Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-08-04
NO. 80.
A Banana Farm.

The most perfect banana plantation, per-
hsps, upon the soil of the United States is
that of Colonel Whitner, near Silver Lake.
Florida. This plantation covers an area of
several acres, and contains over ten thou
sand 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 number, are of the celebrated dwarf
species, standing from six to eight feet
high, with trunk from four to five inche,
in diameter. The banana as cultivated in
this climate, bears no visible seeds, but 1t
is propagated from slips or cuttings. which
bear trans-pianting well and grow with
great rapidity. These slips are generally
| planted about eight feet apart If il is the
dwarf species, an acre Of ground will con-
tain from sixty to 200 plants. They re-
qulre a deep, rich soil and considerable
moisture Ii has no season, but the fruit
natures generally in from eleven to thirteen
months from 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 rolled together, which
grow to a height of three or four feet, when
the blades begin to unfold one after anOth-
er, into great broad leaves, the stems FORM
ing a smooth trunk, which grows to the
size of a large apple tree, compose entirely
of these eccentric leaf stems ar petals. In
about eight or nine months, according to
the warmth of the season, a deep purple
bud peeps out Just at the point Of diver
gence of the upper leaves, and soon pushes
itself into full view, its lengthing stem
bending under the weight of a purple bios
som, shaped like a pointed egg. Soon
leaf Of this blossom opens at the pointed
end, and rolls back to the base, disclosing
row of five or siN tiny bananas, nestled
close together, as if hiding under the shell
ter, of this protecting leaf. Each miniature
fruit has waxen yellow flower at the end,
with a stigma projecting through it. Other
leaves of the blossom unfold, one after an
other, IN the same way, until twenty or
thirty clusters of fruit are developed, all
clingIng to one stem, when these leaves
wither, and fall, and the fruit swells and
lengthens TO maturity, which requires gen.
orally two or three months The great
stem on which the fruit grows bends under
its weight until the long finger-like fruit
hangs down in graceful clusters. Each
plant bears but a single bunch 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 that has
been removed and go on growing to the
full size Of the parent tree. The fruit,
when gIown 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 quickly ripen-
ed after cutting by wrapping the bunch in
straw or in blanket and keeping it in
warm place. Colonel Whitner has upon
his plantation thousands of punches, in all
stages of development, from the little
miniature bud to the well matured fruit,
six or seven inches long. Many of these
punches contain one hundred and twenty
five bananas from which may be inferred
the great profits of banana culture. 1t is
not generally understood that the banana
makes very nutritious food. But if cut
into strips and dried, and then pounded
into paste and baked, 1t forms very pala-
table diet. II is sand to be the staple food
of some OF the Mexican tribes, who use the
young shoots for green's. The tough fiber
of the leaf has in some parts Of the world
become an article of merchandise, and is
sold in large quantities to be manufactured
into textile fabrics. some of which are of
great beauty and highly pused. Banana
culture Is in its infancy in this country,
but it opens such field for profitable in-
vestment that 1t IS probable that the day is
not far distant when vast portions Of the
of the now unOccupied territory bordering
the upper st. Johns will be covered with
the beautiful banana plant. and the Florida
banana will be as well known and as high
ly priced as is now the Florida orange.