaragua1 published by the ,bureau of ,american ,republics1 which is under the direction of the ,u4 ,s4 ,department of ,state1 says3 ,there is1 perhaps1 no industry in ,central ,america that is more attractive to men of small capital than banana growing1 from the fact that the clearing of the land is effected cheaply1 and from the small cost of after-cultivation1 which is limited only to such clearing of weeds and undergrowth as may be sufficient to allow access to the trees1 and the short time necessary to produce a paying crop4 ,when the trees and brush that have been cut in clearing the land become sufficiently dry1 they are burned1 and the banana suckers are then planted among the charred remains and ashes1 without any further preparation of the soil4 ,the best results are obtained by giving the trees plenty of space1 say from #ae to #ah feet apart4 ,in about ten months the first fruit can be gathered2 but in the second year the trees reach maturity1 and by a proper management of the fruit stalks in a fair sized plantation a constant succession in the crop may be secured1 and fruit gathered every week throughout the year4 ,the only careful work necessary on a banana plantation is in handling the heavy bunches so as to avoid bruising them1 as any such injury causes a black spot to appear1 beneath which decay quickly begins as the fruit ripens4 ,the natives have learned by experience when they cut into the fruit stalk so to gauge the strength of the blow as to cut just deep enough to cause the stalk to bend slowly over until the end of the bunch reaches the ground1 when another slash with the machete severs it1 and it is loaded carefully into the cart4 ,a plantation of #dj manzanas 7about #fi acres7 will1 during and after the second year1 produce about #ed1jjj bunches4 ,the lowest price paid for bunches for some years past is #cg cents per bunch1 which would give an annual value of the crop of #bj1bej1 or more than double the expenditure for purchase of land1 clearing1 cultivating and gathering the crop1 and all expenses to the end of the second year4 ,as the cost of producing bananas after the first crop from a plantation is confined to cultivating and harvesting1 which may be done for #aj per acre yearly1 it is scarcely wonderful that ,judge ,o',hara1 late ,u4 ,s4 ,consul at ,greytown1 ,nicaragua1 a lawyer whose acute mind is trained to sifting evidence1 reported to the ,department of ,state at ,washington regarding banana-growing on the ,atlantic coast of that republic1 that3 ,it seems reasonably certain that bananas on the ,bluefields ,river pay better than many crops in the ,united ,states4 99 99 99 99 ,these figures would seem to indicate that at the end of a year a planter having #cf acres of bananas under cultivation would have #c1hdg4cb left after paying for all necessary labor and provisions--figures apt to bring discontent to an ,american farmer having but #cf acres of wheat or corn2 and especially so when he compares the price of his land1 ranging from #ae to #hj per acre1 with that of land in eastern ,nicaragua1 where cultivated lands may be said to have no established market value1 few improved plantations having ever been sold4 ,illustration3 ,,beginning ,,of ,a ,,long ,,journey ,such discontent might be aggravated by consideration of the differences which exist between the results obtained from the chief eight crops of the ,united ,states and those shown by the foregoing summary of banana farming4 ,these differences are illustrated by the following figures1 those for the crops of the ,north showing the yield and values for the year #ahig4 ,the last column shows the difference in favor of bananas per acre3 ,,crops ,yield ,value ,difference1 favor per acre per acre of ,bananas ---------------------------------------- ---------------- ,barley1 bushels #bc4aa #ab #cd #ic #ei ,buckwheat1 #af4jh #i #fi #if #be ,corn1 #bd4fb #i #ea #if #dc ,oats1 #bg4ai #h #bi #ig #fe ,potatoes1 #hj4dd #ci #de #ff #di ,rye1 #ac4cj #h #bb #ig #gb ,wheat1 #ab4gh #aj #aa #ie #hc ,hay1 tons #a4bf #aj #ic #ie #ja ,tobacco1 pounds #gig4cj #ee #ha #ej #ac ---------------------------------------- ---------------- ,general averages #ah #bh #hg #ff ,from this it is evident that bananas give five and one-half times as much as the principal crops of the ,united ,states give the farmer for his toil4 ,many native planters seem content with the returns their bananas