The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-08-26
BANANA
BUSINESS
How to Extend Industry
in Hawaiian
Islands.

The Hawaiian Forester and Agrcul-
furist is becoming as valuable to small
farmers as the Planters Monthly is to
1he sugar interests. The August num-
her was issued yesterday. 1t contains
zn article on THE Guava as Pest,
translated from lie Journal d Agricul-
cure Tropicale, supplemented by some
comments of its own strong leader
headed AN Attractive City is Self-Ad-
yertising," showing how the improve
ment OF Honolulu's good looks would
spread its fame among tourists; Mar
keting Facilities Badly Wanted an ar
ticle following up the Advertisers plan
TO have small farm products consigned
on commission to the public market i'll
spector "Tadpoles and Mosquito Lar
vac" letter to Mr.. Van Dine from
Prof. II. w. Henshaw Fertility by
Mail" touching the introduction of
nitrate bearing bacteria; various edito-
rial notes and the following special
essay on
BANANA INDUSTRY POSSIBLE
TIES.
Hawaii ought to establish a large
export of bananas to the Pacific Coast,
one which should control the entire
market to the Missouri River and north
TO Canadian Pacific Railway points.
If growers and shippers do their part
of the business properly, the trans
portation companies on sea and land
will probably find ii to their interest
to do the rest. at rates the trade can
stand. in speedy and scientific carriage,
so that the fruit will be delivered fit
10 eat at places of consumption. There
is no reason why the banana indus
try of Hawaii cannot develop as good
a market in the Pacific Coast terri
tory as that of the West Indies has
done in the Atlantic Coast territory.
EXAMPLE OF JAMAICA.
Jamaica has about doubled its ship
ment of fruit in the past five years,
the annual value thereof being now
above five million dollars, or over 60
per cent of the total exports of the
colony. Nearly seven-eighths go to
abe United States, and the remainder
10 the United Kingdom and other Brit
ish possessions In the year 1903 the
total quantity of bananas grown and
exported by Jamaica was about eight
$1,000 acres are under cultivation COM
prisinS $40 estates or thereabout, which
vary in area from 20 to 500 or 600 acres,
together with holdings of less than 20
acres cultivated by hundreds of set
tiers. Old abandoned cane lands, on
the southern side of the island, have
been transformed into luxuriant ba-
mana groves yielding, by the aid of ir
rigation, 800 lunches to the acre.
The foregoing data, together with
many practical lessons, are contained
In o. report on the fruit industry of
Jamaica by w. T.. Smith manager of
abe Trinidad government railway, who
visited Jamaica as a special repre-
sentative of the Trinidad Agricultural
Society. Jamaica has IA code of regu-
iations that have become the recog-
niZed standard there for buying and
selling. A full bunch, or straight" as
it Is technically known, consists of nine
hands or better. Eight hands count
as three-quarters, seven hands as
half and six hands as fourth. Abnor-
NAL punches of fourteen and fifteen
hands are generally subject to higher
prices by arrangement.
Big punches mean better fruit more
convenient handling and safer car
rage, also higher prices from the
wholesale dealer" Mr.. Smith writes.
""These the shipper requires, and pays
his premium for getting. He does not
want small and inferior specimens, and
will only take a limited proportion of
chem in any case. on the other hand,
the grower cannot, under the most
10, ~
tain percentage of small punches, and
he is quite satisfied to sell them at the
reduced rates referred to- The fruit cut
from young plants is usually under
sized. Patches of inferior land and I'M
favorable situations produce similar re-
suits, and from a variety of causes the
planter is obliged to reckon upon n
proportion of low grades in his annual
crop. At any rate, the arrangement
seems to work all right in Jamaica and
is generally considered to be perfectly
equable. Its reaction upon the cul-
,tivators is, moreover, far-reaching and
beneficial, inasmuch as it forces upon
1hem the all-important necessity of
good tillage, intelligent management
and careful handling, as the only
means of realizing satisfactory re-
turns"
GREAT CARE IN HANDLING.
Mr.. Smith says that the process of
cutting, handling and transporting ba-
nanas In Jamaica is one of increasing
care and anxiety. The stem is cut on
the top. just below the head, when the
bunch topples over and is caught by a
second helper, 1t is not allowed 10
fall 10 the ground, sharp machete or
eutlass does the requisite trimming,
and the refuse Is afterward chopped
~ and lett ON the soil. The remain-
ang stump Is allowed gradually 10 rot
from the top, which admits OF the
h'uvy amount Of sap II contains being
slowly returned 10 flourish the young
sucker az its root The lunches ARE
next roughly graded ana tallird then
fHUiei rhrulrd' Dr. thr word used tu
nrsisnaip che mode of carrying Out tn
some convenient place ANA There uaOk-
ff ln uHhh ln HNH't removal 200 tlu
arHfsff railway station ur HnUuWr d.r
fii AN lhit b. i.Hr uUi.r M. $50 uf
#H nlflirN."l W.Inr