283 



ill order to afford him an opportunity of keeping in closer touch with 

 agricultural development in the colony. 



The question of bidding for the purchase of Bushy Park at the 

 forthcoming advertised sale was discussed. It was decided not to re- 

 commend the Government to bid for the property. 



It was reported that Mr. C. Allan, B.Sc , the Fermentation Chemist, 

 had arrived and was to commence work at once at the Laboratory, and 

 afterwards pr(!cee 1 to work on sugar estates. 



It was agreed to make arrangements to send Mr. T. J. Harris to take 

 accurate weights. &c., of cassava at Longville, the Estate of Mr. J. W. 

 Middleton, so as to ascertain the probable results to be expected from 

 cultivation on a large scale 



It was agreed to provide additional clerical assistance for Mr. Bar- 

 clay in his secretarial duties, and an allotment of 10s. a week was ap- 

 proved for this purpose. 



A .scheme submitted by the Island Chemist for utilising the Im- 

 perial Grant of £i 0,000 for the benefit of the sugar industry was con- 

 sidere i It was decided that no portion of the capital of the grant 

 should at present be trenched on, but that the arrangements propostd 

 sh.ould be proceeded with so far as the amount at credit of tl;e fund 

 for accrued interest would permit. 



VARIETIES OF THE BANANA. 



By Walter Jekyll. 



The frequent suggestions in the press, tl^at other bananas than the 

 established Martinique variety should be grown in Jamaica, lead me 

 to request the insertion in your Bulletin of the following reflections : 



First and principally, is it wise to make any change where the in- 

 dustry is so thriving? i'hat there are bananas superior to the Mar- 

 tinique in flcivour is an undoubted fact. There are however several 

 points to be considered before coming to the conclusion that it is de- 

 sirable to substitute any one of these for the kind now grown. .Market 

 requirements are peculiar, and it does not f ( How as a matter of course 

 that tlie best fruit gels a readier sale than the good The public is 

 conservutive ; nd likes what it knows. Its eye is caught by appear- 

 ances and it wants sometning handsome. i his is well exemplilied in 

 the apple trade. Probably the most popular apple in En>i^land is 

 Blenheim Orange, and yet to connoisseurs it is not particularly good. 

 In any market may be found lowi r-priced apples of far better quality, 

 which are neglected either because they are unknown or because they 

 are less attactive in appearance. 



Now no banana is handsomer than the Martinique Especially 

 beautiful in the light-yellow satin jacket > f its perfection, it is also 

 good to look at both before that stage and after it. Only «h -n brown 

 stains bej^in to disfigure the skin, whose hue has gradually deepened 

 from light yellow to dark yellow, does it proclaim tnat it is no longer 

 fit to eat raw. Even then it is excellent when cooked. 



The Martinique keeps well, especially in cool climates, and a point 

 in its favour is that it may be eaten in several stages of maturity. 