give1 and appear to have no thought of increasing that income4 8,why don't you plant more bananas8 ,see how well this little patch has paid10 ,i have said to many of them4 8,why should ,i do that8 ,have ,i not plenty to eat8 ,i have enough money2 if ,i plant more ,i shall have to do more work to get more money which ,i don't need10 is the substance of their replies4 ,years ago ,u4 ,s4 ,consul ,burchard complained of the banana business of the ,honduras coast1 that 8,a large proportion of the fruit-growers were formerly vacqueros in the interior1 working on a salary of #cj to #dj a year4 ,they are now owners of plantations1 and have a steady income of #cj to #cjj a month4 ,the large amount of money distributed along this coast in exchange for fruit would make any civilized and temperate community prosperous and happy4 ,there would be public and private schools1 churches and banks1 newspapers and libraries1 parks and carriages1 and handsome dwellings supplied with every comfort and luxury1 surrounded by gardens of flowers1 fruits and vegetables natural to this climate of perpetual seedtime and harvest40 ,so it soon will be1 for already ,italian and ,german1 ,englishman and ,american have accepted the invitation of a most kindly ,nature1 and the sincere welcome of friendly natives1 and cottages peep here and there from out the glossy greenery1 hammocks swing beneath the never-ceasing rustle of the palms in the blessed trade winds1 and the fruit of ,paradise gives to all a most generous support4 ,but those who have good lands back from navigable water and remote from railroads1 are not without hope of profit from bananas4 ,for they may dry the fruit1 pack it in dainty boxes with a liberal dusting of sugar to fill vacant spaces1 and send it to the hungry millions of ,europe4 ,this has been successfully done by planters of ,trinidad and of ,jamaica1 who1 in at least some instances1 found that they could sell the dried fruit at #af to #bj cents a pound4 ,green bunches average nearly #fj pounds in weight1 two-thirds of which is lost in peeling and drying1 leaving about #bj pounds1 which1 at #ae cents1 will give #c per bunch4 ,if the production of the green bananas and the drying should cost #b a bunch1 the income from an acre of bananas would be #bhh yearly4 ,in practice it has been found that the total cost and income of dried bananas give a net return of #b4gb per bunch1 which equaled about #ghc per acre4 ,both pltanos and guineos1 or ordinary yellow bananas1 may be profitably dried or made into flour4 ,this will utilize the surplus fruit and such bunches as are too small to sell to advantage4 ,frequent mention is made by ,stanley1 of banana flour in his 8,in ,darkest ,africa40 ,he strongly indorses its nutritive qualities1 and wonders that the natives did not appear to have discovered what invaluable nourishing and easily digested food they had in the pltano and banana4 ,he expressed the conviction that1 8,if only the virtues of banana flour were publicly known1 it is not to be doubted but it would be largely consumed in ,europe4 ,for infants1 persons of delicate digestion1 dyspeptics and those suffering from temporary derangement of the stomach1 the flour properly prepared would be of universal demand4 ,during my two attacks of gastritis a light gruel of this1 mixed with milk1 was the only matter that could be digested40 ,it is interesting to note that such a high authority as the 8,dictionary of ,economical ,productions of ,india0 says3 ,the large crop of food produced by bananas and plantains may be preserved for an indefinite period either by drying the fruit or by preparing meal from it4 ,when the nearly ripe fruit is cut into slices and dried in the sun1 a certain part of the sugar contained in the fruit crystalizes on the surface and acts as a preservative4 ,the slices thus prepared1 if made from the finer varieties1 make an excellent dessert preserve1 and if from the coarser1 may be used for cooking in the ordinary way4 ,they keep well if carefully packed when dry1 and ought to form a valuable antiscorbutic for long voyages4 ,the fruit may also be similarly preserved whole by stripping off the skin and drying it in the sun4 ,plantain meal is prepared by stripping off the husk and reducing it to powder1 and finely sifting4 ,it is calculated that the fresh core will yield #dj per cent4 of this meal1 and that an acre of average quality