The Portland daily press., 1891-07-23
ALL ABOUT BANANAS.
the Fruit Possesses All the ESSEN
tia's to the sustenance Of human
Life.

Life.
From Goldwalte's Geographical Magazine
Inc banana goes back to the earliest DAYS,
Aiexahoers soldiers, as Pliny says, Joined
the sages Oh India seated in its shades and
partaking OF the delicious fruits. Hence the
name "sapietum" given the plant. which
likewise bears the name Of Jupiter's fair
daughter. Musa. Now 1t has been shown
that the banana is Of Malayan origin. How
did 1t get to India and to South America and
Mexico? The feet of birds have borne seed
full 10000 miles, while the cocoanut float.
ed well nigh the world around In the great
ocean currents
But the banana has no seeds, nor has 1t q
casing like the globular cocoanut to float 1,
around over the waters. Then 1t must have
been carried by men. 1t is significant that
| the Aztecs had traditions Of visits by people
from over the seas, while there was, to con.
firm II, an admixture of the religion of the
Brahmins In their own theology. Would vow
think that the despised banana would act
naily step forward to prove that, before
Columbus was, or Lief Ericsson even had an
existence. some swarthy denizens of the Old
World had migrated across the watersp
ManilaIope Is made In the Philippine Is.
lands of the stem of the banana. This stalk,
which usually grows to be six inches In d.
ameter and from fifteen 20 twenty feet high.
has a very valuable fibre, from which are
woven beautiful textile fabrics. Many of
the nnest India shawls and wrappers worn
~ ladies' OF fashion are manufactured from
this fabric.
So, too, an excellent article of paper is
made from It, But are no varieties Of bana.
mas wild? Yes, some have been found in
Ceylop, Cochin China, and the PHILIPPINES,
Ihese OF course, have seeds. but they are in-
ierlor to the long, cultivated varieties. The
panama is cultivated by suckers, and 1t is in
TINS way that the literal plant perpetuates it.
self indefinitely. In Central Africa you may
find thousands and thousands of plants that
literally have in them the germ and life of
10000 years duration.
The banana belongs to the lily family, and
is developed tropical lily, from which by
ages. of cultivation, the seeds have been
eliminated and the fruit for which 1t was
cultivated great expanded. In relation to
tne bearing qualities of this fruit, Humboldt,
VINO early saw the wonders Of the plant,
said that the ground that would grow 81
pounds of potatoes would grow SO pounds of
wheat, but that the same ground would grow
4OOO pounds OF bananas, consequently to
tnat OF wheat Is 1873 to and to that of pota-
zoe Toes a "a 70 !. The banana possesses all Of
sayageof the sea isles and the Jungle owes
what he has of physical strength to this food
Al. wheat alone. potatoes alone, will not do
tnls. When taken as steady diet, 1t is
cooked1baked dry in the green state, puiped
ana polled In water as soup, or cat In slices
and fried. do not know whose beauty
admire the most. the majestic coacoa palm.
Win It's heavy crown Of great fringed leaves,
OF Inc graceful banana, with its great leaves,
which are six feet long and two feet wide.
The leaves OF the banana are tender, and
the strong winds of the tropic-the hurri-
cances-soon tear the leaves in strips, there
banana is fruit that beasts and birds. as
well as man. are fond of, and the owner,
when he lives 10 sparsely settled country,
must need protect his plantation by a fence
of some thorn plant