The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1875-08-12
Raising Bananas.

ne 1nOSC perfect banana plantation III
the United United States is that Of Colonel
Whitney, near Silver Lake, over 200 miles
south from Jacksonville, and practically be-
yond the region of killing frosts. a daily
line of steamers renders it easy of access
from Jacksonville, and at all points upon
the river. This plantation covers an area
of several acres, and contains over 10000
plants most of them in bearing. The plants
are of different varieties. Some of them
are huge trees, twenty feet high, with
trunk from six to eight inches in diameter,
while others, and probably the largest num-
Der, are of the celebrated dwarf species,
standing from six to eight feet high, with
a trunk from four to five inches in diameter.
The banana, as cultivated in this climate,
bears no visible seed, but it is propagated
from slips or cuttings which bear trans
planting well, and grow with great rapidity.
These slips are generally planted about
eight feet apart if it is the dwarf species,
an acre of ground will contain from 600 to
700 plants. They require deep, rich
soil, and considerable moisture. 1t has no
season, but the fruit natures generally in
from eleven to thirteen months from the
date of planting, and by properly timing
the planting ripe fruit may be obtained at
all seasons of the year. The cuttings once
planted first develop two leaves tightly
yoked together, which grow to Il height Of
three or four feet, when the blades begin
to unfold one after another into great broad
leaves, the stems forming Il smooth trunk,
which grows to the size of large apple tree,
composed entirely of these concentric leaf
stems or petals. In about eight or nine
months, according to the warmth of the
season, deep purple bud peeps out just at
the point Of divergence of the upper leaves,
and soon pushes itself into full view, its
lengthcning stem bending under the weight
of purple blossom shaped like a pointed
egg.
Soon a leaf Of this blossom opens at the
pointed end, and rolls back to the base, dis
closing row of FIVE or six tiny bananas,
nestled close together, as if hiding under
shelter of its protecting leaf Each minia-
turc fruit has waXen yellow flower at the
end, with stigma projecting through it.
Other leaves Of the blossom unfold one af
ter another, in the same way, until twenty
or thirty clusters of fruit are developed, all
cinging to one stem, when these leaves
wither and fall and the fruit swells and
lengthcns to maturity, which requires gen
orally about three or four months. The
great stem on which the fruit grows under
its weight until the long fnger-ille fruit
hangs down in graceful clusters.
of
fruit and then withers and dies, but while
the fruit is maturing there springs up from
the base of the trunk several offshoots,
which take the place of the old plant when
it has been removed, and so on growing to
the full size of the parent tree.
The fruit, when grown full size, begins
to show streaks Of yellow upon its deep
green skin, when it should be gathered for
shipment to market, as it is easily and quick
ly ripcned after cutting by wrapping the
bunch in straw or in blanket and keeping
it in a warm place. BY cutting the punches
at the right time they can be shipped to
New York with perfect safety.
Colonel Whitney has upon his plantation
to-day thousands of punches, i'll all stages
of development, from the little miniature
buds to be well -maturcd fruit six or seven
inches long. Many of these punches con-
tain 125 bananas, which sell readily to ship
pers at two cents each, from which may be
inferred the great profit of banana culture.
An acre of ground will readily support
600 plants. Suppose the punches to average
seventy-fv bananas each, and we have an
annual income of 5000 from single acre.
The cost of preparing and enriching the
ground and setting the plants the first year,
including the cost of the slips, Will average
81 per plant, leaving profit of $500 but
they perpetuate themselves after the first
year, and require but little expenditure.
Besides, the shoots that spring up from the
bulbous root stock will supply plants enough
to double the ground each year, or they
may be sold for more than enough to pay
for all expenses after the first year, thus
| leaving the 5000 for the second and sue
cccding years.
Humboldt states that the amount ofland
that will produce 1000 pounds of potatoes
will yield A 900 pounds of bananas, and a
surface bearing wheat enough to feed one
man will yield bananas enough to feed
twenty-five men.-AttoRtic Herdtd.
The Stings of Conscience.
have STRUGGLED with my guilty con