The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-02-16
THE FRUITS OF THE EARTH.

"Will," said Uncle Jack, as he handed
the boys basket of fruit that he had
brought for them, what fruit do you
like best?"
Bananas, SIR
II thought so. Now, the question is,
What do you children know about ba-
nanas?"
II know they grow in hot countries
said Joe; land think they grow in the
woods"
"Some kinds do grow in the woods, re.
piled Uncle Jack. but the fruit of wild
banana plants is almost always too bitter
to eat That which is good to eat is the
fruit of trees planted in gardens or in
fields"
"And, uncle, from what do they grown"
asked Joe.
"a great many shoots come up from
the roots of the old trees. These are cut
off and set in the ground. just as we
start geraniums and rose trees. Pretty
soon the young shoots send up two long
leaves. But you would not think that
they were leaves. They are curled SO
tightly together that they look just like
round stick. After awhile the leaves
unfold and hang down like branches.
Other leaves grow out, curled just as
tight as the first. These soon uncurl
and bend down. and others grow in their
place. Then the plant really begins to
look like tree; but the trunk is not
hard wood like the oak or the pine; it is
nothing but leaf stems packed closely to-
gether. At the end of nine months
deep purple bud appears in the center
of the leaves. Pretty soon it grows out
and hangs down. 1t looks like great
purple heart. At last it opens, and there
are seen rings and rings of bright little
buds arranged around the stem. Soon
each bud bursts into yellow blossom.
Then comes the fruit. At first each ba-
mana is only tiny green pod; but it
grows and grows till the cluster is very
heavy"
How heavy?" asked Will.
ooh, as heavy as you are, Will"
"Ninety-one pounds"
Eyes. Each banana weighs very little
by itself; but sometimes there are sew
eral hundred bananas on one stem. A
great many are picked while they are
still green. If they we're not. we should
never have them here. They would not
keep long enough. When gathered they
are put in cool place, or are buried in
the earth until they are taken on the
steamer to be brought to New York or
Halifax"
What becomes of the tree, sir?"
"Oh, when it has borne it's cluster of
fruit the poor thing withers away; the
big stem and the great leaves die; but
the root still lives; and all around the
dead stem come up the young shoots, or
baby plants, which, as ! told you, are
saved to plant again."
do people in the hot countries eat
many bananas, Uncle Jack?" asked Will.
Thousands Of people live almost en-
tirely on them, WILL just as people in
some countries live on potatoes and
others on rice. They have bananas for
breakfast, dinner and tea. Sometimes
the people of South America cut the
fruit into strips, then dry it in the sun,
grind it and make -four from it,"
Fancy having banana biscuit for
breakfast" whispered Will.
1.-The young shoots" concluded Uncle
Jack, that come up from the roots of
the dead trees are eaten as greens, like
dandelions. The leaves have watery
juice which is used to dye white cloth.
1t makes it brown or black. The long,
tough threads of the leaves are woven
into beautiful kind of cloth called
grass cloth.-Our Sunday Afternoon.