The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-03-23
BANANA TRADE INCREASE
IMPORTS FOR LAST FISCAL YEAR
AMOUNTED TO $3.50, 1856.
Business Is Chiefly Merged Into Hands
OF the "Trust'-The Growth Of
Consumption.

Ihe growth Of the banana trade IN the
united states In recent years Is sufficient
10 attract universal attention. II has been
exceled by few commodities OF food and
FOR increased consumption doubtless leads
the list of fruits. The banana business
like many others has been merged chiefly
under the management Of one company. ana
irult dealers now have to rely upon the
Trust for their supplies. The Nicaragua
company has been factor I'm the Texns
lfhue Tor the present season and the com.
petition has several times resulted In lo,g
prices ms rrmpany has not been the
eilstrIOutof OF any fruit however for some
Time ana the field Of the trust has not been
lnterfered with. This company with Two
or three Independent concerns at New or.
leahs are all that have broken the monopoly
OF the big banana trust" lately and the
period OF their survival against the big com
plnutl0n remains to be seen III trust prices
follow more extended life of the com.
plnhtloh the growing figures may follow IN
another direction. But the quantity con.
sumed at present may well cause the trust
10 be OF far reaching effects in It's relation
20 the consumers of one of the most wide.
ly used fruits.
The Central American countries and the
West Indies are the leading exporters to
the United States and the domestic pro
ductlon has dwindled to small proportions.
In this connection the following article an.
agricultural department and clearly sets
forth the extent of the banana trade at the
present time:
The great Increase In the use Of bananas
as a food In the United States during the
past thirty or forty years Is fact thar can
scarcely have escaped the notice OF even
the most careless observer, The magnitude
which the trade In this fruit has gradually
assumed, however, is probably not gener-
ally realized outside Of the circles directly
interested In the trade. In the foreign trade
of the United States In fresh fruits,
whether exports or imports be considered,
imports of bananas have for some years
been the most important single factor. This
fact Is brought into strong relief by the
OF tue bananas annually imported into Thu
country has been more than three times
that Of The apples annually exported. In
the fiscal year ended June 30, 1901, the rec
ord year up to date In the banana trade,
the total value of the bananas Imported
amounted to $3.50, 1856, while the value OF
the exports of fresh apples for the same
year--exports, too. which had been exceed
ed only twice in the previous decade
amounted to only $o,05s,964.
The United States is dependent almost
entirely on imports for its supply Of banl.
mas In the southern half of Florida, It is
true, the fruit has been cultivated to q
greater or less extent for some years, but
the great freeze of 1904 seems to have
placed a check upon the industry from
which It is slow to recover The follow
Of the State commissions OF agriculture
though incomplete as 70 returns from few
counties for the last two years, will Illus
trate the small Importance OF production
in Florida as compared with the trade IN
general