will yield over a ton4 ,plantain meal is of a slightly brownish color1 and has an agreeable odor1 which becomes more perceptible when warm water is poured upon it1 and has a considerable resemblance to that of orris root4 ,when mixed with cold water it forms a feebly tenacious dough1 more adhesive than that of oatmeal1 but much less so than that of wheaten flour4 ,when baked on a hot plate this dough forms a cake which is agreeable to the sense of smell1 and is by no means unpleasant to the taste4 ,when boiling water is poured over the meal it is changed into a transparent jelly1 having an agreeable taste and smell4 ,boiled with water it forms a thick gelatinous mass1 very much like boiled sago in color1 but possessing a peculiar pleasant odor4 ,in this connection it may be interesting to note that1 according to an analysis published in the ,american ,analyst1 ,new ,york1 ,february #aeth1 #ahic1 the chemical composition of bananas and potatoes is almost identical1 as shown by the following comparison3 ,banana ,potato ,water #ge4ga #ge4gg ,albumenoids #a4ga #a4gi ,total carbonaceous matter 7non-nitrogenous7 #bj4ac #bj4gb ,woody fibre #a4gd 4#ge ,ash 4#ga 4#ig ,nor do the food elements in bananas and pltanos vary greatly1 the sum of each being about the same4 ,in a communication to ,kew by ,mr4 ,louis ,asser1 of the ,hague1 ,holland1 it was announced that a syndicate proposes to take up the manufacture of banana and plantain meal and the preparation of dried bananas on a large scale in ,dutch ,guiana4 ,the communication referred to gives the following list of commercial preparations from the banana and the pltano3 #a4 ,dried slices of the entire fruit 7pulp and peel7 in the starchy state suitable for the preparation of alcohol or for making into a nourishing bread4 #b4 ,meal in a starchy state from the pulp only for making into a superior kind of bread or porridge4 #c4 ,flakes and meal in a dextrinous state for use in breweries or for making into nourishing soups1 puddings1 etc4 #d4 ,dried peel and coarse meal prepared from it for feeding cattle and pigs4 #e4 ,banana marmalade4 #f4 ,dried bananas entire without peel put up like dried figs in boxes4 #g4 ,raw alcohol from fresh bananas1 and also from dried banana meal4 #h4 ,syrup of bananas for confectionery1 for preparations of liquors and for sweetening champagne4 #i4 ,banana meal for the manufacture of glucose4 #aj4 ,fibre of banana and plantain prepared from the stems after fruiting1 and intended for the manufacture of paper and cordage4 ,illustration3 ,,beginning ,,of ,a ,,great ,,traffic ,mr4 ,asser estimates the entire cost of a ton of banana meal1 delivered in ,europe1 at #bc4 ,this includes cost of cultivation1 gathering the crop1 making the meal1 and the freight4 ,at that time the average market value of ,indian wheat in ,liverpool was #cj per ton4 ,considering the selling value of the meal to be no greater than that of the wheat1 the prices quoted would show a margin of profit equal to about #cj per cent4 on the capital invested4 ,from ,british ,guiana comes the following interesting information about pltano flour1 taken from a report by ,dr4 ,shier on the 8,starch-producing ,plants0 of that country3 ,the plantain is so abundant and cheap that it might1 if cut and dried in its green state1 be exported with advantage4 ,it is in this unripe state that it is so largely used by the peasantry of this ,colony as an article of food4 ,when dried and reduced to the state of meal1 it cannot like wheat flour1 be manufactured into macaroni or vermicelli1 or1 at least1 the macaroni made from it falls into powder when put into hot water4 ,plantain meal is prepared by stripping off the husk of the plantain1 slicing the core1 and drying it in the sun4 ,when thoroughly dry it is powdered and sifted4 ,it has a fragrant odor1 acquired in drying1 somewhat resembling fresh hay or tea4 ,it is largely employed as the food of infants and invalids4 ,in respect to nutritiveness it deserves a preference over all the pure starches on account of the proteine compounds it contains4 ,the flavor of the meal depends a good deal on the rapidity with which the slices are dried4 ,above all1 the plantain must not be allowed to approach too closely to yellowness or ripeness1 otherwise it becomes impossible to dry it4 ,the color of the meal is injured when steel knives are used in husking or slicing1 but silver or nickel