The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-01-17
The Banana and the Guava.
boston Bulletin.l

lBoston Bulletin
slight description Of the banana as it is
seen growing may be interesting to some who
have enjoyed its delicious substance without
knowing what form it presents during the pri-
mary stages of its growth. The stem of the
plant is not woody, but consists of the fore
stalks OF the former leaves wrapped round each
other, and it rises to the height of twelve or
fifteen feet The leaves are very large, of a
long, oval form; five or six feet in length, and
beautifully green in color. The middle rib of
the leaf is tough and strong, but the rest of its
substance is thin and delicate, and is easily
torn by the wind alone, in a direction of right
angles with the rib.
The manner in which the fruit is developed
is quite interesting. From the midst of the
leaves, and at the top, appears a large, smooth,
purple cone, hanging down gracefully at the
end of sta k. The flowers are all wrapped
up in this cone, which consists of a large num-
Der of closely-packed spathes. By and by the
uppermost OF these sheaths disengages itself
from the rest, curls up, and discloses row Of
three or four long blossoms with the young
fruit of each beginning to form.
While this row of fruit is tender the spathe
remains hanging over it like roof; but when
the fruit has acquired some size and strength,
the protecting shield drops off, and the next in
oruet rises up, with similar row OF young
fruit, over which it stands in the same watch
full attitude) till it also drops off to be sue
ceeded by another. When one circle of fruit
is completed another is commenced below,
and in due time another; while the common
stem around which the fruit is disposed grows
constantly longer, and the cone of spathes
diminishes in size, till it is all unfolded, and
monstrous bunch of bananas is finished, which
seldom weighs less than twenty or thirty and
sometimes as mach as seventy or eighty
pounds. OF all kinds of vegetable nutriment
the banana is perhaps the most productive, and
most easily raised.
After plant has produced its bunch of fruit
the stem is either cut, or is suffered to wither
and fall on the spot. In the former case, it is
good fodder for cattle; in the latter it forms
good manure for the young shoots which have
been springing from the root, and which are
soon ready to bear fruit in their turn. From
these shoots the plant is propagated
Walking from the cane-field to the sugar.
house, we passed numerous "guava" trees,
the fruit OF which is used in making the deli
cious jelly of that name for which Cuba is so
justly celebrated. The tree is small, looking
something like our cherry when young, though
the leaves OF the guava are larger and longer
than those of the cherry and more thinly scat
tered on the tree. 1t is natural to Cuba, and
is OF pertinacious life, covering and usurping
the ground on which it is permitted to settle.
The wood is close-grained, heavy, clothed with
a smooth, reddish-colored bark. The blossom
IS white, and resembles plum or cherry bios
som, or more nearly still a large white myrtle.
The fruit in its natural state is not so very de-
sirable, though by some it is esteemed. 1t is
nearly round, and when ripe of brown color
something like a Seckel pear, and tasting
much like one over-ripe. 1t has tender rind
or skin, within which is the pulp of pink
hue, and filed with triangular yellow seeds.
The fruit is very fragrant, so much so that by
cutting one open it will scent large room.