Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-04-04
BANANAS.
Where They Are Raised-Facts Re-
garding the Trade.


Aspinwall Letter to the Troy Times.
The most of the bananas that are used in
the United States are shipped from this
place. Until about two years ago the whole
of them came from here, but now they are
beginning to ship them from Jamaica. A
monopolyof the trade is had by two parties
here, they having formed contract with
the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, under
which they agree to pay for certain num-
Der of tons of room on each steamer that
leaves here tor New York, the Pacific Mail
Company agreeing to carry bananas for no
one else except these parties. In fact, they
are so strict about 1t that even the officers
on board the steamers are not allowed to
carry bananas for their own private use
Acres upon acres of land here are cultivated
for the raising of bananas. One of the men
engaged in shipping them has perpetual
lease of 10, 900 acres, or one entire section
of railroad land. With the exception of one
or two plantations the bananas are not
raised by the parties shipping them, but are
bought up from the natives for miles around
the country.
The first thing to be done is to clear out
all the underground, bushes, twining vines,
etc. These are gathered and burned After
this is cleared away the large trees are cut
down.. 1t sometimes takes two or three
men as many days to cut down one tree
After the land is cleared the bananas are
planted in rows about fifteen or twenty feet
apart. On ground that is used for the first
time for bananas, vegetables of various sorts
are planted between the rows. Yams plan
tains, and sometimes quite crop of Indian
corn are raised in banana field. These
things help to keep down the grass, which
isqulte troublesome the first year. The
best land for growing them is on side hill,
where the sun has great force and more of
chance to get at the plants. Each tree bears
single bunch, which is ready to cut
about nine months after setting out the plant.
After removing the bananas the trees are
cut OF close to the ground, and from the
old stumps three are four more trees will
spriug up, each of which will in about nine
months yield bunch. The trees grow
about fifteen feet high. In setting out
new field, the roots of old trees are taken.
These roots grow III clumps, and contain a
number of eyes, from which new sprouts
start The bunch of roots is cut into a num-
Der of pieces, each piece containing about
one eye, and from each one of these pieces a
new tree starts.
The first crop from piece of ground is
the best. The bananas are larger, and there
are ulOI0 On II DulcE lu6G uSGtlIy aver
age about $50 per bunch, and yield about
175 punches per acre. The second crop is
a little poorer in quality, aud SO each time
the trees are cutoff the fruit becomes smaller
and yields fewer to the bunch, until in four
or five years, the land runs out. There is
no particular season for the fruit, it being
as plenteOus at one time at another. The
usual time Tor setting out new plants is the
beginning of the wet season. They usually
ship from here about 400 tons of bananas
per month. They begin to cut them from
twenty to forty eight hours before each
steamer sails. 1t would not do to cut them
any earlier than this, as they would not keep
until they reached New York. A great deal
of care ne DIS to be taken of them, or they
will spoil on the way. In the first place,
they have to be where they can receive the
air, and when the steamer reaches colder
latltudes, they have to be kept from freez-
ing. They have to be iii just such posi-
ton on board the steamer It will not do
to lay them on the sides; they all have to
stand on the end, in the same position as
they grow. First layer is stood up in this
way, being packed together as tightly as
possible, SO that the motion of the vessel
will not cause them to bruise each other.
Then upon this layer boards are laid. upon
which another layer is placed in the same
manner, and upon this still another, and
SO on.
AS soon as the steamer reaches New York
the bananas are taken to large warehouse,
where they are ripened. They nave eight
or ten large rooms, which are heated with
steam, each one being kept at temperature
| differing from the others. Bananas which
| they wish for immediate use are. placed in
room where the temperature is quite warm,
while those which are to be kept to supply
| the market for the last two or three days
before another steamer arrives are placed
in room which is just heated sufficiently
to keep them from freezing. The other
rooms are heated to all the intermediate
! temperatures. In this manner the market
is kept constantly supplied, and not flooded
at one time and stinted at another, as would
be the case If they were all allowed to ripen
at once. The cost of bananas here, buying
them on the field is usually so centsa bunch,
although it varies from 40 to 60 cents.
These same punches sell in New York at
from 81 to 81 each, but the expense of
transporting them is considerable. First,
the railroad freight has to be paid for bring
ing them into the steamer; next, the freight
on the steamer. which is quite heavy, a
single dealer here paying sometimes as high
as $4,000 freight on one shipment next
the duties, which are 10 per cent. of the cos
price, have to be paid, and besides these ex-
penses the shippers have to run the risk O
having the shipment spoil before it reaches