Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1898-06-27
BANANA GROWING.
The Native OF Central America De-
Ponds on It for His Living.
But He Has to Work But . Fort
night to Secure Food for
Whole Year-HOVv the Fruit
In Grown.

The headquarters of the banana trade
in Nicaragua is Bluefields, until recent
ly the capital of the Mosquito reserva-
ton, whence about 100000 punches
are, or were, annually exported to tn,
United States.
But for the banana and the p.antain
the natives of Central America would
have to live by the sweat of their brows.
possessing the banana and plantain.
they may toll or not, as they please
There is no necessity. A fortnight.
intermittent labor will supply mar
and his family with food for year
During the II months and two weeks re-
naming they may swing in their ham
mocks if they think fit. Their Dime.
will always be within arms reach, SO to
say. One of the motions" of that much
misunderstood and unfortunate reform.
er, Col. Walker, the "filibuster," was to
destroy every banana and plantain tree
in Nicaragua. 1t would have been :.
task for Hercules. Whether he was il.
sober earnest, or merely expressing u
! wish, is of no consequence; he was right
in his conclusions. Only by doing so
and making replanting penal offensc
could he hope to overcome the innate in
dolence of the people and compel them
to be industrious and happy.
For the planter with small means.
that is with capital of 81 900 upwar..
Il know of no occupation so certain II
realize decent income as growinc,
bananas, provided that the plantation is
within easy reach of the sea, and there
are steamers to carry his produce to
NewOrleans, New York or London. That
IS of prime Importance. For the rest.
he may tickle the soil and it will laugh
with harvest. He need not take any
risk. He may sell his produce to tn.
captain of a fruit steamer for 25 cents
bunch, pocket the money and have
done with it. And this plan has many
advantages.
The banana is cultivated from suckers
springing from the roots of an existing
tree, generally known as the stool"
Ihcse suckers are detached and planted.
hey strike and shoot uD so fast that it
5 no great eXaggeration to say that you
'"n see them grow. In year or less the
".anter harvests the first crop.
The banana has no trunk, but a soft
dbrous, so-called stem, composed of the
,"af stalks rolled one over the other.
;Thich grows to from ten to twenty fee;
in height, and withers after the fruit
has ripened. The tree is seldom known
TO seed. The roots, however, furnish
SHOOTS or suckers year after year, until
the stool is exhausted. The purple
lower blossoms on long spikes, spring
ing from the cluster of leaves which ap-
pear to open out from the stem. The
flower spikes are often four feet long,
and the bunch Of fruit which succeeds
the blossom comprises from eight to
twelve dozen bananas, weighing from
30 to 60 pounds. The leaves are from six
to ten feet long and from one to two
feet wide. When the leaves are newly
opened the tree has most graceful an
pcarance.
For successful cultivation cool, rich
and moist soil is required, the nlluyial
deposits OF the river bottoms, or the
higher land where rain is abundant or
water plentiful. Bananas grown on
high ground are said to be finer than
those Of the valleys.
In preparing plantation the trees
and brushwood should be cut down,
and after lying n month to dry, burned
and the ashes spread over the land. The
suckers, which, being very abundant.
may be purchased Mt q low price, are
then planted at distance of from 12 to
10 feet apart, or say 200. to the acre. In
Mexico, as will be seen presently, thev
are often planted much more closely,
LOCO trees to the acre being common.
After the Arst crop is harvested the
stems should be cut down, chopped into
short lengths and henped around the