Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-02
A TRIP ID THE TROPICS
Our Correspondent Describes Ja-
 maica'S Chief Industry.
THE BANANA AND ITS USES
He Rides Through the Largest Cocoanut Walk and Largest Banana Plantation in
 the World.

Port Maria, Jamaica, Nov, 4 1S95.- Special Corresponds (-I became so engrossed with the. rnongoose in my last letter that I forgot to finish my trip across the island and get myself aboard of my ship. I found the schooner at Port Maria the captain and crew anxiously awaiting my arrival They seemed de- lighted that I had met with no accident, nor been arrested for stealing ashore at night and I was equally as we'll pleased I have formed such an attachment for the vessel and crew that I feel lost and homesick whenever I am away from them. Now that I am aboard I don't intend to wander off very far again. l have made several short trips, but they don't count.
 One of these excursions led me through a beautiful cocoanut walk, the largest in the world. It is owned by a Scotch man and covers the entire side of noun tain on the west side of Port Maria. There is no telling how many million cocoanuts this walk furnishes in year; enough, though, to allow the owner to live in Europe in clover. Un- derneath the trees were dozens of ne- groes husking the nuts One negro can husk 2000 per day, but 1900 is a good av- craze It is very tedious and hard work diu llle pay IS very Sl1ldll.
 But speaking of low wages reminds me of the fact that this is a gold standard country and wages are as cheap here as in Mexico, a silver standard country. Mexico is prospering, gold and English capital is flowing there, while this coun- try is in the slough of despond. The real trouble is that Jamaica, like the United States, has a decreasing per capita cir culation, whereas in Mexico the volumR of money is constantly increasing. Mex ico pays her interest charges in products and the gold countries pay them in gold MT. Carlisle admits that the volume of our currency decreased SAT, ,00O, 900 last praised on all sides for it's manly fight for affairs of state, notwithstanding the fact that am far away from home.
 The silver cause Is growing rapidly down here and the State Herald is being praised on all sides for its manly fight for more money Wherever I go I find the State Herald It Is the only Alabama paper that can be found in these parts
 But let me proceed on my journey. Af- ter leaving the cocoanut walk I rode through the country a few miles, visit ing many banana plantations The east ern end of the island is devoted almost exclusively to banana culture Many ships are loaded here every week and millions of punches per year are shipped to New York and the east. The Jamaica banana IS superior to the bananas seen an Birmingham, all of which are grown on the Spanish main; that is, Nicaragua. Honduras or Costa Rica. Jamaica being sever hundred miles closer to New York than the Spanish main, the eastern mer- cnants are willing to pay more than southern merchants for them. This com petition has consequently driven Mobile ana New Orleans merchants out of the tupan and Jamaica markets, which have no advantage over the Spanish main, so Jar as distance is concerned.
 . The banana and it's products is Inc mainstay of the tropics. It is used for many other purposes besides eating.
 In the West Indies the dried leaves and prepared portions of the stem are used as Packlng materials. Fresh leaves are used 70 shade young coffee or cacao seedlings an nursery beds. and to cover cacao beans hur1ng Fermentation. The young uno- pened leaves are so smooth and soft that they are used as dressing for blisters. 4n India the dried stalk of the plantain leaf Is used as a rough kind of twine, and the larger parts are made into small boxes for holding snuff, drugs, etc.
 In the Malay peninsula the ash of the leaf and leaf stalk is used instead of soap or fuller's earth in washing clothes, and solution of the ash is often used as salt in cooking. In the Dutch Indies the skin of the plantain is used for blackening shoes. The juice which flows from all cut parts of the banana is rich in tannin, and of so blackening nature that it may be used as an indelible mark ing ink. In Java the leaves of the wax banana" are covered on the under side with white powder, which yields valu- able wax, clear, hard and whitish, form ing an important article of trade. The ashes of the leaves, stem and fruit rind are employed in Bengal in many dyeing processes. In Siam a cigarette wrapper is made from the leaves.
 Fibre is got from the stems of many kinds of bananas. The most valuable is the Manila hemp" of commerce, which holds the chief place for making white ropes and cordage Old ropes made of it form an excellent paper-making materi- al much used in the United States for industry is a large one. About 50,000 tons of fibre, valued at f3, 1000, 900, are annually exported from the Philippine islands. The Manila hemp plant is grown exclu- sively in the southeastern part of the Philippines, and all attempts to grow it elsewhere have failed. Many articles are made from Manila hemp-mats cords, hats, plaited work, lace handkerchiefs of the finest texture and various qualities of paper. At Wohlau in Switzerland, an industry has been started for making lace and materials for ladies' hats from it. By a simple process it is made into straw exactly resembling the finest wheat straw for plating
 mon in the states that we rarely pause long enough to give it a second consider tion unless by chance we should step on its "peel" There is no other country where so many bananas are eaten as in the states, about IT 000,0 900 punches per year being consumed. As each bunch con tains from six to twelve hands, and each hand has a dozen fingers or bananas, you see there are about 150,O00. 900 bananas consumed or at the rate of twenty for each man, woman and child lin the land.
 The total imports of bananas into the United States during the past year amounted to 16.720.127 punches. divided hs follows:
 New Orleans .............. BOSS, ,119 New York ,.... ............ .... 454S,572 Mobile .,, ...... .......... .... 2449,618 ThtIadelnhia - - ...... ...... 2026, ,7S0 Roston . ,...... ......... 1,637, ,SO2 RoItimore ......... 92S 236 Charieston . ...... ..... ....... 4,000
 ro.., 1s 720 I27