Bananas All The Year

A steamerunloading 10,000 bunches of bananas in New York. A stevadore mounted on the deck, giving out or ders to a hundred Iongshoremen wh stand in lines and pass the bunches of fruit f rom the hold of the vessel to waiting tructts. Such was the scène a reporter beheld on adowntownwharf. "Two niillion bunches of bananas come into this port alone every year now," said the importer. "Previous to 1884 there were not near so many. Schooners were employed, and they took ais weeks to make a trip, carried 2,500 bunches, and lost quarter of them on account of the length of time afloat and the damage by salt water. Now we have regular hnes of steamors that carry four or fine times as much fruit, and make such quick trips that there is practically no loss of fruit." Where do the bananas comefrom?" "Well, the reds, which appear to be i he favorites, come from Baracoa, Cuba. We get from 30,000 to 40,000 bunches oL them a week during August, but less now that peaches are n naarket. The yellow ones comefrom Jamaica, Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. There are some bananas produced in Florida, but the home demand prevents any coming here. It will not be long before the red bananas will be very scare, as the Cuban plnaters are replacing them with the yellow slips froni Jamaica. The cause of this is that the yellow produce bunches averaging from $2 to $2.25, while the red will not average more than one dollar and a half a buncb." "lïow do bananas grow?" On immense plantations, laid off into rows of trees about eight feet apart each way. The trunk of a banana tree is compoaedof thestems of leaves and grows from fifteen to twenty feet high. When the fruiting begins, a bud appears at the top of the stem anddevelops into a bunch of bananas. When the fruit is gathered the tree is cut down and left to decay, and new sprouts start up from the same root, and thus the erop is continually renewed. There are about 700 trees to the acre, and each one produces one bun oh of fruit. New plantations are started by setting out young sprouts about two feet high. The gathering of the bananas differ. In Central America the native Indians are employed. They cut the tree with a machete untií it bends over so as to bring the bunch within reach. It is then cut off and carried on the backs of the men down to the ships which runup therivers. Thelondingis usually done by forming line and passing the bunches from hand to hand. This is not very pleasant work, as the bunches often contain scorpions, tarántulas, centipedes and other venomous iasects that get shaken out of the bunches as they are passed and bite the handler. In Jamaica the negro womn are used to load the fruit, and i in Cuba both negros and half-breeds ! are employed. In the hold of the vessel the bananas are placed in bine holding several hundred bunches each, and arranged to admit all of the air possible. The ventilationiisso important that laree canvas funnels called 'wind sails' are fixed on the deck so as to'catch the wind and carry it down Into the hold. In winter much care is necessary to prevent the cargo from freezing on the voyage or while unloading. Bananas aro almost the only ruit that is always in season. Thoy arrivo at this port every month in the year. During the poorest months in midwinter we receive 70,000 bunches, and in summer the number frequently reaches 350,000 bunches."