Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1892-07-08
Shipping Bananas.

warehouse. The big green bunches
not only filled the body OF the truck,
but they were piled high in the air,
like a young load of hay.
II have just come from the ba-
mana countries, where one OF those
punches would make load. That
makes Inc appreciate this wholesale
way of handling them all the more.
1t is the same thing with all kinds OF
loads in all the hot countries. Twenty
horses or donkeys and fifty people
spend day in getting a few tons of
cargo TO the steamer, and when it
reaches New York one of our big
trucks takes it up in one load, and
the horses trot with it. Those are
Jamaica bananas, and the way ba-
nanas are handled there would make
a pretty picture, but there is no bus
mess in it.
How are they handled in Ja-
maica 81
well, there is big warehouse on
the wharf divided into large bins for
the different kinds and qualities. In
front OF the warehouse is a broad
platform and at the other end OF the
platform the steamer lies. There
must be at least one steamer leaving
every week and there should be two,
for the green punches are constantly
coming in. There is a colored family,
we'll say, living ten miles back in the
country with little patch OF land,
perhaps half an acre. Here few
orange trees are growing, and oa-
nanas, sugar apples and perhaps a
cocoanut tree or two. When bunch
of bananas is ready to cut, Sambo
mounts it on his head and trudges OIL
| to the warehous with it and receives
fifteen, twenty, perhaps thirty cents
according TO the size or quality. His
neighbors are doing the same thing
and the roads are full OF Sambos with
punches of bananas on their heads.
Those who are rich enough to own
donkey and cart take two or three
punches at time. Some fellow VINO
lives up a lagoon or up a little river
brings down two or three punches in
dug out canoe. There is con
slant procession OF these people, all
with punches Of bananas and hardly
any single load worth as much as
dollar.
'In this primitive way the bins are
filled up. When the ship is ready to
load plank platform is slung half
way up her side, on which two men
stand to receive the bunches and pass
them aboard Then twenty or
| thirty colored men and women begin
carrying the punches from the ware
house to the ship, always on their
heads. Quite as many women work
at this as men, and sometimes they
are all women. A man is stationed
about the middle OF the wharf with a
| sharp machete or cutlass and all the
leaders, must pass close by this man.
The punches come in with long stems,
and as the leaders pause a moment
before him he cuts off the stems with
one blow of the machine. In short
time he is standing knee deep in
stems, and colored gentleman comes
/ -. tI,a.t, nuarhna rh
clerk stands by to count the punches
as they go aboard, and the monot-
onous ''one, two, three, four, tal-l-e-e'
of the men on the platform con
tinues for hours and days. This
makes an odd scene by daylight; at
night, ty the light OF the torches, tits
weird
But these lunches are all green,
it was suggested. They must have
an entirely different flavor when cut
ripe"
Not at ALL" was the answer: "ba-
nanas are always cut green-never
allowed to ripen on the trees. This
is the one tropical fruit that the New
Yorker gets in exactly the same con
dition as the West Indian planter
gets il. As the banana tastes here,
so il tastes in Jamaica, in Cuba, In
Costa Rica, wherever it is grown.
But in those countries, while people
will not eat those large varieties,
they prefer the same fig banana,
which has more delicate flavor"
"a number Of Americans have
spent prospective millions in banana
culture, and have gone to warm
countries to try it. Do you know OF
any ~ he was asked. who have been
successful at itT'
I'm raising bananasy' he replied;
Anybody can raise bananas in a hot
country. They will grow themselves
if You let them alone. But you mean
successful in making money! l
know OF only one American who has
made money in the business and he
has a wealthy company TO back him.
He operates on the north shore OF
Jamaica and ships from Port Morant
and Port Antonio, his company own
ing the vessels. But he buys FROM
everybody, and he has made more
money out OF shipping than out OF
raising. What chance has an Aneri-
can in a business where he must com
pete with 10000 eolored men who can