Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-05-23
BANANA cULT1vATIou
The Fruit as a Source of Inoor.
How the Tree is Fostered

The banana and the plantain bov..,
ways formed one of the staple s I-,''e a. !.
tropical countries. Improved co'ls O
nieation and an eyer-increasino ds e.-'inu,
for the banana here, gave. some s', saa
teen years ago, a great Impetus n =.
cultivation. The sugar-planter IL ~ ~
West Indies was gradually Int sr, ~
being ruined by beet and bonnt, -' ~
sugars. The banana was with him .eu
to be hated. In Jamaica every na w
had few planted in the small cle .s,siu
round his hut, and bunch of tba ~
would feed him and his family f ou'
week. When so provided he saw ~ -
need to go ont to work in the cane-eoli =
The planter had foreseen this. and nsg
the abolition of slavery Disappear ' ,su
banana, plantain and cocoa-nut troa sa'
At first the banana walks were MI.
anywhere on the estate. generallv ~
abandoned eane-felds, which cost Ies, :, -
clean, but experience has taught W.
planter that certain sites suit IN ha' '
best. "e'
The best place for banana walk ;s
valley OF hillside having western mo, y
pect. The large leaves attract the so'r
and in the early mornings a patel =,
bananas looks MS if it were On c,7s,sa
with diamonds. These drops Of den ~
soon eyapoatod by the morning SIM
but if the trees are shaded the plant All
serbs most of the moisture.
Tho rrrnupI fo,. fba -, -. l. ,
thoroughly cleaned and "stubbeds
Then "sllckcrs" must be obtained !,
the banana is only known to seed IN ana
small spot on the earth, the Andamm
Islands. These suckers" sprout from
the root Of the banana-tree when 4 !,
one year old. They are torn from tbs
parent tree and may be shipped Iona
distances, being hardy and 10 g-liyed
About 400 or 500 trees are planted to la
acre, and now the chief care is to sea
that the weeds, and especially III
creeping ones, are kept down, otherwise
they will soon choke the young plant.
The banana tree bears fruit in its first
year. The bunch hangs down on a stem
which springs from the tree lust under
its frond OF leaves. This stem extends
beyond the fruit, ending in purple
cone, under which is small, insight.
cant bunch Of flowers.
The early morning visit to banana
walk expose one to 70 the equivalent Of
a thorough rain drenching. As each
bunch becomes full but stlll green. The
tree is chopped down with one OF two
blows from ''machete," great rare
being taken that the fruit isnot brrs L.
The bunch is then carried on the al
of a negro to the dray that carrie,
down to the port. The punches n
packed between layers o. crash, ID
on being unloaded from the dEtyy "a
sorted into .'nincs, "eights, etc. TT
is 70 say, into ''hand punches" o. tlnc
numbers. A ''hand" of bananas is pae
Of the small portions that go 70 makeup
n bunch.
Bananas are paid for with ready
on the beach, according to The
Of ''hands" and the time d
year. In january, February and March
they cost from II "a is cents bunch;
in April, May and Junc nom As 10 z
cents. In good year bunch Of ban.
mas cost 4 cents to lard at the beach,
Ill expenses included. The planter has
MS risks, however. A hurricane Will in
IN hour destroy every tree, and for that
year the cultivation is, of course, dead
oss. In jamaica and Honduras at least
he thcfts by the negroes form q large
tenn. Landed in New York the punches
,ring from so cents to 81, According
he time of year and tho size OF the
punch.
As soon as the banana begins 70 give
good shade the spaces between the
rccs are planted with cocoa, tree that
must have shelter from the sun. Almond
rocs and the hamboyant are also
planted TO give the shade for the cocoa
rhen the bananas have ceased to bar
chat is, in three orfour years
New York Tribune.