The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-02-16
FATS AeGuT BANANAS.

Red bananas are so scarce nowadays
as To be practically rarity; the pre-
yailing banana is yellow. Twenty years
and more ago the red was the prevail
ing banana and The yellow the rare
one. The change from red to yellow Is
due 10 commercial reasons; the yeiio"
banana il more profitable.
The yellow banana requires less c"le
and time in the cultivation, anu -
rssts less I'm that stage, III STICKS 10 'he
,tf,n hetter imam the red banana, ana
50 stands hanuling better. Thefe arr
one-third more yellow bananas 10 the
bunrh than red With all these marx
"a advantages IN gts favor & ie yellow
hanana has practically driven the reu
banana out .ooa,as
W4uh this great scarcity red pahahds
now bring fancy prices, IL may ", p,,Vsh
times as much as yellow bananas. Wlth
yellow bananas al 81 or $50 puncn
red would be worth from so To sll' anu
there would be fewer in u buhch he heu
bananas sell nowadays IN the IT, ~
sstorcs as high as 20 cents edCh' ~
cpmparativeiy few buncheS linpuIteu
are taken by dealers in nne ana lanoS
fruits as novelties, the rarity IN larse
measure determining the price IL
might be asked why, with red bananas
at such prices more are not cultlNatto'
10 which the answer Is that III ihoIo
wefg, raised the price would go uoWh
again, and there would be no proh' III
raising them for the general demanu'
i'm competaion wakh the more economl-
cally produced more prolific and Deter
shipping yellow bananas. Ihe Ieu
banana appcnrs TO be now in its scar
city like some other kinds OF compafa-
lively rare fruits, or, say. IKE game
Some people prefer the naVor ot tne
red banana some prefer that OF the
yellow IL Is probable that the srea,
majority would have no choice anu
the far lower price at when the yer
low banana can be offered To the maj
vidual consumer settles the question:
Rananas We're never before 50 cheap
as they have been In very recent years.
Formerly a luxury that was rauhtI
costly than dherwise the bahann y
now a cheap luxury. very good panahas
rqn nav be bought commonly in the
streets i'm the season at n cent apiece
,r 10 cents a dozen. such as formerN
| rost two or three times as much foi
| merly bananas were brought 10 TINS
| country in sailing vessels, in SICK las'
schoonels which. with any sort OF IA
| Voring conditions. made quick uips'
with adverse weather, II long conth-
/ al the cstyeoes rottad. Now bananas
| are brought by Steam, in fast steamers
| buitt especally for the fruit trade,
| These steamers may Of course be ne ~
| up by storms but they are not llkely
| to be; commonly they land carg0es mere
/ i'm a specified time, and In the best anu
most suitable cond' tion for handling
/ and marketing TO the best adVanag,
/ and with the least possible waste, ano
! with ADVANTAGE az 10 evcnness ut sup
/ ply. The great bulk OF the banana
/ trade I'm this country is now controlled
1 by company which banana import
1 ers have organized.
| The bananas eaten I'm this country
| come from Costa Eica- itriush dh'
| Snanlsh Honduras. Colombia, Jamaics
| and cuba: that H.. from countrie =
4 around the southern parT OF the Gul
| Of Mexico and around the Caribbean
| sea The bulk ~ tar fruit from IN
! gulf countries Rns7 to New orleans To-
distribute on. that from the other c"nn
| tries coming 20 Atlantic ports. Fo
| many years bananas have had NOR
/ or tese wide distribution from the port
| of receipts: but they were never beior'
| so widely distributed. nor sold l'
| ,heaplv at interior points. as now
| Bonanas are now sold not rs rarltes
but more or less commonly. IN all paru
! ~ The country; practically everywhere
/ tho eastern part - The country bcin'
| suppllcd from Atlantic ports, nnd IN
Miss -slppi Valley and the western nal
from New O~'CaNs Costa Rica hama
mas are row shipped from New or
leans over pretty much al he westeri
country 10 the Pacific Coast