The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-04-30

A NEW RESOURCE.

Accompany has been formed 10 New York
with a capital of SIS, 900 to dry and other
wise prepare bananas for food. Ii Will
receive its raw material from Mexico and
Central America. Mr.. Keith OF Costa RIGA
has built a railroad to Limon on the Allan
tic coast, and laid on line OF small steam
ers to New Orleans ara New York expressly
for the purpose of supplying the United
States with bananas.
There is no reason why the same enter
prise should not be undertaken here A
few bananas are grown in Southern Cali
fornia, but the plant has not been fairly
tried there. and it is al open question
whether its cultivation can be commended
as a mercantile proposition. But in the
States OF Mexico which have seaports on the
Pacific, and in the Central American States
OF Guatemala, Salvador and Costa Kica the
tree fiourishes aud the crop is abundant,
while on the islands the banana harvest is
prodigious. 1t is chiefly from Honolulu
that our markets are supplied.
1t has been demonstrated that the fruit
can be successfully evaporated by the pro-
cess now in use in Fresno and other cOun-
ties of this State. The desiccated banana
can either be marketed as dried fruit. in
which shape it could be produced at less
it can be ground into -four In the latter
shape it is said TO be superior as nutri-
ment to wheat -four or coInmeal. 1t con-
tains less water than either and nearly S
much starch, n trace Of fat. which neither of
those two contains. and quite considerable
percentage Of sugar. A sack of banana
flour would contain as much nourishment
as a sack of wheat -four and would prob
ably be more palatable.
The great advantage of the application
OF the deSiccating process to bananas would
be that it would enable US to turn to ac-
count a quantity OF raw material which
now goes TO waste. There is practically no
limit 10 the amount OF bananas which we
could get from the islands if we could use
them. They are shipped green and ripen
on the voyage. When they arrive here 1t is
calculated that they will be fit for table use.
But they are very perishable property. If
they are not consumed within week after
their arrival vast quantities rot and are
thrown away. Every one is familiar with
the strings of banana wagons which per-
ambulate the city seeking purchasers at
nomin al prices, because If immediate sales
cannot be effected the contents of the wagons
will be a total less.
If we had a desiccatiBg plant that could
convert the fruit into dried fruit or -four,
we could largely increase our importations.
and turn ont a product which would CON-
mand sale all over the coast and in the
East. The very novelty of the article would
attract attention to 1t. For cakes, puddings
and pies it would be likely to become popu-
Lar with housekeepers.
The world is full of useful products which
are neglected by reason of mans ignorance
of their uses. Coal tar. which has supplied
us with the finest dyes in existence, and
some of the most useful drugs in the phar-
maeopeia. was supposed to be practically
worthless until 80 years ago; our knowledge
OF the priceless value of the liver of the cod
is even of more recent date. He who turns
to practical benefit the discoveries Of
science, and adds new commodities to the
worlds storehouse. creates a new demand
for labor and confers blessings on the world
at large