The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-06-11
COUNTRY EDITOR IN PANAMA
Resources of Tropic Islands


One of the things to be considered
is the of the islands on the
way to the main lands and the lands
to the south. There is no denying the
advantages of inter-commerce so far
as the United States is concerned but
The United States is well taken care of
in the matter of internal railroads, but
our foreign m is one that can
yet be developed. To the south of us
and coming nearer every day, as faster
boats are built. are large areas of un-
developed land, capable of producing
food stuffs which will go to feed us as
we become more densely populated.
Our land is practically all taken and as
manufacturing increases and popula,
ton becomes more dense we will have
to turn to outside sources for a portion
of our food.
AS yet we have not discovered South
America. England, Germany and other
European countries are more closely
acquainted than we are. | shall have
something to say later on this subject.
Just now | wish to speak of the one in
dustry which we have developed both
as promoters and onsume and that
is the banana industry.
About forty years ago a tramp
schooner loaded with fish poles came
into Boston harbor with a few bananas
on board. They sold SO easily that the
captain resolved to bring in a whole
cargo. 1t was two years before he got
around to it but. this time he loaded
with green fruit allowing the fruit to
ripen on the way. The market thus
created has never been supplied. The
island of Jamaica alone sends sixteen
million punches principally to this
country and other Central American
countries send as many more. The
jamaican banana is the sweetest and
most palatable fruit, while the Central
American ports export the largest. The
industry is mainly in the hands of the
United States Fruit Company, although
a rival concern, the Atlantic Fruit
Co, have made considerable Roadway
in the last few years. The great prob
lem IN the start was to convince the
natives of the desirability of cultivat,
it grew wild, and only was utilized in
a limited way as food and to fatten
hogs, seemed utterly unfit as a market
able product. Finally the United
Fruit Company went into the matter
of buying their own land and develop
ing their own plantations. AS time
went on they grew in Importance and
branched out into owning railroads
and hotels and in fact whole countries.
tudes what the Standard Oil is at
home.
The banana industry has the first
call in the island of Jamaica. They
have the advantage of being two days
nearer New York than Central Amer
lea, their closest rivals, and they fur
Their have the most palatable fruit al
though as above mentioned they are
not as large owing to the lighter rain
fall. A bunch of bananas when ship
ped is as greer as Irish grass. 1t looks
like a dream of the cholera morbus
germ. But when it reached New York
it has already begun to turn yellow
and in a few days it becomes the ban
ana of commerce. Figured on paper
banana culture is n of the most pro,
fitable games in the tropics and one
has merely to urn to the marvellous
success of the United Fruit Company
for verifcation. Also there are in
dividuals in the island of Jamaica and
in all the ports in the tropics who are
rolling in wealth and who made their
pile out of bananas. Figure from
seven hundred to nine hundred banana
trees to the acre and figure the aver
age yield to the tree at from three
punches to five according to the rain.