Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-01-28
RED BANANAS ARE SCARCE.
Twenty Years Ago They Brought Less
Price Than Yellow.

Red bananas are not often seen in
, the market these days" said a commits
sion man. land when we do get them,
they bring fancy prices. Fifteen or
twenty years ago, the reds were the
leading banana, and sold for a less
price than the yellow. The change is
due to commercial reasons-the yellow
banana is more profitable, requires less
: tmo IN It's care and cultivation. and
consequently, costs less. More of the
yellow grow on bunch, stick to the
stem better, and stand handling far
better than the red. With these advan,
tages, the reds have been practically
driven out of the market. The compar.
atively few lunches brought here are
soon gobbled up by fancy fruit dealers.
| and they bring good prices. Some peo
! pie prefer the flavor of the red ban
ana, and some like that of the yellow.
but the price has a great deal to do
with ii, the far less price the yellow
can be offered to the consumer deter.
mines and settles the question.
Bananas were never so cheap as
they have been in recent years. and
what was formerly an expensive lux.
ury is one of our cheapest articles OF
everyday food, ranging in price from
cents to 20 cents dozen. AS little
as some people think of 1t, the besi
and most wholesome bananas are the
ones peddled from the push carts by
the vendors. | say this because these
fellows never buy bananas until the
fruit is thoroughly ripe, and in day
or two more would not be At for mar.
ket. The peddlers get them cheap and
rush them out at a lively rate. A
banana Is not wholesome food-it Is
unfit FOR the stomach--until perfectly
and thoroughly ripe. When commits
sion men get a large consignment of
bananas they can not afford to let any
grass grow under their feet while get
ting rid of the stock, for a few hours
delay may mean the spelling of hun.
dreds of dollars worth of the fruit.
When it reaches this stage. the
banana auction takes place and then
the street men get in their work, buy.
! ing fine. large. perfectly ripe punches
for as low as 20 cents. Banana auc-
: ton mornings around here on Louisl.
ana avenue are the liyeliest mornings
We have, and the sons of Italy are on
hand by the hundreds have seen
as many as 900 carts lined up here to
get supplies of bananas.
The great bulk of the banana trade
! Is now controlled by a company which
/ banana importers have organized and
this company uses the fastest steamers
! for placing the fruit on the markets.
Formerly, we got them-years ago-in
sailing vessels, but bad weather would
knock the vessels out and the cargo
would go to rot. No such trouble as
that is experienced now, the fast
steamers built especially for the
fruit trade, land here in good shape
and with the fruit in prime condition.
1t Is after unloading that the danger
of rottage comes, and the fruit must be,
disposed Of in quick order. Most OF
our bananas come from Costa Riea.
British and Spanish Honduras, Col
ombia, 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 tn
New Orleans for distribution: that
from the other countries cominc IN
Atlantic ports. The fruit was never
50 widely distributed, and more espe-
clally in interior roints.-Wasbing
Post.