The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-31
Something Of its Won
derful Resources and
Promise of Great
Profit.

To the average man who has paid
little or no attention to this subject,
the raising of bananas and the profits
made are strange themes. Therefore We
viii endcavor in this. space to tell
something about The method Of culture
the nature of. the tree, what results
are being obtained and other things of
interest
To begin with, the Banana business
Is not new. 1t is already extensively
engaged IT,. one company (The United
Fruit Coz. which has over S2O.o0e, 10000
invested, raised and shipped last year
% H3S9> punches. All along the Pad
uco river i'm the state of Vera Cruz,
there are farms or plantations ranging
i'm size from > to 8 acres to those of
several thousand. Bananas form an
important part Of the food of the Mexi-
can famjly-one variety of Banana is
fried and eaten. Perhaps the best idea
of the extent of the business will be
gained from the following report:
O. p. Austin, Chief of Bureau of L.
:. Treasury Department, says: 1T -
apparent from all this that we are not
only increasing our importations. but
We are az the same time increasing our
dependence upon the tropics. We now
send out Of the country one million
dollars every day Of the year for trop-
zeal products
THE METHOD OF CULTURE.
It is necessary to give young banana
plants some shade when first trans
planted. so corn is planted, and when
six weeks 10 two months old the ba
mana plants are set out 10 feet apart
This means about 200 plants TO an acre.
- IL
II takes it from months to l year to
mature and produce a bunch of banan-
as. The bananas grow upward. not
downward as they appear when hung
up for sale. When the fruit has ma
tured il is cut down. and the stock dies.
From the root another stalk has start
ed. perhaps several are started: some
are cut back in such a manner that
the production of fruit can be regulat-
ed. The second stalk grows much faster
than the first. the root is stronger and
more matured. It will mature in six
months, and from that time on each
root will produce a bunch every three
months No cultivation is necessary.
The banana is. like our own iucern, a
ScaYenger. 1t cleans out all weeds
and other growth. but il should be ir-
Tisated twice each year, and as water
Is abundant on our place, the fruit can
receive plenty of irrigation.
RESULTS THAT ARE ATTAINED
THE FIRST YEAR.
We have already stated that about
e05 plants are set out on an acre ana
that the first wear each one bears one
bunch. or 200 punches to the acre. These
can be sold ON the place al 30 cents per
bunch. thus making an acre yield Sloe
gold the first year. Deduct from TINS
$40 for marketing. although this figure
will lie saved by the Tampico Fruit Co..
as their land is right on the Pannco
River, where the boats can load at the
plantation. The expense then, the
first year, is $1,000, leaving $4,000 net
profit.
THE SECOND YEAR.
Each plant will yield two punches
This year. or a total of 400 punches 10
The acre At see per bunch, they viii
bring s200-n0. Deduct from this EX-
pense of eultivating. slo.oo. marketing
testimated}, $2oee. and you have net
profit of $1,000. a-s.
THIRD AND SUCCEEDING YEARS.
Each plant will produce four bunch
Is now. but we will say that the total
produced is only 600 punches. tDf. {.
II. Harrison. who has raised bananas
on this river, says the land ges
600 bunches). These are sold for sSoO-VV
gold. expense of oultivating. Sl00O. ex-
pense II marketing. $4,000. total, Soo-oV'
leaves a net income of $4,000 per acre
This agrees closely with the general
experience OF banana raisers. ana ON
eial government reports give estimates
based on general results showing a net
income of from $4,000 to $4,000 golo
Der acre Those reporfS are always
Very conservative.