Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-05-24
Lapland. The 100000 punches OF the

Lapland. The 10000, 900 punches OF the
yellow fruit which now are pouring
into. this country every year were not
to be found. at that time even in the
WestIndies and Central America, where
a shrewd Yankee tr1der discovered the
succulent fruit. Such bananas as New
York did see were from Florida
Ten million punches seems a big lot,
and when We remember that generally
there are over 100 bananas in a bunch,
we find we have something like 100
times 100000 of single bananas COM
ing yearly to our markets. No wonder
the American apple protests, that So
cieties are formed for the restoration
to favor of this product of snowy hill
sides.
Conditions surrounding the culture
of the banana are strictly of the trop-
ical order, and banana plantation,
with it's wide-spreading leaves, grow
ing palm-like, presents tropical pic
ture of beauty and luxuriance. Not a
few jewellers in the tropics and SUBJ
tropics plant near their bungalows
groups of the most beautiful of the ba-
mana trees, desiring to have them close
to their verandas, to impress the ap-
preaching visitor with picture OF
unique attractiveness. The life of these
trees is only of IS months duration, but
when they die others can be ready to
take their places.
A banana tree grows from Is to 20
feet high. Its trunk is green and sappy,
its leaves great, dropping banners at
the top. The latter are of ldNely, soft
green color, of soft, thick texture. The
fruit, as all know in these days Of many
pictures, of much travel, does not grow
here and there about the trees, but is
grouped in a compact, orderly manner
along stout stick of a stem of much
thickness and strength. The bud, a
tight-folded, purplish affair of several
inches in length, protrudes from this
stem, fruit and blossom both to be seen
rs the fruit approaches maturity.
In lands where the banana grows, the
fruit, as rule, believe, is not allowed
to ripen on the tree, as is the popular
belief. l know in Hawaii the punches
were picked while still green and hung
on the veranda to ripen. This may
have been done because OF those little
thieves, the mynah birds. but know
it was the custom and can bear witness
the fruit was delicious.
On the plantation where I made an
extended stay, there were IA different
kinds of bananas; the kind usually best
known in the United States was looked
upon there with no great favor, spoken
Of as the Chinese banana-perhaps be-
cause it was the one variety the poor
celestials could afford. A delicious and
~are banana was the apple banana, 4
small, light yellow fruit with the navo,
and fragrance Of an apple. The cook.
ing banana was substantial fruit with
red skin and -colored pulp, good
only after it was cooked, either boiled
baked or fried. j.. ! 4
But to live up to our title and tel
something Of the story OF the banana
Years ago we got what bananas we uset
from Florida, but now the West Indies
furnish us with big part of this de
sirable fruit. And very glad are tn,
West Indies that Uncle Sam has show
such q fondness for the product tina
grows so well In their confines, yer!
glad that now big fruit steamers ar,
needed to carry away the expolt
When England, so years ago, plunge,
its British colonies into the ''suga
crisis" by means Of an act eQualizinl
4 the sugar duties on British and foreiEl