St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-04-25
cAMAHAs A PROFITABLE CROP.
sase Quantleles ef tAe Fruit Are
BnaeoA n the 8oQth,

a PROFITABLE CROP.
In0oaoo Q0ont1tloo oR tie Fruit Are
Raised at the 8oatA.
Al the banana is grown in this lat
ltude solely for its shade and ~ IN
plant, il il hard for ~ to-
realize how indispensable it In to the
Inhabitants of the tropics, or to what
extent It furnishes them with their
daily food. Upon those rare occasions
when the fruit ripens here it 10 far
from attaining the sine and favor Of
the banana Of the torrid zone. and
those that are imported. being cut
while green and allowed to ripen In
warehouses, lack the PERFECTION OF
fruit matured under tropical suns and
eaten fresh from the tree. But not.
withstanding these disadvantages. the
consumption Of bananas II rapidly In
creasing. and in 1891 there were Ia
000, 900 bunches brought into the
United States, valued at the custom
house at - 4,OO0,O 900. The imports Of the
last two years doubtless much exceed
that amount. and this calculation takes
NO account Of those raised in the Routh.
ern states and in California, % It will
be seen we are fast becoming . banana
loving people.
So far the fruit has been used here
simply n fruit, with the exception that
in the south It il occasionally fvied or
TAXED, but It has not become nm article
of ordinary diet, ~ it II in those lands
where It II indigenous. There It takes
10 . great extent the place Of our
cereals, and the laborers greatly IRE
fer it to our standard articles Of diet,
bread and potatoes, while we learn
from Stanley that in the interior of
Africa, the banana and plantasn con-
stitute almost the only food Of the
negroes. They have for them the great
recommendations that they require 50
little culture. and are 70 easily propa-
gated, and that their yield IN 10 much
greater than other crops. 1t Is said
that IN acre planted in them produces
. ton Of fruit, while their productive
ness ss compared with wheat is N
twenty-three to one, and to potatoes
forty-four to one. The coarser kinds
are chiefly used in . dry state AMI re
duced to meal. when they max. .
palatable cake or porridge. but it would
need some education to make European
nations relish them in that form, ~
the great recommendation Of our stable
articles of food, rice. potatoes and
bslsd il the absence Of any peculiar
Envor or sweetness.
: It Is difficult to define the difference
between the banana and the plantain.
except that the latter il rather c0arser
and has less flavor than the banana,
and is therefore more frequently cooked
than eaten raw. There il. however. .
great variety Of plants belonging to
his class. varying from the Chinese
banana, which il Of dwarf growth. not
reaching more than four or five feet
in height, with fruit hve inches long,
to the giant bananas of central Africa,
which attain to the height Of 20 feet,
and bear fruit that measures 20 inches
in length and eight in circumference.
with from 50 to 100 Of them in bunch
One Of these monsters might well serve
for . meal for . small family.
In those countries where the banana
grows luxuriantly 1t il useful to the
natives in many ways besides ~ food.
The native huts are thatched with the
leaves, they are made into baskets for
holding various things, the fiber il
used as thread for sewing and cord
for tying. the young buds and tender
shoots are cooked and eaten an we
would asparagus, or made into salads.
Come varieties have a fine white pow
der on the under side Of the leaves
that when melted becomes pure white
wax, and all of them have 70 much
kannin In the juice Of the stem that it
can be used in dyeing or ~ ink. The
burnt leaves and stalks produce . pot
ash that takes the place Of soap. and
the plant can be utilized in many other
ways. But perhaps the most useful
article made from the plantation il
the MANILA hemp of commerce from
which ropes, mats and numerous other
things arc made, while the old ropes
are utilized by paper manufacturers
to make . strong quality Of wrapping
paper This species Of the banana
grows 80 luxuriantly in the Philippine
islands that $4,000 tons Of 1t are ex-
ported annually in the shape OF ma
nilla hemp.-Charleston News and
Courier.