The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-06-06
ENORMOUS INCREASE
IN IMPORTS of BANANAS
Total Consumption of Fruit Last Year
100000 Bunches.

One would think that as warm weather
| approaches, and fresh fruits and vege-
tables begin to cheaper. the banana
mans profits would begin to fall off. But
this is just the time of year when they
swell to three times their winter pro-
portions II is not in winter, when lit
tie other fruit is to be had. that people
| consume bananas in vast quantities, but
in summer, when they assault the eyes
OF the millions temptingly without dan
ger of freezing.
America has. within the last ten years,
become the greatest banana consuming
country on the globe. Twenty-four mill
lion punches were imported last year
into the United States. an increase OF
40 per cent over ten years ago. TINS IN
crease is due simply and solely TO ven-
tilators. The ordinary ship has no ven
tilators in the holds. The ship con-
structed specially for carrying bananas
has from twelve 10 twenty big ones.
The company which controls 50 per cent
of the banana trade has seventyfve OF
these banana ships in active service
But care can by no means relax after
long distance hauls the national fruit
OF the tropics requires almost as much
attention as it does on shipboard- This
is particularly true in the West. where
The messenger service is an important
department OF banana commerce.
The banana messenger holds an inter-
esting position. He takes the cars Tor
th.. Western trade out OF New Or
leans. on some trips having as many as
twenty under his charge. They must be
dr. pped all along the way from st. Louis
to the Coast, and they must reach each
town in the right conditicn. ripenec just
trough to make good eating. This ma
turing takes place on the cars, and de-
ponds on the skillfui manipulation OF
ventilators.
No artificial heat is supplied in winter
| Tie cars are heated with stoves before
departure, and the stoves are then re-
moved After that the vast mass of
moist bananas will generate even too
much heat if left to themselves There
| IS a thermometer in each car. and IL IS
the messengers business to keep the
temperature regulated 10 a dot, so that
TIC man IN Kansas City and the man in
Seattle will get his bananas just right
/ Sc that, in fact. Westerners- consume
bananas ripened by messenger service
instead of the sun. Twenty-Five messen-
/ GERS make their headquarters in New
Orleans. but in the East the distances
! are so much less that not more than
five or six are kept busy.
bananas for Washington come from
/ ('IIh
rningo. and Santa Marta, in South
America Those for New Orleans come
mostly from the United States Of CO.
lombia and various parts Of Central
| America. The fruit company which so
! largely controls the trade raises 90 per
cent of the product it handles on its
own plantations. where it cultivates the
fruit. although 1t will grow without cul-
| tivation throughout tropical America.
There are only two kinds OF bananas,
/ the red and the yellow, but the red
one is no longer handled owing to its
poor transporting qualities Fried, 1t
forms staple dish among the humber
housewives OF tropical America. Two
varieties of the plantain, which is kind
of banana, are imported for the Southern
trade.
The same improved methods of trans
Iportation which have made Americans
race OF banana eaters have begun the
same transformation process with the
English. But refrigerator ships are
necessary, summer and winter, TO enable
the banana 10 stand the seventeen or
eighteen day voyage TO Liverpool. as
against that of five days to New York.
The first refrigerator banana ships from
jamaica to Liverpool were put on N
1901. with a fortnightly service This was
Increased to weekly service last year.
each ship carrying 10000 stems. Proba-
bly, 600 900 stems were landed in Liver
pool last year, an increase of 100 per
cent over the year before. The people OF
England and Europe generally do not
know what a good banana is They have
beer used 10 eating them when the s0in
is green. at which time they are not fit
for food Under the fostering care OF the
banana section of the American INVASION
they will probably become as great
banana eaters as Americans; all OF which
means al economic change OF eonsidera-
bic Importance to tropical America.
MEDALS FOR STUDENTS