Omaha daily bee., 1912-09-15
(Copyrighr

kzzssassJ is 800 feet high and II COM
mands view of more than 1900 acres
of the greenest Of green. The green is
stretch as far as l can see 10 the west.
Beyond them is another plantation of 10000
acres more. The two plantations belong
to the big banana trust. known as the
limited Fruit company, and they are only
a part Of the mighty estate which this
company owns in Central and South
America and in the islands OF the Carib.
bean sea. 1t has taken up about the
best banana lands of these sections and
1t annually ships bananas by the hun
dreds of millions. From its farms come
something like three-fourths of all the
bananas we use, and 1t is due to its
good business methods that we are able
to buy this fruit much cheaper than the
apples We raise in our own back yards
Bananas from Panama are sold in New
York, Washington and Chicago at from
10 to 20 cents dozen. Whereas
apples Of equal excellence from Oregon,
New York or Virginia bring cents and
upward apiece.
A Sea OF Bananas.
But as to the extent of the banana
business and the part that this fruit
has in the American stomach, shall
write later. Let me give you view
of the great banana sea as it is spread
out below me. At my right are the
mountains, the upper end Of the Andes,
which at this point are about as high as
the Blue Ridge and of much the same
color. They slope down to the green and
bound what, as l look. seems vast
sea of green bushes
Now turn and look to the left The
sea of green extends for fifteen miles
in that direction without break and
1t is the same at the front and the back
Almost as far as you can see there is
green everywhere, except here and there
was too big for cutting.
Now take your glass and look more
closely at the plantations below you. Tho
green is not solid. You can see that it
is divided UP into great fields or farms,
each of which contains about 1000 acres
and that there are narrow lines of rail-
roads running through 1t, with wagon
roads here and there, These roads were
built to get out the bananas. There are
170 miles of railways on, this banana
plantation and they run through the
farms like the veins Of ones body, reach
ing all parts. The roads are about three
feet wide. With glass you can see the
steel tracks shining out of the green On
some Of the roads are cars loaded with
green punches and on the trunk line
which crosses the estate are piles If
bananas corded UP for the trains.
How Bananas Are Handled.
Now take look at that train which is
approaching the hill. See, 1t has stopned
and Is taking on fruit The gang Of ia
maica negroes is transferring the piles
to the cars, They handle the fruit very
carefully. The cars have been lined with
leaves to prevent brtlising the bananas
as the train goes over the rails. Each
bunch is lifted up into the air and passed
from hand to hand to the men on the
train. There is no throwing or dropping
the punches. Each is raised as tenderIy
as though 1t were a baby and is laid
softly down on the car. The lunches
are packed Just so and the men know
just how many carloads 1T will take for
the steamer which is to carry them to the
United states | am told that 100 car.
loads will be shipped off today The
trains will carry them down to the port
and the bananas will go from the cars
on endless belts of canvas right into the
steamers, They are put in cold storage,
and reD1ain there until they begin to fly
out on similar carriers into the cold
storage cars at New Orleans or New
York, These bananas will go to New
Orleans or to Mobile, from where they
will fly to the chief cities of the Mis-
sissippi valley and the lands farther
west. The United Fruit Company aims
to supply our whole country. It has It
divided into sections and there Is a port
for each section, / am told that the
bananas from Port Limon, Costa Rica,
which lies sixty miles away up the coast
ell go to New York and Boston. and that
those of Jamaica are shipped largely to
Europe
The European business is extending and
the fruit company is trying to educate
the people to eating bananas. They have
done this in the United States and have
built up an immense market For some
time they have had to send fruit to