Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1891-08-14
THE BANANA TRADE,
1T HAg MADE GREAT STRIDES
IN RECENT YEARS.
Origin OF the Industry-Whcrc the
Fruit Comes From-How IL is
Grown and Transported
to This Country.

L
| The only strictly American importing
industry, and one which cannot well bC
taken away from the United States By
any foreign country, is the trade in
bananas. 1t is one of the best known
trades to everybody in America, and at
the same time rs little is known about
where the fruit comes from and how il
is shipped as if the fruit belonged to the
stran3est varieties which reach this mar
kct. Probably no trade has received
such strict attention or has shown such
rapid strides in the past few years us this
one. Strange as it may seem, while
bananas are shipped TO no other country
but America, with the exception of the
Pacific Mail line of steamships there is
not an American vessel in the trade.
During the last year, from January LIST
10 December 31st II, 5S2, $50 punches of
bananas reached the United States. As
1t is estimated that each bunch averaged
one hundred bananas, more than one bill
lion were distributed throughout the
country last year, or sufficient to allow
| every man, woman and child in America
| to have had about twenty bananas to cat.
Placed end to end they would have cx
tended Il distance of more than three
times around the globe.
No fruit ever gained such WIDESPREAD
| popularity in SO short Il time. Fifteen
years ago it was comparatively unknown
except IN the large cities and even there
it was only supplied in comparatively
small quantities t. the largest hotels and
ola .1F,
The trade dates back in its incpicncy
to about thirty-fivc years ago. The first
bananas that reached the United States
were from Baracoa. AT that time the
natives OF Baracoa and its ncighborhood
were raiscrs OF tobacco principally. Most
of tho tobacco growers, howcaer, raised
few BIZ ana on their plantations for
their own use. They were not such
yellow ones rs are now shipped to this
country, however. They were of the
red variety, with few small yellows,
which were then known rs "Porcic''
bananas.
Among the men who were interested
i'll growing tobacco at Baracoa was n
Spaniard of the name of Gomez. lie
was not only interested in more thau one
tobacco plantation, but kept general
store at Baracoa and made Il business of
bartcring provisions for tobacco. Occa-
sionally Il farmer would bring in from
his plantation ten or dozen punches of
bananas. These Mr.. Gomez would give
to the captain of vessel bound for New
York or New Orleans with instructions
to trade oil for whatever he could yet for
thcm--a pair OF shoes, clothing or the
like. The idea of shipping them to sell
WAS not thought Of The only vessels
from Baracoa ut that time were schoon-
occupied from twelve to fifteen DAYS. At
the end of such voyage it was usually
found that fully fifty per cent Of the
bananas had decayed.
After several years of such shipments
the fruit began to be known among GER
lam classes of fruit dealers, and small
orders were returned by the captains 0:
the Baracoa schooners, and the trade in
small way was established. The
Government, with its eyes wide open for
dutiable goods, placed Il tariff of twenty
,, per cent nd yalorem OH the fruit.
The orders from New York and New
that it taxed the farmers in the surround
ing country to supply them. Senior
Gomez, realizing that there was ready
market for the fruit, Sc. out to make !;
feature OF growing it. 1t was at this
time that the first schooner laden with :,
cargo exclusively Of bananas left Bnracoa
for New York. Although more than
fifty per cent Of the fruit was unfit to
sell after reaching its destination, the
remainder found ready sale and yielded
fair profit. The trade was established.
When the trade OF New York reached
two thousand punches of bananas week
it was thought to be at its zenith, but
it proved TO have only just begun.
1t was discovered ut the time that the
yellow plautin bananas, such as reach
the market now, maturcd at least six
months sooner than did the red ones,
and that IN order to supply the demand
It would be more profitable to grow the
yellow variety. 1t was found to be lust
rs marketable as its red brother, although
at not quite as high IA price.
The season of the fruit is from the LIST
of March 10 the last of June, and the
ihSAS pihHiSu lHC ITcCS III Sucl time
as would cause the fruit to mature for
shipment during these months. Fruit
cut before or after these three months
cannot command as high prices.
So rapidly did the trade grow that the
raisers realized that unless some means
we're devised whereby the fruit could
reach its destination more quickly and
without such terrible decay that the de-
maud would overreach the supply no
matter how extensively it was raised
1t was then, about ten years ago, that
the idea occurred to charter steamships
10 transport the fruit. 1t proved sue
cessful beyond the expectations of the
most sanguine. II was discovered that
not more than five per cent. of the fruit
shipped persisted on fast voyages. The
Government was then induced to lift the
duty of the fruit. From that time on
the trade grew even faster than ut first