blades do not injure the color4 ,full-sized and well-filled bunches give #fj per cent4 of core to #dj per cent4 of husk and top-stem2 but in general it would be found that the core did not much exceed #ej per cent4 of dry meal1 so that from #bj to #be per cent4 of meal is obtained from the plantain1 or #e pounds from the average bunch of #be pounds2 and an acre of plantain walk of average quality1 producing during the year #dej such bunches1 would yield #d tons and #aj pounds of meal4 ,in #ahia1 ,c4 ,w4 ,meaden wrote from ,trinidad to the following effect in relation to a trial shipment of dried bananas3 ,this experiment will prove of importance to banana growers1 as drying bananas seems to open a way no other means offers of utilizing fruit4 ,it overcomes the difficulty of bad roads1 long hauls and other drawbacks some planters have to face in marketing bananas4 ,the result of drying six bunches1 weighing an average of #eb pounds per ripe bunch1 was #ig pounds of dried fruit4 ,there was a loss of two-thirds in peeling and drying4 ,the fruit sold for #ai4dj1 or #bj cents per pound4 ,deducting freight charges left #ae4dg1 or a fraction under #af cents per pound4 ,this was at the rate of #b4gb per bunch4 ,the cost was put at #ec cents1 which covered purchase of land1 clearing woods and draining1 planting1 weeding and cutting1 drying1 fuel1 boxes and packing2 but did not include cost of dryer1 as that would be but a fraction on each bunch dried4 ,after deducting the above there was a profit of #b4ai per bunch4 ,mr4 ,meaden said of this3 ,i do not desire to set up as a teacher1 but facts and figures speak for themselves4 ,the account shown is not an approximate one1 but the money has been received and the ,canadians are asking for more at the same price4 ,an order is now in hand for #bbd pounds for ,london at #f;d4 per pound in bulk1 the consignee to do the retail packing and advertising4 ,as the fruit is something new it is being sought1 and all that can be dried is being profitably disposed of4 ,i may add that the dryer does his work well1 turning out the fruit in uniform color4 ,attention must be paid to this1 and also that fruit as nearly as possible of one size be dried1 as this facilitates packing4 ,small ones can be used for stock1 etc4 ,twelve good sized fruits weigh one pound4 ,the ,daily ,gleaner1 of ,kingston1 ,jamaica1 said in ,march1 #ahii1 in reference to an enterprise on the ,montpelier estate of ,hon4 ,evelyn ,ellis3 ,as far as dried bananas are concerned the investment is a success4 ,orders are already taken for more than can be supplied4 ,the factory will be duplicated as soon as possible4 ,every one who has tasted the bananas is of the opinion that they are superior to figs in every way1 and there is likely to be a large home consumption as soon as the factory can supply the market4 ,housewives who wish for novelties to lend new charm to their tables1 to tickle the palate of the epicure1 or to coax the reluctant appetite of the invalid1 will find them in novel dainties made from bananas4 ,excellent and nutritious bread may be made of the flour4 ,puddings1 fritters and sauce have already been mentioned2 but bananas glac are new to most northern folk1 and may be made a most delightful addition to our desserts4 ,they are superior to dried figs1 for when split into four slices1 thickly covered with powdered sugar1 and exposed to the sun awhile they turn themselves into a jelly-like1 delicious and delicate confection1 such as is at its best when made in the native home of the fruit1 and packed in pretty boxes to be sent to people of fine taste in the cold ,north4 ,having in view all these facts1 why should not multitudes make homes where scorching heat and biting cold are never felt1 and tornado and deadly blizzard are unknown2 where no destructive floods nor ruinous droughts ever come1 and never ceasing winds bring coolness from the sea2 where spring is eternal and harvests never end1 and delicious fruits yield profusely all the years2 where the pine and palm together shade the ground1 and the coco and banana yield generous provision for every need2 where a little work insures against want and care1 and health and leisure make old age secure and content8 ,illustration 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's ,note ,minor typographical errors 7i4e4 missing punctuation and 8egiv0 changed to 8give07 have been corrected4