The daily gazette., 1877-12-26
THE BANANA TREE.

lgrow in a country before, is no bet
ter argument against its future sue
cess than the reflection that only red
men were the aborigines Of Ame-
Irica would be against the possib-
Ility of European white men living
here. Take, for example, that valua-
BILE fruit, the banana. At present il
is not cultivated to any great extent
in this country, though it exists on
our Gulf coast, and In some parts Of
California bnt we believe its cul-
tivation might be profitably carried
to many places even as far north as
Maryland.
| Throughout the tropical regions,
the banana forms the chief subsis-
tance of whole races of men. 1t is,
indeed, inferior to grain in nutrltive
Qualities, but produces much more
yield to the acre. Half an acre plant
ed with wheat in Europe, would sup
port only two persons while in bana-
mas, in the tropics, it would maintain
fifty. It has been calculated, says
Marion, that a plot of ground 100
yards square in bananas, will yield
1000 lbs in nutritive substance, and,
consequently, that this fruit is in
amount ofproduct, as 1873 to l COM
pared with wheat, and A to COM
pared with potatoes.
The easy conditions of growth and
the facility of its cultivation are also
greatly in favor of the banana. The
tree in its tropical home is about 10
feet in height, These clusters, Of
fruit on the trees often weigh from
80 to rs pounds, and sometimes in
clude from 100 to $50 separate bana-
mas. When the cluster is cut off the
Sc vered stem dries up and new shoots
rapidly spring from its base prepara-
tory to fresh yield of fruit, which
will appear in the course of six
months.
The cultivation of this precious
tree accomplished by simply protect
ing it from injury and turning the
soil at its root, while its culinary
preparation is achieved by mere boil
ing, baking, or roasting, although it
is susceptible of all the refnements
of the French and English cuisine.
1t is needless to say that in a
colder climate than that of the trop-
les the banana would require more
care and labor, but still, as far north
as the milder portions of Maryland
by protecting it in winter, it could
be made to yield fully one-half of its
product on the Islands of the South
Sea, just as the Italian grape can,
with scrupulous attention, be coaxed
to grow with a yield diminished
at first, indeed, but increasing
from year to year IN southern Swed-
en-. The half product of the north
ern banana would still be more than
60 to as compared with wheat, and
% to l compared with the potato.
This, too, is contemplating the arti-
Gle i'll its commonest sense. Any
one familiar with it's price as fruit
throughout the Northern States in
certain seasons will not need hint
at other sources of much larger or
reader profit.
Few things in the vegetable world
offer a more majestically ornamental
presence in the garden then the ba-
mana tree with its superb foliage, its
broad coronals of odor-breathing
blossoms, its rich clusters of roseate
and golden fruit, and its clean, grace
full trunk; and, in contemplating it,
the possessor realizes to the utmost
a sense of the beautiful combined
with the practically useful, since the
fibrous part of its stalks and leaves
can be manufactured into excellent
coarse linen and paper, and all its
green refuse is fattening fodder for
cattle.
There are thousands of acres of
alluvial land lying along the water
courses of the South that might be
studded with this vegetable gold
The NJ. Y. Mercantile Journal.
ASBESTOS.
The wonderful mineral Asbestos
is not only indestrurtabte By fire or
actdS, but differs from all other
known mineral substances in possess
ing fibres resembling silk or fax,
some varieties of which can be spun
wovhn or felted, producing cloth,
felted sheets paper, etc., of a super
ior quality. The ordinary varieties
can be reduced into a esfock," pulp
or impalable fibre; mall of which
forms it retains its peculiae fibrous
and intetlacing or binding proper
ties.
Asbestos derives its nama FROM,