Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-08-01
ABOUT. THE BANANA TRADE,

Within the last ten years the impor-
tation of bananas into the United States
has grown to large proportions, and
the demand for this delicious fruit is
steadily on the increase. Thirty years
ago it was rare that few punches were
brought to New York by some West In
dia trader, and only the more fashion
able fruit-stores ventured to keep them
for sale when other fruit was scarce.
Now the banana has become necessity
in the fruit market. It is asked for ut
all seasons of the year. In many cases
the taste for it is acquired, but once ac-
quired it is lasting. The poor as we'll
as the rich are it's purchasers. Great
golden and red lunches hang in the
windows of Broadway stores, and at
the same time they are sold singly at
corner stalls and by wandering peddlers.
This tropical fruit has become as COM
mon in the eyes of the children of to-
day as the orange and the apple, and it
is quite as wholesome as either. The
banana is imported rom the islands of
Cuba, Jamaica and San Domingo, and
from Aspinwall and the country ada
cent to the Isthmus Of Panama. The
importations from the West Indies for
1878 comprised 231 1878 punches, and
from Aspinwall S2,525 punches, giving
q total of 313, 1893 punches. There was
an increase of 10000 lunches in the
importations from Kingston, Jamaica,
and of %, 1856, over 1872, from Aspin-
wall. At the same time there was
falling off of 15l ,412 lunches in the
importations from Baracoa. The rea-
son of this change in the direction of
the trade is that the Pacific Mail steam
ships leave Aspinwall twice month
regularly for New York, touching at
Kingston, and have been fitted up es-
pecially for this business. They bring
large cargoes and find it very remuner-
ative. On recent voyage of the Aca-
pulco she brought over 5000 punches
and received over 5000 in freight.
But the steamers are not always SO for
tunate. On recent voyage the Henry
Chauncey went ashore at Kingston, was
aground four days in that hot climate,
and her entire cargo was spoiled. The
steamship companies, however, got their
IIelEuC, UuL tu0 mOuluo VI 4>CW AOIA-
ers were left to whistle for their usual
supply of fruit. The yellow banana is
rapidly taking the place of the red in
our markets, Notwithstanding there is
an expressed preference for the latter.
The red is larger, and when fully rip
ened is more delicious, but it is also
more expensive to import and handle.
The red banana comes principally from
Baracoa, in the Island of Cuba; the
yellow, chiefly from the Isthmus of
Panama. The punches of the yellow
banana are much larger, running from
$50 to 200 bananas on single stalk.
The punches of the red seldom number
over seventy. The fruit-dealer who
buys for the importers in New York
finds that he can purchase 200 prime
yellow bananas for less than the sum be
must pay for seventy-ive Of the red.
So, while he purchases few lunches
of the red fruit to crafty the fastidious
and wealthy, he buys extensively of the
South American species for general sale
and for his own profit This accounts
for the falling off of imports from Bar
acoa during the past year. The estab- !