The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-04-13
FOOD OF THE TROPICS.
SOME FACTS CONCERNING THE
JUSTLY POPULAR BANANA.
How They Arc Graded and the Prices They
Bring -Some Points About the CuItiva-
tion of Mantfnd's First Food-over foo.-
600 Pounds Produced to the Acre.

the most and finest fruit Seconds" are all
other prime condition, marked table lunches.
"Cuils' are tho lowest grade fruit; aud
ripe comprise the overripe and partly
decayel bananas The "cuIlsn ara piled on
deck in frcckled. uusightly heaps, and you
will have 70 wade ankle deep in "ripcs" until
they are sorted and corded. two tiers length
wis., in old orange boxes, one-twentieth Of q
cargo possibly being in this condition. The
price secured for bananas by the vessel load
is about Sl.l2 per bunch, aud the retailer
gets Thorn at 81 40 As the lunches average
200 pieces each. any one can estimate tho
profits tho street trade affords
now 1T n PRoPAGArED
Said a veteran importer to a Star reporter
the other afternoon: "ln Southern Asia and
Central America, IN tropical Africa and the
equatorial islands Of the Atlantic and Pacific,
IL Is cultivated and tine fruit eaten Mind
Won. say cultivated, for there are those who
think it grows wild In that connection LEI
me sav 10 is probably the first plant that ever
was cultivated.
THE aim OF horficulturists Is 10 rid fruit Of
seed. They have succeeded IN doing this with
the small grape which in lis dried state we
call currants The Tanrier orange and the
best among tho pino1pples are seedless. The
potato has been made seclicss However.
this result is usually brought about TO the
injury o. tho plant, which seems TO lose with
its capacity 30 bear seed much Of its vitality.
and this renders 10 subject 10 attacks Of ia
sects. blight. etc. But hero Is tue banana
that has been scodiess thousands 81 years. yet
20 appears 10 be- rs full Of energy and life a.
when. according 10 tho obi legend. tho eyes
OF Adam fell upon 10 in tho garden q Eden
"lf seCdias. how is % propacdtcd'
"By suckers which the plant sends Up
Whenever the black Of tropical Africa makes
ready 10 settle IN Die, be clears a small space
in the jungle, obtains thirty OF forty suckers
from bis father or older brother md sotsthem
out. III nine months time the fruit appear,
and before the eleventh month be can eat ~
10 freely The number Of plants have named
car bo grown 10 a Thousand square feet, and
will bear him 40 least 5000 pounds Of fruit
annually Think OF 10 Tor a momcutl IL l.
possible 10 grow as much rs 1900 pounds
n bananas annually upon a single acre Of
ground. 40 wonder that Humboldt said that
nothing ia the world would grow so much
food - the acre as tho banana. And set that
man could speak slightiugly Of III"
Possibly be hadn't time - think Of IT,"
1T goes back 90 the earliest man, does the
banana Alexandors soldiers 50 PIny said,
found thesages Of India seated in rs shades
and partakng of tho delicious fruit Hence
the name sapientum, given tho plant, which
likewise bears tho name OF Juplters fair
daughter, ,iua. When PizGrro landed ID
Peru the Aztecs brought him Sits of tae
yellow fruit that yonder Italian you soo from
this window now sells at dino dozen
Thereby hangs an historical fact-nOt the
Italian, bat tho banana which Pi2arro took
fIom tho Aztecs Now, 10 las beoa Shown
that tho banana is Of Malayan origin How
did il get 10 India and 70 south America and
10 M9xicoi
Tho feet OF birds have borne seeds ful
l0C0l miles, Naiio tho cocoauut coated well
nigh iho world around in tho great ocean
currents But you see, tho banana has ~
seeds, nor las 10 a casing Ike the elohulal
c0cOaGlt 90 il0at it around over tie waters
Then if must have been 'totcl over tho zig
trough by man 1t Is significant that Tie
Aztees bad traditions Of visit. bypeople from
over tle seas while there was % confirm 90
an admIxturo Of the r-ll gI0n OF tho Erah
Minis ia their own tAeo.o,y Would son
have thought that the despi.ed banana act
ualiy stepped forward 70 prove that before
Columbus was. or Lief Ericsson ever had an
existence, some swarihy denizens of the Oh
World bad migrated across tho waicrF
THAT Is q bi, queer, II truo, and qucol
anyhow
NOT TO BIZ SPOKEN OF DERIsIvELY.
"That isn't all there is % tho banana bg
any means. You have heard Of MANILA
rope, haven't you'll Well. that is made 10 tic
Philippine islands OF the stem of The banana
This stalk, which usually grows 70 bo SIX
inches i'm diameter and from fifteen tOtwouty
ieet high, has "a very valuable lbcr, from
which arc aoven beautiful textile fabrics
Many Of the finest India shawls and wrap
pcrs worn by ladies OF fashion arc manuiac-
turel from this fabric, So too, an excellent
article Of paper is made from it'
But are no varieties Of banana widp
"Yes some have b.-n found in Ceylon,
Cochin China and the Philippines These,
OF course, have seeds, bat they ere inferior 90
the long cultivated varieties Men 80 miles
toNisw an old ruin, or they rave over an old
painting or sculpture. Why what that to
The bauanai You vail understand that this
fruit is cultivated by suckers Well sir, IL
is positive fact that IN this way the literal
plant perpetuates itself indefinitely In Cen.
trail Africa You might ind thousands and
thousands OF plants that literally have III
them the life AID germ Of ton thousand years
duration And men speak derisivciy OF this
fruit have no patience with such people
not a Bit"
"To what family does the banana belongr
"To tho lily family 1t Is a developed trop
Icai lily. from which boy ages Of cultivation
the seeds have been eliminated aud that for
which 10 was cultivated greatly expanded
the fruit | mean. Ira relation ~ the bearing
properties of the banana, humboldt, that sa-
sacious traveller and scientist who saw the
wonders of that plant. said that the ground
that viii grow thirty-thres pounds OF wheat
win also GROW ninety-nine pounds OK pota-
toes, but the sawe ground Will grow 1000
pounds Of bananas. the produce OF bananas
consequently 70 that Of wheat Is l3j 10 I, and
potatoes - 10 ~
But how about the nutritiousness Of the
.ruitN
Il have not seen any estimate Of c0mpari
,on know, though, that 10 possesses ali the
ssantials 70 the susten0uce OF lie. The saw
ige OF tine sea isles and OF the jungle owes
shat-he has Of physical strength 10 this food.
Wheat alone, potatoes alone, viii not &c
his.n
But Go the people eat them rawp
THAT depends OF course. when taken a.
. steady article oil diet &c is cooled-baked
Try in the green state pulped and boiled in
water as a soup, OF cut ia slices and fried.
The fruit that IS designed to 10 cooked Is
allied the plantain, while that 10 DO eaten
aw IS called the banana, the kind Ue sec
iere on the streets The plantain is not quite
% sweet as the banana, but IS equally nutri-
i've New York star.
Taken for Granted.
Eausonice-l understand that IN health has
compelled Booner 10 try warmer climate
Chokeband-l ndeed When did he def