The morning call., 1893-12-09
APPETITE GROWS WITH EATING.

We find in the Pittsburg Despatch some
interesting statistics of the growth of the
banana trade in that city. 1t appears that
1t is only thirty years since the first bana-
mas we're brought from New Orleans to
Pittsburg by Mississippi pilot. They
were exhibited In the confectioners' win
dows, but people did not care TO buy them
and most of them rotted. The price was
against them, as was the case with pine
apples. Ten years afterward a taste for
the banana sprang up and one dealer
boasted Of having disposed of seventy FIVE
bunches 10 a week. Now one firm sells
400 carloads. each containing from $50 to
400 punches. in the course of year. In
creased demand led to increased supply.
few years ago an American settled at
the port of Limon in Costa Rica. He con-
ceived the idea of building railroad from
that port to San Jose and having little
money he hit upon the idea of providing
funds for the enterprise by raising bana.
nas for the American market. He leased
an enormous tract Of level land extending
from the shore toward the mountains and
planted it in bananas. He chartered a
small steamer to carry his fruit to New
Orleans. The end of the enterprise was
that be built his road, which runs through
ten or twelve miles of banana forest, and
is probably many times a millionaire.
In building up market for California
fruit at the East it is not necessary to edu-
cate the taste of the people. Every resi-
dent of that section is familiar with the
pear. the peach. the plum, the grape and
the apricot, but they can be educated to
lorn ify
wholesome fruits than they do. There is
no reason why the workmen of New York
and Chicago should not eat as much fruit
as the Californian does. This they will do
when they get used to it and find that it is
as cheap as any other form of food and
much more wholesome than most kinds.
Its reputation is already esta blished. At
the fruitstores in New York fruit from the
Gulf States and West India Islands is sold
under the name of California fruit, as Cali
fornia wine is sold under the name of
French wine. The problem Of the hour is
to systematic the trade here so that we
shall send 100000 carloads OF fruit every
year across the mountains and lay it down
In the 4 astern cities at price which shall
be within the reach of all purses-say at z
to 10 cents per pound at retail.
Chicago. with the markets which depend
on it, took 1000 carloads of California fruit
this year. This seems really very little
when it is remembered that Chicago con-
tains million people and is surrounded
by thriving and populous towns and viii
lagos. Doctors tell us that ripe fruit eaten
In moderation. Is an antidOte to many of
the diseases which sff1ct humanity. Cap
tains of sailing ships on long sea voyages
find that an ailng crew will be restored to
health by supply of fruit. People who
live on meat and grain suffer from a varI-
ETY. of diseases il they cannot obtain the
acid and sucrose Of fruit. And of all the
forms of diet which hygiene recommends
fruit is the most palatable. Those who
have observed In the Northeastern States
the avidity with which children devour
hard. tastaless apples can easily figure how
welcome supply of juicy. luscious Cali
fornia pears and plums and grapes would
be in households.
One often hears that fruit-growing has
been overdone in this State. This fallacy
has arisen from the fact that we have only
concerned ourselves about one end of the
business; the other end we have left to
providence. Quite as important as the
growing of fruit is the knowing what to do
with it when it is grown. Barely half
dozen years have elapsed since the first
systematic attempts were made to organize
shipments of green fruit to the East. In
those half dozen years so much progress
has been made that this year not much
less than 100000. coo pounds were exported
from California to the Middle and Atlantic
States. and this is only the beginning. As
the fruit unions go on extending their ram
ifications 1t will be found not that the pro-
duction of fruit has been overdone, but
that we are unable to supply the demand
without an annual increase of our fruit
acreage.