Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-04-12
FACTS ABOUT BANANAS.
why the Red skinned variety HHn
Prncticnii, Disappeared.


Red bananas are 50 scarce nowadays
as to be practically rarity. The prevail
ing banana is yellow Twenty years and
more ago the rcd was Nc prevailing ba-
mana and the yellow tie rare one. The
change from red to yellow is due 10 COM
mcrcial reasons. The yellow banana Is
moro profitable.
The yellow banana requires less care
and time in the cultivation, and so costs
Jess in that stage. 1t sticks to the stem
better than the red banana, and so stands
handling better There are onC-third
moro yellow bananas to the bunch than
red. With all these marked advantages
in its favor the yellow banana has prac-
tically driven the red banana out
With this great scarcity red bananas
now bring fancy prices; it may be ten
tines as much as yellow bananas With
yellow bananas at 81 or %lJO bunch,
red would be worth from SO to Sl1, and
there would be fewer in bunch. Rcd
bananas sell nowadays in the fruit stores
as high as 90 cents each. The compare
lively few lunches imported are taken
by dealers in fine and fancy fruits as
novelties, the rarity IN large measure,
determining the price. 1t might be asked
why, with red bananas at such prices.
more are not cultivated; to which the au.
swcr is that if more were raised the price
would go down again, and there would
be no profit in raising them for the gem
eral demand in competition with the
more economically produced. more pro-
life and better shipping yellow bananas.
The red banana appears to he now IN its
scarcity like some other kinds of compar-
atively rare fruits, or. say, like game.
Some people prefer the flavor Of the rcd
banana. some prefer that of the yellow
II is prob, ble that the great majority
would have no choice, and the far lower
price ut which the yellow banana can be
offered to the individual consumer settles
the question.
Bananas were never before so cheap rs
they have been in very recent years.
Formerly luxury that was rather costly
than otherwise, the banana is now a
cheap luxury. Very good bananas can
now be bought commonly in the streets in
the season ut q cent apiece, or 10 cents
a dozen. such as formerly cost two or
three times as much. Formerly bananas
were brought to this country in sailing
vessels. in slick, fast schooucrs, which
with any sort of favoring conditions
made quick trips With adverse weather
if long continued the cargoes rotted.
Now bananas are brought by steam in
fast steamers built especially for the
fruit trade. These steamers may Of
course be held up by storms. but they are
not likely to be Commonly they land
cargoes here in specified time and in
the best and most suitable condition for
handling and marketing to the best ad-
vantage and with the least possible
waste and with advantage as to evenness
of supply. The great bulk OF the banana
trade in this country is now controlled by
company which banana importers have
organized.
The bananas eaten in this country
come from Costa Rica, British and Span
ish Honduras. Colombia Jamaica and
Cuba-that is, from countries around the
southern part OF the gulf of Mexico and
around the Caribbean sea. The bulk Of
the fruit from the gulf countries goes &c
New Orleans for distribution. that from
the other countries coming to Atlantic
ports. For many years bananas have had
more or less wide distribution from the
ports of receipt. but they were never be
fore so widely distributed nor sold sc
cheaply at interior points as now. Ba
nanas are now Sold not as rarities, but
more or less commonly. in all parts Of tbs
country. practically everywhere. the east
ern part Of the country being supplied
from Atlantic ports and the Mississippi
valley and the western half from New
Orleans. Costa Rica bananas are now
shipped from New Orleans over pretty
much all the western country to the Pa
cific coast New York Sun.