The Press., 1888-02-02
THE POPULAR BANANA.
CUTTING THE FRUIT REVEALS THE ss.- OUTLINE OF Az CROSS. 2

OQ LING l1e ,FhOllts hENt RLo tHE
 OUTLINE OF A CROSS. a. Said to Be. Adam's Apple Tree--An oft
 Disputed Questfon-Cu.tivatIon of the
 Banana-How It Has Lately Sprung
 Into Favor.
 Girard, the old English botanist, in refer ence to the banana, says it is Adams apple tree, and that whichever way the fruit may be cut the form of n cross may be seen in it. Again, tradition further asserts thnt in Cey- lon, where, according to some, Paradise was situated, there exists a tremendous banana tree, the fruit of which when cut transverse iv, presents the figure of man crucifed; and local tradition asserts that from it's huge leaves Adam and Eve made garments for themselves. But whether Adam ate the ba- mana in the Garden of Eden or not must be a matter of complete indifference to those who live in the Nineteenth century; yet if tho banana be the tree that produced the for bidden fruit that "the woman saw was good for food, pleasant to tho eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, 2 we cannot be surprised she was tempted to eat it. At any rate the description, to our mind, applies with especial force to the luscious clusters of this popular fruit.
 tDc Ol buS ls DeyOnu ulS- pute. Pliny, among other ancient scribes, undoubtedly speaks of it under the name of pala. After writing upon the properties of the Indian fig, he says: 'There is another tree in India, still larger and even more re- markable for the size and sweetness of it's fruit, upon which the sages and gymnoso- phists of India live" True, some authorities contend that this does not in reality apply to the banana at all, but to another kind of fruit; Upon the face of it, however, with due respect to these adverse and ahlo opin- ions, we think we are safe in asserting that it does. So much for fAncy-now for fact
 AN OFT DISPUTED QUESTION.
 As have previously stated, to refer to tho musa, or plantain tree, is tantamount to opening the oft disputed question as to whether it be a native of southern Asia or of the New world. 1t was generally considered being native of the former until, as Dc Candolle states, Humboldt threY doubts upon its purely Asiatic origin, fortifying his . contention by an appeal to numerous writers who maintained that the banana was culti- vated in America before the Conquest. Yet, even this point may be left in abeyance; and whether l incline to the general belief that probably the species was introduced by the Spanish into San Domingo and Brazil or not, one fact is clear-that of late years its popu- larity for the table has vastly increased, and if it possesses the healthful properties attrih- uted to it this is not to be wondered at With regard to their cultivation, we find that not only do they require tropical heat, but that, on the other hand, no fruit is more suscepti- ble to frost than the banana, and even in the tropics, says old Philip Miller, they are care fully cultivated by the planters, who raise them in low, rich ground blythe side of gull lies, where they produce fruit most parts of the year.
 suppose it is now pretty we'll known that most of the bananas are raised in the West Indies,- the Island of Jamaica especially though they grow freely in all tropical lands The fact of their cheapness here shows that they must be easily cultivated; and this is so, for even the widest tribes in South America and elsewhere succeed well in. raising them In the culture of this lusci, us fruit it is not too much to say that Nature seems to do all l the work herself, the share necessary for man being almost nil, since all the labor needed in cultivating the fruit consists in setting out the suckers that form the trees, Nature ber., then left to do the rest until the time to cut \ the fruit arrives.
 This occurs within a year from planting, the plant, or rather tho tree, by this time having reached height of ten feet. Where considerable intelligence is brought into re- quisition the suckers are set out regularly to make plantations, with the trees about lif- teen feet apart, something like our orchards. In case irrigation is practicable for tho plants do best in damp, cloggy soiD trenches are dug between the rows for water. On the other hand, the plants are in most cases planted about the above distance, but, of course, as with our orchards so with our banana plantations. It is now admitted that { they both thrive and succeed, and yield best, too, if planted further apart than is custom ary at present. With the natives and others the planting of the suckers is done with a primitive and ponderous hoe.
 EASY OF DIGESTION