Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-06-02
BANANAS ARE TENDER.
They Arc Easily Chilled and Easily
Hccome Too Ripe.

you would not believe how tender
these bananas arc" said banana
man the other day. They are more
tender than eggs. They will chill. IN
iact. at .. degrees That is. The green
ones, while the ripe ones will stand
somewhat lower temperatures.
~ chilled baualm never ripens.
While green Il banana will bleed when
bruised, cX,ulfnH II Juice approaching
the color Of the fruit wll2n 1t is ripcn-
cd. Under the Influence of cold This
sap becomes chilled aud dried. and the
life is oiit of the banana. After that
1t breaks like stick atld is OF about us
much valur nS IL stick FOR the purpose
for Which bananas are usually bought
From the time the l,:!Innas are tux
en- green from the trcrs tin they are
sent out by The wholesalers; in Il contli.
ton approaching riprnr.>S, Il period OF
nearly Il mouth Clapscs. Al the Cen
trail American plantations they are
loaded OH big scnws Ivy negroes, pooled
ont To fruit steamers ana carried up To
New Orleans. They arc inlualcd also
by negroes, who carry the lunches to
the scales before placing iIIrin on the
cars The whole load negro, bananas,
und all, is weighed niii the African
weight deducted. rho produce men
buy the bananas Ivy weight In New Or
leans, though they sell them by the
bunch hero. From the time they leave
the plantation till they are loaded on
the fruit train Is usually period of
about four or five days
~ messenger who knows bananas
from the stalk to The tarantula' nc.
companies each train. He rides In the
caboose. and lie watches those hunnnns
MS Il setting hen guards her eggs.
The temperature IN the ear when thoy
arc loaded II usually from GO TO sT0
degrees. Seventy. in fact. is Il tritlc
ton warm. The messenger IL between
two fires all the time. or. 10 put il more
accurately. he is between heat nnd
frost all The time. At ~ degrees the
green bananas will chill, while IL slight.
~ lower temperature will absolutely
ruin them Ii Il temperature of 20 or
over he maintained throughout the
Journey of about fourteen days from
New Orleans To tho northwest. the
fruit will arrive too soft and ripe anu
VIII very likely be worthless before il
can reach the hands of the retailer.
'lir fruit should reach here In n
green condition. so MS To require few
days IN the ripcnng room before being
placed on sale. This is IL little room AT
the rear Of The commission House in
WHICH the bananas are placed after
their arrival. There an attempt is
made To reproduce the warm, humid
conditions of the Central American
plantation. This effect is furnished by
little gas stove kept burning part of
tie time, over which is placed pan OF
water to form the steam
Three to five days under these con.
ditions usually place the fruit in shnpu
TO show 10 the retailer who comes
along the street with his eye peeled for
the bright yellow color of the ripcncd
bananas.
For northern shipment the bananas
are Sent out in an unripc condition.
wrapped in heavy manila paper, he
Sides the straw wrapping. which is dc.
signed to protect them from hruisng
when sent out TO the local trade Some
varieties are totally lInsuitc1 to north
ern shipment, as they would ripcn too
soon and be unfit for use before they
reached the northern market.
1T Is n remarkable fact in the case
OF ripencd bananas that, though the
cold Will turn the skins dark copper
brown. giving them 81 rcpulsivc appear
anrc, the quality of the fruit, rs far MS
mayor is concerned, Is lmimparcd. Not
withsiandns this fact. The darkcning
of tha color spoils their sale in the mar
kct. as they don't look good to the
uninitiated. and it is the outsider. after
all, and not the commission man who
cats them."-Scattlc Post Intcligenccr