The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-05-28
One Hundred Million Bananas.

One Hundred Million Bananas.
Less than eight years ago all the
tropical fruit consumed in this country
entered by way of New York, and
the entries at this port were next to
nothing. To-day two million banan-
as are stored in one warehouse on
Delaware avenue. Halt a million
cocoanuts are on the wharves. So
far this year thirty-tive million or
anges and twenty million lemons
have been landed here from the Med
iterranean, while the contracts for the
next six weeks show that over one
hundred million bananas, two million
pine apples and one and half million
cocoanuts will be received here from
the tropics during the season.
Eighteen fast sailing vessels are
regularly plying between the Dele
ware and the tropics, and this num-
Der in few weeks will be increased
to twenty-three, negotiations having
been completed by which five vessels
are to be added to the fleet. Two
steamships have also been secured tor.
the same trade, one of which is now
undergoing the necessary alterations,
and will leave this port for the Ba-
hamas in about a fortnight. Some
idea of the extent to which the trade
is moving from New York to this
city may be gained from the fact that
one local firm claims to receive more
West India fruit weekly than any four
other houses in the United States.
The tropical fruit season has now
fairly opened, and the wharves on the
Delaware present a busy scene.
Bananas are pouring in at a lively
rate. Under contracts already at
fected, from ten to fifteen thousand
lunches will arrive weekly in this
port until the first week in. August, a
total Of over one hundred million ba-
nanas curing the season. The
schooner Manuelita is hourly due with
two thousand punches, and the Ethel
A. Merritt will arrive on Saturday
with $500 punches additionally, max
ing the fourth cargo within week.
A North Delaware importing house
has three floors occupied with 1000
lunches of bananas, each bunch stand
ing from two and half to three feet
in height and averaging $50 bananas
to bunch. This fruit goes from
Philadelphia to extreme points west
and east.
No less than two hundred thous-
and pine apples are booked 10 arrive
weekly until the middle of July. Ac-
cording to present calculations the
receipts for the eason will average
2,000,0O0-a larger quantity than has
ever before been landed at the port
in a single season. This fruit comes
from the Bahamas. Of the vessels
now on their way the Baracao has a
cargo of $4,000, and the Mary E.
Douglas 10000. The same vessels
also carry a total of 100000 conch
shells, which are in large demand for
ornamenting garden walks, as well
as for decorating mantels and making
hanging baskets.
The cocoanut season lasts till the
end of next month, and the nuts are
arriving at quick time. A total of
$4,000 were landed last week, and
fully half a million nuts are either
ashore or on vessels bound for this
port. Fully an additional million
will arrive in the course Of the next
six weeks. Jamaica, Ruatan, in the
Spanish Main, and the Bahamas are
the places depended upon for the
supply.
The Mediterranean fruit season
may now be considered as closed.
"A couple OF sailing vessels have ar
rived during the past week, but.
owing to delays caused by storms
and adverse winds, fifty per cent. of
their cargoes were damaged. Impor-
tiers say that the experiment Of
steamship line from the Mediterra-
mean, which has just closed, was not
a success. A rough calculation
shows that, since January, l, $4,000
boxes of oranges, with an average of
$50 in box, or more than 35, 100000
oranges, and $4,000 cases of lemons,