The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1908-01-31
CIZ7lEcE R47L47LA GROIrZ7VG ~ LOW
LA1ZDS MIR AO7VOZLILU

The people of the United States
consumed over 100000 worth of i'm
ported bananas in the year 1902 Each
year the importations are increasing
and at the rate of nearly a million
dollars per annum in value. The
West India Bulletin states that in the
height of the season, upwards of 20
steamers per week leave Jamaica
alone laden chiefly with bananas for
the markets of the United States
comment is unnecessary upon what
this trade has done for Jamaica, par
ucularly since the decline in the sugar
industry. Banana growing is to-day
one OF the most profitable industries
in that island, notwithstanding the
fact that tornadoes sometimes destroy
whole fields. Further, the indirect in
nuence which this trade has had upon
tourist travel can not be easily esti-
mated. The frequent passage of steam
ers has attracted thousands of people
to the West Indies to spend the win
ter
Why should not the Hawaiian
islands take some more considerable
part in this large and increasing in
oustry and commerce? This is ques-
ton worthy of careful consideration.
Ihls territory possesses soils and
climate admirably adapted to the
growth of bananas 1t also is free
from tornadoes, the grower thus avoid
ing the great losses that come to
planters in some other countries. A
great market, on the Pacific slope of
the main land of our own country, is
at Hawaii's doors.
The banana plant is used in an al
most infinite number of ways Nearly
every part of it is put to several uses.
To describe these in full would require
a small publication in itself. Here
only brief mention can be made of
some of them.
The ripe fruit is known to most
northern people simply as an article
OF dessert-a mere incidental to a
well provided table. In tropical coun-
tries, however, it is staple article of
food, the native population frequently
being quite dependent upon it. 1t is
eaten not only raw but cooked in a
great variety Of ways. The unripe
fruit is also cooked, some varieties
being better in this way than when
ripened. Some varieties are especial
ly adapted for drying and in favorable
climates may be dried by the sun
without resort to artificial means. In
this form, they may be used as are
other dried fruit now so common in
the markets.
Banana Hour or meal is made by re-
ducing the dried fruit to a powder.
Other secondary products that have
been made from bananas are preserved
ripe fruit, alcohol, vinegar and wine.
The fruit-bud of some varieties is
cooked and eaten and is said to be
very good. The flowers, fruits and
CORN or root-stock are said to have
medicinal value. The CORN is also
used as food for stock as is also the
part of the fruit stem inside the
trunk" The latter is also used as
food by the natives of some tropical
countries.
The leaves have been used as fod.
der for stock and Prof Hilgard states
that they contain nearly as much al
buminoids as average meadow hay.
The fibre of the leaves of the or
binary bananas has long attracted at
tention and continues to do so. That
of the so-called fibre banana (Musa
Textilis), as is well known, is the
souce of the Manila hemp of COM
merce and is one of the most valuable
fbres in the market
The banana fibre while of fair oual
ity and adapted to some uses is SO in
ferior to that of Musa textilis that the
former does not find a ready market
except when the latter is scarce and
the price very high. 1t then brings
only half the price of Manila hemp. It
is inferior both in strength and luster.
The Hawaiian banana trade had it's
beginning between 40 and so years
ago. AS early as the year 1864 ac-
cording to Thrum's Hawaiian Annual
there were 121 punches of bananas ex.
ported from these islands. Probably
these were the first of the Chinese
variety to be shipped from here. since
EIillebrand records that this species. of
Musa was first brought to us from
Tahiti about the year 1855. In the
year 1863 only 60 lunches were ex-
ported, but from this time onward the
trade increased slowly until 1t reached
it's maximum in the year 1896. In
this year the export amounted to 1875
413 punches. The next three years
show considerable decrease in this
export; From that date to the pres.
ent time there are no figures to show
the size of the shipments. for since