Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-12-01
TIE BANANA MARKET.
THEIR SHIPMESTBYTHE STEAMER
LOAD.
When and How They Are Grown
and Gathered-PIeasures and
Perils in the Work.

A steamer unloading 10000 punches of
bananas. A steyedore mounted on the
deck, giving out orders to 100 longshore-
men, who stand in lines and pass the
punches of fruit from the hold of the yes
sci to waiting trucks. The owner stand
ing on an upturned barrel and calling out
"One," Two or 'Three," designating the
grades to which the bananas belong.
Trucks backing into place, loading and
pulling out to make room for others.
Small boys scurrying between the trucks
and feasting on the over-ripe fruit.
Such was the scene reporter beheld on
down town wharf the other day.
'Two million lunches of bananas come
into this port alone every year now," said
the importer "Previous to 1884 there
were not near so many. Schooners were
employed, and they took six weeks to
make a trip, carried only $500 punches
and lost quarter of them on account of
the length of time afoat and the damage
ty salt water. Now we have regular lines
OF steamers that carry four or FIVE times as
much fruit, and make such quick trips
that there is practically no loss of fruit"
"Where do the bananas come from ?"
"Well, the reds, which appear to be the
favorites, come from Baracoa, Cuba. We
get from $4,000 to 10000 punches of them
week during August, but less new that
peaches are in market. The yellow ones
come from Jamaica, Panama, Costa Rica
and Nicaragua. There are some bananas
produced in Florida, but the home de-
mand prevents any coming here. 1t will
not be long before the red bananas will be
very scarce, as the Cuban planters are re-
placing them with the yellow slips from
Jamaica. The cause of this is that the
yellow produce punches averaging from
81 to 81 25 while the red will not average
more than 81 so a bunch"
" How do bananas growW
"On immense plantations, laid off into
rows Of trees about eight feet apart each
way The trunk of banana tree is COM
posed of the stems of leaves and grows
from fifteen to twenty feet high. When
the fruiting begins, bud appears at the
top of the stem and develops into bunch
of bananas. When the fruit is gathered
the tree is cut down and left to decay,
root, and thus the crop is continually re-
peated There are about 700 trees to the
acre, and each one produces one bunch OF
fruit. New plantations are started by set
ting out young sprouts about two feet
high. The gathering of the bananas diff
fers. In Central America the native In
dians are employed. They cut. the tree
with a machete until it bends over so as to
bring the bunch within reach. 1t is then
cut off and carried on the backs of the
men down to the ships which run up the
rivers The loading is usually done by
forming line and passing the bunche:
from hand to hand. This is not very
pleasant work, as the lunches often con.
tain scorpions, tarantulas, centipedes and
other venomous insects that get shaken
out of the punches as they are passed. and
bite or sting the handler. In Jamaica the
negro women are used to load the fruit
and in Cuba both negroes and half-breeds
are employed
"In the hold of the vessel the banana;
are placed in bins holding several hundred
punches each, and arranged to admit al
the air possible. The ventilation is so i'm
portant that large canvas tunnels called
fwind-sails' are fixed on deck SO as to catcl
the wind and carry it down into the hold
In winter much care is necessary to pre-
vent the cargo from freezing on the voy
age Bananas are almost the onl,
fruit that is always in season. They ar
rive at this port every month in the year
During the poorest months in midwinte
we receive 10000 punches, and in summe
the number frequently reaches $4,000
punches "-New York Maa and Express.