The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-02-10

ural home. There is moisture in plen-
ty, and a temperature that rarely goes
above SO degrees or below rs.
1t requires about three years for
banana tree to reach bearing size, but
once reached it starts upon a lengthy
and useful lie 1t is short and stubby,
tough and hardy, and sprouts up with
such a dense growth of leaves as to
transform the plantations into full
fedged tungles. The usual height is
from eighteen to twenty feet, but the
long, leatherlike leaves grow at close
and irregular intervals from the bot
tom of the stalk to the top.
The immense size of the leaves
make them useful to the natives in
many ways. Sometimes the whole
plant is used to alternate with the
palms in decorating the city plazas,
but more often the tough leaves are
used by the poorer class of natives
to roof their huts or to close in the
sides. Quite often, too native
caught out in the fields minus cigar
cite papers will strip dead banana
leaf, deftly roll his cigarette and
smoke with as much enjoyment as
though it were the best quality of
paper.
Perhaps one out of every fifty per-
sons who daily buy bananas from the
familiar pushcart merchants or the
corner fruit stands in our large cities
know, that on one day he may buy
dozen of one variety and on other
days be handed several different
kinds. There are several members of
the banana family. The most easily
detected will be the short, chunky
plantain-dry, almost mealy. Next to
it is the Santa Lucia-solid but a
trifle sweeter The long, thin and still
sweeter Martiniques are perhaps the
most familiar to American markets,
because the most numerous. But by
far the most delicious of all the ba-
mana family are the Antiques, half as
long as the average banana and only
half as thick. So delicate are these
luscious morsels that it is only Occa-
sionally an attempt is made to ship
a cargo of this variety any great dis
lance.
Jamaica outclasses all her neigh
bors of the West Indies in the growth
and exporting of bananas. Her crops
are nearly continuous, making it the
chief industry of the island. Nearly
one-half of the entire imports of the
fruit come from that island, the re.
suit being that Jamaica has adopted
more modern methods in growing and
shipping.
A banana crops begins to mature in
, the early spring months. This means
a migration to the tropics of the i'm
porters' experts, and from that time
until the entire crop has been gath
cred the plantations and wharves pre-
sent busy scenes. An inspection of
the crops must be made before the eX'
perts enter upon any contracts. This
is made upon native ponies, the trip
often taking up three or four days in
making a complete survey of the plan.
tations. The contracts are then drawn
and signed
Two or three weeks later the cut.
ting begins. Each planter secures his
labor, obtainable mostly at 80 cents
a day. All of the field hands are ma
tives, used to the dampness and heat
found among the scrubby trees. II
one tries to cut the thick stem of a
bunch of green bananas with an or
binary knife he will discover what
a difficult tesk it is. Blu. the cutters
have been born, as the saying goes
with a machete in their hands, and
it is matter of only few minutes
for them to "shin" up the stalk and
with a peculiar drawing stroke striT
the trees of their half dozen or more
punches. The ordinary laborer catches
the punches as they drop with deft
ness that guards against crushing, anC
marches off toward the cars waiting
Heat, and particularly high, humid
temperature, will ripen green bana
ma in one to two weeks after it II