, 1894-10-06

fruit from the Canaries and the West Indies
have not come TO hand in very prime condl-
tion, tut, as the Morning Post remarks,
Gradually improvements are made an the
method of shipping and storing for an ocean
voyage, and the time occupied IN transit Is
being reduced, 80 that before long there ID
reason to hope that the magnificent bananas
OF our own OSsessiors IN the West Indies
will be placed on the London market III
prime condition, and we may then expect 10
find oranges take second place in pAbllc estl-
nation. The banana is an essentially tropi.
cal fruit. and it is only in the tropics that 1t
reachO- perfection 80 that thdCanary growtns,
although good, cannot be expected To eqnai
those from more favourably situated countries.
In Canada and tie United States the trade in
West Indian bananas has increased by leaps
and bounds"
The fruit trade of Jamaica bids fair 10 be.
come as valuable as was once the export Of
sugars from that island. The article, both
in London and New York, when of good quail
ty, sells i'm the open market at an aver"g" OF
So. a bunch, aud at Covent Garden very
large punches have fetched as much as los.
while clusters of the finest sorts have been
known to realize as much as a guinea or 23s.
1t is obvious, then, that the banana trade Is
one which is we'll worth the attention OF
merchants and the public alike.
Our daily contemporary IS III error when IL
declares the plantain and the banana to be
one and the same fruit. apparently tie
only difference between bananas and plantalns
is the size of the fruit, for we are told that
there are no characters that can be clearly
defined ns separating the TWO" the sweet ba-
nanas being referred to by some authors as
nusa sopien tum, and the vegetable-llke fruits
or plantains os musG pGradisiGcG. The former
appellation, according to De Candol'e, is de-
rived from the practice of ancient sages to re.
nose beneath the shade Of the tree and eat
the fruit: the hitter from another version Of
the story of Ewes temptation in Paradise"
Whatever botanists may tell us, there is
no doubt that popularity the term banana ap-
plies to the eutable fruit, whilst the term
nlantain is employed to designate the cooka.
ble fruit, or more properly vegetable at the
same time we admit that the term is, in the
East Indies, applied Unfortunately to both
kinds. In Ceylon and other parts Of the
East there is an infinite variety Of this fruit
bearing plant, mnny Of most delicious favour.
and there is little doubt that provided it
could be imported into this country in fresh
and good condition, and partaking of the ma
tural fine hnNOur OF the DaiianH, there Will be
unlimited demand for them and a very profit.
able business might be carried on.
Judging from what we hear of the Surf
nam process for the preparation of the dried
md powdered fruit, we should think that al.
though the preserved banana might not prove
ouual IN favour and quality to the natural
fruit, it would nevertheless, be found all &C.
ceptuble substitute for it, and at a very mo
derate price. Should our anticipations prove
we'll founded, we may find before long that
this delicious West India fruit will be an
other added 20 the long list of Colonial con
tributions to the delicacies Of the British
table, which will not fail to be appreciated
in every household. Public acknowledgement
are due to the Kew authorities for their very
timely addition TO the Literature of colonial
fruits.