The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1894-03-24
TROPICAL FRUITS.
Bananas Require the Most Careful
Trsatrsnt - Methods Of Packing
the Various Fruits.

the Various Fruits.
Between 5000, 900 and 5000. OW
punches Of bananas are sold i'm thi
city every year, and though ST. Loui
consumes the bulk OF these, a grea
deal is shipped TO points between
here and San Francisco. The bi,
warehouses in which this fruit /.
stored and brought to maturity be
fore selling and shipping are located
along North Third street. A ram
BILE among these brings out many in
teresting points, not only about tn,
methods employed in handling anC
ripening bananas, but deal Of othe
tropical fruit.
Bananas for the st. Louis market
come from points in British Hon
duras, Jamaica and the islands OF the
Southern Atlantic Ocean. Port
| Limon, Boco del Foro, Port Antonio
! Araranca and the Blue Fields OF
Nicaragua are the greatest pro-
ducers.
The bananas grow on great planta-
tions, and "a they are cut are car
/ ried on the backs and heads OF
natives to the big vessels which are
engaged in the business Of transport
ing tropical fruits to the United
States. The fruit is green when load
ed into the hull OF the vessel. and
care must be taken, not only in load
ing the cargo in the vessels hold
but also i'm preventing by the use Of
ventilation, any sweating process that
would arise if the hold were allowed
to grow warm.
In this green state the fruit in
tended for st. Louis and points on
the Mississippi is loaded on boats or
ears at Mobile and near New Orleans
From the landing stages where the
boats arrive, or from the freight
sheds, it is hauled in huge express
wagons to the warehouses already
mentioned, and in front Of these any
fine day when "A cargo Of bananas is
being received the scenes are truly
interesting.
AS the big trucks, loaded with
their precious freight, pull up before
the doors hundreds OF Italian ped
dlers, ragged urchins and negro wo-
men scramble for such of the fruit
a., having ripened on the punches,
may fall TO the sidewalks, and the
scenes that follow the scuffle are
amusing i'm the extreme
Now that the fruit has arrived
safely at its destination it requires
even more Of an outlay OF watchful-
ness and experience to prepare it
suitably for the market. The punches
are carried to long, dark rooms where
steam pipes or gas stoves keep the
temperature at different degrees of
heat, varying from 30 to - degrees
Fahrenheit The finer formed
punches, bearing the larger class of
fruit, are hung on the bottom racks,
while the smaller sized go to the top,
because the heat rises and concen-
trates along the ceilings Of these
Aooms, thereby giving greater force
to the small fruit, which ripens more
slowly than the larger sort.
The orders that come in for ban
anaS usually state the stage of ripe
ness in which the buyer desires the
fruit shipped to him. The packing
must be done very carefully as it is
without doubt the most tender Of all
tropical fruits TO handle.
First, the punches are placed in
big paper bags and these are then
dipped into cases lined with straw or
salt hay as still further protection
against the changes Of temperature.
In this packing they are easily
shipped to the most distant points in
the country.
Aspinwall was ut one time the
greatest port for the shipment of this
fruit to the United States, but since
the Pacific Fruit Transportation Com
pany ceased operating their line of
steamers, this business has fallen
away altogether.
Oranges Of every sort-navel tam
gerine and grape fruit-are plentiful
in these great stock-rooms, and the
supply is usually drawn from Florida,
although California is called upon at
times. OF the Florida fruit the best
comes from Citra. Leesburg, Orange
Bend on Indian river lamps, Gaines
vile, Emerald Island and points in
the south and southeast OF the State
Tangerines and grapefruit - kid
glove oranges, "a they are termed by
the fruit dealers-are comparatively
new in this market and are little
known, though i'm the Far South the
cooks use them i'm delightful salads,
marmalade and cake dressings or
puddings. They are higher grade in
flesh, flavor and price than the Flor
ida oranges, and are usually packed
more carefully in their wooden cases.
The long gray Spanish moss that was
formerly used in packing is done
away with by paper, tinSel and tissue
sheets.
4 few lemons are received from the
Pacific Slope, but the greater portion
are imported from points along the
Mediterranean Sea, and especially
from Sicily. Figs are received in bags
from Arabia. and these are the coars-