The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1908-09-03
The banana the Apple of the Tropies

The banana the Apple OF the Tropics
All through the lowlands of Mexi-
co and throughout Central America
and the West India Islands the ba-
mana Is as common as the apple In
new England. Nearly every back
yard has its banana tree, II not a
small orchard, and almost every pho
tograph brought back by travellers.
IL sure to show at least one OF these
picturesque trees. 1t grows so ex-
uberantly and is used In so many
ways that IL may be classed as
weed, a vegetable. and fruit In
deed. II care were not taken TO cut
out the young shoots each tree would
soon become ahick impenetrabie
jungle.
A banana orchard Is a beautiful
sight, with its clusters OF green or
yellow fruit and sprays of bloom,
which may all be found on what Is
practically the same tree. The
banana farmer watches his trees
very carefully and permits three
shoots to grow out from the root OF
each tree which he plants. He Is
careful to see that the interval OF
time in their growth is such that
when the oldest shoot is bearing
fruit, the next is in blossom, the
third is half-grown, and the last is
just coming out of the ground, thus
making the tree sort of botanical
Roman candle, sending up four
punches of fruit into the air in quick
succession.
The banana rivals the modern n.y.
gienist In its demand for sunshine
and water. 1t cares little indeed, what
sort of soil it sends its roots into
so long as 1t has water and sunshine
in plenty. The slightest touch OF
the frost is fatal.
A great hustler is the banana tree
and it spends no time in idling. The
farmer plants a little shoot and IL
less than a year it is a full grown
tree with a bunch of ripe bananas
gracefully hanging from it's top. 1
devotes its energies to the one pur
pose of growing and aceomplishe'
what 1t sets out to do.
| Nor is the banana easily discour
aged. Perhaps the farmer come
along some day and cuts off tn
stalk. One would naturally suppos
that that would be the end of tn
banana tree, but not so. In twent
minutes a little swelling appears il
the middle of the stump which 500
pushes it's way upward and tigh
roll of decapitated leaves are seen
In eight hours, not only the Gu
leaves, but perfect leaves, Tight
rolled are seen, and the shoot wi
be two feet tall. In thirty-one hour
a beautiful plant with four graceful
, waving leaves will be found CROWN
, out of the old stump. This seem
hard to believe, but Mr.. E. A. Agar
. recently took for the New York Stat
> Department of Public Instruction,
series of remarkable photograph
showing these facts, which hav
!, been exhibited at numerous lecture
given in the public schools of Ne
> York. The owner of the plantatio
graphs says that the particular plar
. photographed was working unde
!, somewhat difficult conditions, b,
, cause of the dry weather at thu
: time; but, nevertheless, in or
month the tree was as large as eve
: Twenty years ago bananas in Anne
lea were rarity and were used on
as a special dainty. Now howeve
they are on every breakfast tab
and are almost as common as a.
piles. They are brought from trop
cal American countries in great ca
!, goes of thousands of punches, an
are now, fortunately sold at prit
. which is within the means of eve
' the poorest people.
To the Father of a Boy of FOurtee
n Won are the father of q how