The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-01-07
THE LUSCIOUS BANANA.
Whore and How This Most Nutritive oi
All Fruits Grows.

Where and How This Most Nutritive OF
All Fruits Grows.
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
chcapness 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
faising them. In the culture OF this
luscious fruit 1t is not too much TO say
that nature seems to do all 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 tho
trees, nature being then left to do the
rest until the time to cut the fruit ar
rives. This occurs within a year from
planting. the plant, or rather the trees
by this time having reached u height OF
about ten fest. Where considerable in
telligcnce is brought into requisition
the suckers are set out regularly to
make plantations, with the trees about
fifteen feet apart.
According to one au uthority one pound
OF bananas contains more nutrimcnt
than three pounds of meal or rs many
pounds of potatoes, while rs a food it is
in every sense superior to the wheaton
bread. Although tgrows spontaneous
ly throughout the topics, when .culti-
waited it's yield is prodigious, for an acre
of ground planted with bananas will
return rs much food material as thirty
three acres of wheat or over one hum
dred acres of potatoes. 1t is not gem
orally understood that bananas fried,
baked, or roasted-are very appctizing,
and that sliced and placed in dish
with alternate slices OF orange they
make most delicious dessert.
The antiquity of the banana is be-
yond dispute. Pliny, among other
ancient scribes, undoubtedly speaks Of
it under the name of pala. After writ
ing upon the properties Of the Indian
fig he saws: There is another tree in
India, still larger and even more re-
markable for the size and sweetness of
its fruit, upon which the sages and
gymnosophists 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
Gerard, the old English botanist, in
reference to the banana, says it is
Adams apple tree, and that which ever
way the fruit may be cut the form Of u
cross may be seen in it, Again, tradi-
ton further asserts that in Ceylon,
where, according to some, Paradise was
situated, there exists tremendous ban
ana tree, the fruit of which when cut
transversely presents the figure of a
man crucified, and local tradition asserts
that from its huge leaves Adam and
Eve made garments for themselves.
To refer to musa, or plantain tree, is
tantamount to opening the oft-disputcd
question rs to whether it be native Of
southern Asia or of the new world. 1t
was generally considered as being q
native of the former until, as De Cam
dole states, Humboldt threw doubts
upon its purely Asiatic origin, fortify-
ing his contention by an appeal to nu-
merous writer's who maintained that
the banana was cultivated in America
before the conquest.
No fruit is more easy of digestion
and so healthful as the banana. 1t
5akes on an average only one hour and
fortyfve minutes stay in the digestive
organs, and is the only fruit in exist
ence that requires such a short time to
do so; even ripe pears require more.
and the proverbial ripe strawberry
takes one hour longer.
During one year from forty thousand
to fifty thousand clusters of this fruit
were shipped to Europe, averaging
three shillings per cluster-Grand
Canary alone contributing between
twenty-five thousand and thirty thou
sand clusters. Chicago News.