The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-06-22
Fruit Ships.
70 forL index.

some interesting facts from MaJo'
Bostwick, inspector OF customs a.
Burling Slip. The consumption O
truit in New York is said to b'
greater than in any other city IN tn'
world. The imports at Burning
SIp have increased 800 per cent IL
the last twelve years. and now there
are annually received about two ano
one half millions of punches OF pa
ranas, thirty-two million oranges
ten million cocoanuts and about
three million pineapples. Last year
1919 cargoes OF fruit were landed
there, and this business is crowded
into about five months, from March
to the end OF July. Major Bostwick
saws he has seen twenty one vessels
in at one time.
The juicy fruit of the West lndleS
is of so perishable a nature that 1t Is
essential to the trade that cargoes
shall be landed as soon as they ar
rive. Major Bostwick has known
whole cargo OF pineapples, which ar
rived in a marketable condition, to-
be spoiled in one light, when the air
was hot and humid and thunder
storm came on. The loss by decay
last season amounted to about TWEEN
ty.five per cent. on pineapples, some
thing less on bananas and almost
forty per cent. on oranges. The
manner in which oranges are gather
ed greatly affects their condition
When they are beaten from the
trees with poles, so as to be broken
from their stems, they do not keep
their soundness nearly so long as
when they are clipped from the
stem, leaving small portion adher-
ing. The shorter the passage the
better the condition in which the
fruit arrives. If the passage takes
seven days the condition is first rate;
if ten days-the average time-the
condition is fair; if the passage takes
a longer time the chance of getting
good fruit is poor. Fol this reason
the schooners of from 100 to $50
tons register engaged in the trade
have lines like yatchs, and skim the |
water at racing speed. But even a
fast sailer, if caught by northwesters,
will sometimes be delayed so as to
lose her cargo.
The red skinned bananas come
from Barocoa, on the northeastern |
coast of Cuba; the yellow ones from
the island of Jamaica. The banana
plant bears but one bunch, and is
killed when that is gathered. Fresh
plants are raised from the seed slips
which are found clustered around the
base of every bunch. They take
from six to eight months to produce
mature fruit, aud the punches are cut
tor export while still green. Cocoa
nuts are obtained at the same ports
and the usual method OF loading yes,
sells is TO put in first load Of cocoa
nuts and then layer OF banana
punches above them. A platform
is then put over, and on this another
layer of banana punches is placed.
The matches are kept open as much
as possible in order to keep the fruit
cool, and if the run takes only ten or
twelve days the bananas are fit for
market when they arrive. A schoon-
er will bring from 10000 20 $4,000
cocoanuts and from 1900 to 5000
punches of bananas at a time.
Pineapples come from the Bahama
islands. The plant is killed with the
gathering Of the single fruit that ii
bears, and is reproduced by planting
seed slips, as in the case OF bananas
The ordinary pineapples' are piled to-
gether in the hold, and the loss
from decay is often very great The
sugarloaf pine is fine, juicy variety
that is very perishable; and to have
it in condition at all marketable 6
good deal of the bush must be taker
with the fruit.