Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-06-29
BANANAS ARE TENDER.
They Are Easily Chilled and Easily
Become Too Ripe.

become Too Ripe.
"You would not believe how tender
these bananas are" said a banana
man the other day. "They are more
tender than eggs. They will chill, in
fact, at 80 degrees-that is, the green
ones, while the ripe ones Will stand
somewhat lower temperature.
"a chilled banana never ripens.
While green banana will bleed when
bruised, exuding a juice approaching
the color of the fruit when it is ripen-
ed. Under the influence of cold this
sap becomes chilled and dried. and the
life is out of the banana. After that
it breaks like stick and is of about as
much value as a stick for the purpose
for which bananas are usually bought.
From the time the bananas are TAX
en- green from the trees till they are
sent out by the wholesalers in a condi-
ton approaching ripeness, a period Of
nearly month elapses. At the Cen
trail American plantations they are
loaded on big ScowS by negroes, poled
out to fruit steamers and carried up to
New Orleans. They are unloaded also
by negroes, who carry the punches to
the scales before placing them on the
cars. The whole load, negro, bananas,
and all, is weighed and the African
weight deducted. The produce men
buy the bananas by weight in New Or
leans. though they sell them by the
bunch here. From the time they leave
the plantation till they are loaded on
the fruit train is usually period Of
about four or five days.
"A messenger who knows bananas
from the stalk to the tarantula' ac-
companies each train. He rides in the
caboose, and he watches those bananas
as Il setting hen guards her eggs.
The temperature in the car when they
are loaded is usually from 60 to 20
degrees. Seventy, in fact, is a trifie
too warm. The messenger is between
two fires all the time, or, to put it more
accurately, he is between heat and
frost all the time. At % degrees the
green bananas will chill, while slight
ly lower temperature will absolutely
ruin them. If n temperature of 20 or
over be maintained throughout the
journey of about fourteen days from
New Orleans to the northwest, the
fruit will arrive too soft and ripe and
will very likely be worthless before it
can reach the hands of the retailer.
THE fruit should reach here in a
green condition, so as to require a few
days in the ripening room before being
placed on sale. This is q 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
q little gas stove kept burning part of
the 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 shape
to show to the retailer, who comes
along the street with his eye peeled for
the bright yellow color of the ripened
bananas.
For northern shipment the bananas
are sent out in an unIipe condition,
wrapped in heavy manila paper be-
sides the straw wrapping, which is de-
signed to protect them from bruising
when sent out to the local trade. Some
varieties are totally unsuited to north
ern shipment, as they would ripen too
soon and be unfit for use before they
reached the northern market
ut is Il remarkable fact in the case
of ripened bananas that, though the
cold will turn the skins a dark copper
brown, giving them a repulsive appear
ance, the quality of the fruit, as far as
flavor is concerned, is unimpaired. Not
withstanding this fact, the darkening
of the color spoils their sale in the mar
ket. as they don't look good to the
uninitiated. and it is the outsider. after
all. ana not the commission man who
eats them.''-Seattle Post-Intclligencer.