Evening journal., 1900-03-16
FACTS ABOUT sANzNAs.
Why the Red Banana Has Dissp-
peared-Phases Of the Trade.

Red bananas are so scarce nova
days as TO be practically q rarity;
the prevailing banana is yellow. Twen-
t. years and more ago the red was
the prevailing banana and the yellow
the rare one. The change from red
to yellow was due 70 commercial. rea-
sons; the yellow bahama IS more prof.
table.
The yellow banana requires less
care and time In cultivation. and so
costs less in that stage. II sticks to
the stem better than the red banana.
md SO stands handling better. There
rre one.third more yellow bananas TO
the bunch than red With all these
marked advantages In its favor the
yellow banana has practically driven
the red banana out
With this great scarcity red ban
anas now bring fancy prices il may
be ten times as much as yellow ba-
nanas with yellow bananas at 81
or Sl50 bunch red would be worth
from sS TO S1l, and there would be
fewer In a bunch. Red bananas sell
nowadays In the fruit stores aa high
as twenty cents apiece The compare
lively few lunches imported are taken
by dealers In fine and fancy fruits
q novelties, the rarity in large meas
ure determining the price IL might
be asked why. with red bananas at
such a price more are not cultivated;
TO which the answer Is that II more
were raised the price would go down
again, and there would be no profit
n raising them for the general de-
mand. in competition with the more
economically produced, more prolific
and better shipping yellow bananas.
The red banana appears to be now In
it's scarcity like some other kinds OF
comparatively rare fruits. or, say like
came. Some people prefer the favor
of the red banana some prefer that
OF the yellow; It Is probable that the
great majority would have no choice;
and the far lower price at which the
yellow banana can be offered to the
individual consumer settles the ques-
tiOn.
Bananas were never before so
cheap as they have been in very re-
cent years. Formerly a luxury that
was rather costly than otherwise. the
banana is now q cheap luxury. very
Z good bananas can now be bought COM
mo1ly In the streets In the season at
a cent apiece. or ten cents dozen.
such as formerly cost two or three
times as much. Formerly bananas
were brought to this country in sail
/ ing vessels in slick fast schOonera.
which. with any sort OF favoring con-
ditions, made quick trips; With ad.
verse weather. II 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 car
goes In q specified time and In the
best anG most suitable condition for
handling and marketing to the best
advantage and with the least pOssi
BILE waste. and with advantage as 10
evenness OF supply The great bulk
OF the banana trade In this country Is
now controlled by a company which
banana importers have organized.
The bananas eaten In this country
cone from Costa Rica. British anC
Spanish Honduras. Columbia. Jamaici
and Cuba that 10. from countries
around the southern part OF the Gul
OF Mexico and around the Caribbean
Sea. The bulk of the fruit from the
Gulf countries goes 60 New Orlaeni
for distribution. that from the othe
countries goes TO Atlantic ports. Fo
i1any years bananas have had a more
orr less wide distribution from Tho
DO It's OF receipts; but they were neve
bei ore so widely distributed. nor sol'
SO cheaply at interior points, as now
bananas are now sold. not as rarities
but more or less commonly in al
lparts Of the country, PRACTICAL,
everywhere; the eastern part OF tn
country being supplied from Atlanti
,N,rts. and the Mississippi valley an'
il.s western half from New Orleans
Creta Rica bananas are now shippel
FROM New Orleans over pretty mucl
, am .he western country to the Pacih
coasts-N. Y. Sun.