The Dolores star., 1922-02-03


Danana to give the world a cheap,
nourishing and healthful food.
A skeptical Chicagoan might say. of
course, that II was not until the be-
ginning of this century that Chicago
knew anything about the banana as
something to eat. True enough. but
chicago now eats bananas by the mil
lion, Just as does nearly every other
large city in the world. The fact that
banana Is tropical fruit and has to
be carried to the colder regions of
earth adds rather than detracts from
Its value as an obiect-lesson. when
taken in connection with other facts
which may be summarized thus:
The banana has been cultivated for
food from the earliest historical times.
II Is Indigenous to Asia and Africa;
1t may be indigenous to America or 1t
may have been brought here from
Spain In the Sixteenth century. 1t is
now grown In most tropical and many
subtroplcal countries. In a generation
the business of distributing it over the
world has grown Into an industry of
tremendous economic Importance.
Nature makes the banana cOntin-
uous crop. A banana plantation is set
In virgin soil, from which the forest
has been cut. The plant is a herba-
ceous perennial which contains about
S5 per cent water The main stem Is
under ground and is a large fieshy
roOtstock. called rhizome. which has
large eyes after the fashion of
potato. The trunk" of the tree" Is
a compact sheaf of leaf sheaths: some
times 1t reaches :, height of 40 feet
with a diameter of 2 feet and leaves
u feet long and 2 feet wide. Each
tree" bears one lunch and Is cut
down in harvesting the fruit. A plan
tation comes into bearing in about
fifteen months. Young "trees," coming
up from the parent rootstock replace
those cut; plantations sometimes pro-
duce for twenty years from a single
planting.
1t is stated that the banana, grown
on an equal acreage, will support a
larger number of persons than will
wheat. In food value it heads all the
raw fruits. 1t surpasses many of the
vegetables in energy value and In It's
sue-building elements. In fact, some
of the diet experts go so far as to say
that the banana gives more food for
the same cost than any other fresh
fruit or vegetable or fish, meat, milk
or eggs.
The banana Is SO constituted by ma
ture that 1t Is one of the few fruits
which reach the perfection in food
value when harvested green. 1t was
created to be harvested green. 1t is
always harvested green, even when
eaten In the tropics where it grows.
Harvested green, it is, until fully ripe,
practically living organism drawing
sustenance from Its stalk, with sap
flowing and tissues changing. 1t gen.
crates heat within itself for the ripen-
ing process.
The banana Is sealed by nature In
germ-proof package; its gloveIike
skin protects 1t from contamination of
all kinds
The banana is so packed by nature
that it Is transported from plantation
to consumer without box, crate or
wrapping of any kind.
In the Bulletin of the Pan-American
Union for December there is an Illus
trated article on the banana, especially
dealing with its cultivation in Central
America and Its transportation to the
United States compiled and edited by
Philip X. Reynolds of the United Fruit
company. In this article the following
points are made. among others: