River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1903-07-09
AMERICANS BANANA EATERS.
More of the Fruit Consumed Here
Than in Amy other Country
Trade Particulars

One would think that as warm
weather approaches and fresh fruits
and vegetables 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 proportions. 1t is not
in winter when little 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
danger of freezing, says the New
York Commercial Advertiser.
America has within the last ten
consuming country on the globe.
Twenty-four million punches were
imported last year into the United
States, an increase of 40 per cent.
over ten years ago. This increase is
due simply and solely to ventilators
The ordinary ship has no ventilators
in the holds The ship constructed
specially for carrying bananas has
from II to 90 big ones. The company
which controls so per cent. of the
banana trade has IS of these banana
ships in active service.
But care can by no means relax
after the banana lands on American
soil. For long distance hauls the ma
tional fruit of the tropics requires al
most as much attention as it does
on shipboard. This is particularly
true in the west, where the messen-
ger holds an interesting position.
He takes the cars for the western
trade out of New Orleans, on some
trips having as many as 20 under his
charge. They must be dropped all
along the way from st. Louis to the
coast, and they must reach each
town in the right condition, ripened
just enough to make good eating.
This maturing takes place on the
cars. and depends on the messengers
skillful manipulation of ventilators.
No artificial heat is supplied in win
ter. The cars are heated with
stoves before departure and the
stoves are then removed. After that
the vast mass of moist bananas will
generate even too much heat if left
to themselves. There is thermome-
ter in each car, and it is the messen-
gers business to keep the tempera-
ture regulated to dot, so that the.
man in Kansas City and the man in
Seattle will get his bananas just
right. So that, in fact, westerners
consume bananas ripened by messen-
ger. service instead of the sun.
Twenty-Five messengers 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 New York come from
Jamaica, Costa Rica, Cuba, Santo
Domingo and Santa Marta, in South
America. Those for New Orleans
come mostly from the United States
of Colombia and various parts of
Central America. The fruit company
which so largely controls the trade
raises 60 per cent. of the product it
handles on it's own plantations, where
it cultivates the fruit, although it
will grow without cultivation
throughout tropical America. 1here
are only two kinds of bananas. the
red and the yellow, but the red is no
longer handled owing to its poor
transporting qualities. Fried, it
forms a staple dish among the hum
bier housewives of tropical America.
The same improved methods of
transportation which have made
Americans a race of banana eaters
have begun the same Transforming
process with the English. The first
refrigerator banana ships from ia
maica to Liverpool were put on in
1901. with a fortnightly service.
This was increased to a weekly
service last year, each ship carrying
30 600 stems. Probably 100000 stems
were landed in Liverpool last year,
an increase of 100 per cent. over the
year before.
CHE KNEW PATRICK.