The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1914-05-08
A COUNTRY EDITOR
SEES PANAMA CANAL
And Tells the Echo Readers of His Trip
And What He Sees and Hears

the way to the Panama canal, as vel
as the main lands and the lands to the
south. There is no denying the ad-
yantages of inter-commerce SO far as
the United States is concerned, but
that is not the only thing to consider.
The United States is we'll taken care Of
in the matter of internal railroads. but
our foreign commerce is one that can
yet be developed. To the south OIL
US and coming nearer every day, as
faster boats are built, are large areas OIL
undeveloped land, capable of produc-
ing 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 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 I wish to speak
OF the one industry which we have de-
veloped, both as promoters and con-
sumers, and that is the banana in
dustry.
About forty years ago tramp
schooner loaded with fish poles came
into Boston Harbor with 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 mar
ket thus created has never been sup
piled. The Island of Jamaica alone
sends sixteen million punches princi-
pally to this country, and other Cen
trail 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 Fruit Company,
although rival concern, the Atlantic
Fruit Co., has made considerable
headway in the last few years. The
great problem at the start was to con-
vince the natives Of the desirability Of
| cultivating the fruit. A fruit so com
mon that it grew wild, and only was
utilized in limited way as food and to
fatten hogs, seemed utterly unfit as a
marketable product. Finally the Unit
ed Fruit Company went into the mat
ter of buying their own land and de-
veloping their own plantations. AS
time went on they grew in importance
and branched out into owning railroads
and hotels, and in fact whole countries.
The United Fruit Co. is in these lati-
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 shipt
is as green as Irish grass. 1t looks
like a dream of the cholera morbus
germ, but when it reaches New York
it has already begun to turn yellow and
in few days it becomes the banana OF
commerce. Figured on paper banana
culture is one of the most profitable
games in the tropics and one has
merely to turn to the marvellous sue
cess of the United Fruit Company for
veri6cation. Also there are individ-
uals 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 700 to 900
banana trees to the acre and figure the
average yield to the tree at from three
punches to Eve, according to the rain
fall. There you have a radius OF two
TO four thousand punches per acre.
In Honduras, where the rainy season
is prolonged, it is expected that ba-
mana tree will yield five punches per
year. But take the smaller figure.
The perfect bunch Of bananas, the
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