The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1886-09-01
The Bnnnnn and Pineapple.


The large steamers and sailing vessels
from the West Indies and Central Amer
lea that carry bananas come into New
York all the year round, for in the happy
countries where the fruit grows there is
no season, new vegetation coming up all
the time. The banana requires deep
rich earth and much moisture to grow to
perfection. The plant comes up like
palm with tightly folded green leaves,
which are followed by others until the
stems of the leaves have formed trunk
eight or ten inches thick. Nine months
from the plants first appearance a deep
purple bud appears in the centre of the
leaves, which grows large and hangs down
like huge heart The purple bud falls
Off disclosing rows of other buds. Each
miniature fruit has waxen yellow bios
som.
In three or four months the fruit ripens
and the plant begins to die. The bunch
of fruit is generally cut while yet green,
and ripened in New York, as shown in
our sketch of banana cellar. When the
bunch is cut the plant dries up and from
its base spring up other plants.
Although most banana punches hang
down in maturity, variety is found on
the Society Islands whose very large
punches of orange colored fruit stand
up erect The Brazilian banana tree
rises to a height of fifteen or twenty feet,
but the Chinese variety seldom exceeds
five feet. Along the coast of Arracan
banana grows full of feeds.
Bananas in the tropics are eaten raw
or with sugar and cream, or wine or
orange juice. Cooked when green or
ripe they are fried alone or in butter,
baked with the skins on or made into
puddings or pies. They are made into a
paste which is the staple food of many
Mexican tribes. Bananas contain much
nourlshment, for Humboldt states that a
surface of ground bearing wheat enoogh
to feed one man will when planted with
bananas feed twenty-five. In the tropics
the young shoots are cooked as aspara-
gus and the tibres of the leaves make a
textile fabric of great beauty. A ban
ana plantation will yield all the year
round.
The pineapple grows much farther
north, is cultivated extensively in Flor
ida, and found even in the Dismal
Swamp of Virginia. 1t takes its name
from its resemblance to the cones of
some species of pine. 1t is nearly related
to the Gamma, ginger and banana families.
The American origin of the pineapple
has been disputed since it has become
naturalized in parts of Asia and Africa.
The best authorities believe that it is a
native of Brazil, and perhaps of some of
/ the Antilles.
The pineapple is biennial with the
habit of an aloe. 1t grows in the centre
of cluster of leaves which curve grace
fully out from the centre. From this
! foliage arises a stem two or three feet
high, on the upper portion of which the
flowers are crowded in the form of conf
cal spike. The fruit appears after the
flowers drop Off
The first pineapples known in England
were sent as a resent to Cromwell, and
the first cultivated in that country were
raised about 1915. Pineapples are taken
from the West Indies to England in con-
siderable quantities, but the fruit is so
inferior to that raised under glass that its
cultivation for the London market is sue
cessfully prosecuted. The fruit sold in
New York is greatly inferior to that sold
in London. Thirty per cent. of the pine
apples sent here usually perish on the
voyage. OF the pineapples imported into
the United States about one-third come
from Eleuthera and San Salvador The
business of canning the fruit is largely
pursued at Nassau, N. P.-NeaO YorA
] nro0Ljc