Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1913-01-12

wives with them from the United States and
with wire netting.
Some of these houses here are beautifully
finished and well furnished They have the
latest magazines and papers, and in some OF
them YOU will find many novels, histories
and scientific books. Many OF the white
employees have hobbies. One may be an
ornlthologist, another bug-hunter. and
there are no end of collectors OF orchids and
other strange flowers. At the Virginia ba-
mana plantation near here they have quite
an aviary, containing many Of the quaint
birds OF Guatemala These include the wild
turkey, which has a brilliant yellow color
the tuna with its gorgeous plumage, and the
policeman which makes a terrible
screeching if strangers come near the house.
do not know just how many thousand
acres are planted to bananas in Spanish
Honduras, but the Guatemala estates be-
longing to the United Fruit company cover
tens OF thousands of acres, and 10000 acres
are already in bearing. This is divided up
into banana farms of a thousand acres each,
each farm having sections Of 20 acres each.
Every farm has its own manager, the ac-
count sheets being kept separately SO that it
is known Just what each section costs and
what it is yielding from year to year. In
deed, cost sheet is kept of this business
lust as i'll our factories and machine shops
at home. The general manager Of the plan
tation is Victor NJ Gutter, young New
Engander who came here a few years ago,
just after graduating with high honor at
Dartmouth.
Loading Fruit by Machinery.
| have been much interested during my
STAY in Central America in the handling of
the banana crop and especially in watching
how the negroes transfer the fruit from the
cars to the ships At Port Limon. Costa
2ica this is done BY machinery. The fruit
is carried from the plantation over tie rail-
road in leaf-lned cars to the side OF the ship
as it lies at the wharf. The tracks are so
laid that the train load Of bananas is parallel
with the steamer, and the fruit from half
dozen different cars can be transferred TO
the ship at the same time
The loading is BY movable carriers which
run upon wheels Each carrier is a long
belt about two feet III width. SO arranged
that one end OF it rests over the opening into
the hold. and the other ont on the wharf.
This belt moves by machinery. and the ba-
nanas. thrown upon il by laborers, are car
ried into the hold I have seen four rivers
OF bananas thus moving for hours carrying
fruit into a ship
The men are so trained that the stream
OF fruit is continuous the management
knowing just how many punches one man
,can carry i'll All hour and how long it takes
to- unload each car
The ship upon which | came here had in
its hold $4,000 punches OF bananas bound
for New Orleans Each Of those punches
together they were enough TO have given
every man. woman and child in New ork,
Boston. Chicago and Philadelphia one ba-
mana and still left some to spare.
At New Orleans the fruit is landed III the
same way, being there transferred TO cold
storage cars. which take il to all parts Of the
Mississippi basin, The bananas for the
eastern part of the United States usually go
to the seaports OF the Atlantic.
Object Lessons for Central America.
This work Of the Americans on the ba-
mana plantations is a series OF object lessons
in sanitation, agriculture and business man
agement for the people OF Central America.
Most OF the estates have large hospitals and
the employees are taught to take care Of their
health The workmens houses are raised
upon poles the vegetation being cut away
and the lands drained TO get rid OF the mos
qutoes. The laDorers are made to keep
clean and they are shown how to treat
themselves for tropical diseases. The Uni
lie