The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-02-22
FACTS ABOUT BANANAS.
Why the Red Banana Has Disap.
peared-Phases Of the Trade.

Red bananas are so scarce nova
days as to be practically a rarity;
the prevailing banana is yellow. Twen-
ty years and more ago the red was
the prevailing banana and the yellow
the rare one. The change from red
to yellow was due to commercial rea.
sons; the yellow banana is more prof
table.
The yellow banana requires less
care and time in cultivation, and so
costs less in that stage. It sticks to
the stem better than the red banana,
and so stands handling better There
are 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; 1t may
be ten times as much as yellow ba.
nanas With yellow bananas at 81
or $1.50 a bunch red would be worth
from SO to $11 and there would be
fewer in a bunch. Red bananas sell
nowadays in the fruit stores as high
as twenty cents apiece. The compara-
lively few lunches imported are taken
by dealers in fine and fancy fruits
as novelties, the rarity In large meas
ure determining the price. 1t might
be asked why, with red bananas at
such a price, more are not cultivated;
to which the answer is that IL more
were raised the price would go down
again, and there would be no profit
In 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
its scarcity like some other kinds of
comparatively rare fruits. or, say like
game. Some people prefer the flavor
of the red banana, some prefer that
of the yellow il 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
good bananas can now be bought com
monty in the streets in the season at
a cent apiece, or ten cents a 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 schooner5
which, with any sort of favorng con-
ditions, made quick trips; with adj
verse 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 car.
goes in a specified time, and in the
best and most suitable condition for
handling and marketing to the best
advantage and with the least posi-
BILE waste, and with advantage as to
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
come from Costa Rica, British and
Spanish Honduras, Columbia, 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 to New Orlaens
for distribution, that from the other
countries goes to Atlantic ports For
many years bananas have had a more
or less wide distribution from tao
ports of receipts; but they were never
before so widely distributed, nor soll
so cheaply at interior points, as now
Bananas are now sold, not as rarities
but more or less commonly, in all
parts of the country; practically
everywhere; the eastern 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 Pacific
coast.-N. Y. Sun.