75 



the market by wrapping with dry banana trash, or otherwise with 

 a regular plantain bark pad made expressly for the purpose. From 

 the time the bunches are cut till they go on board the ship, they re- 

 quire very careful and gentle handling, which unfortunately they do 

 not often receive, owing to the number of times that they have to be 

 handled, packed and unpacked before they reach their final destination 

 on board the steamer. The simplest bruise, that would be hardly no- 

 ticeable at the time, would soon cause decay, and the fruit itself is of 

 such delicate structure that rot once setting in spreads very rapidly to all 

 the fruit in the immediate vicinity. After being cut in the fields the 

 greatest watchfulness is necessary to prevent the labourers dumping 

 the bunches down on e ich other. Hundreds of bunches are rejected at 

 the wharves owing to this careless handling in the fields. 



The packing of the fruit in carts, which should all be on springs, 

 has also been reduced to a fine art. An expert packer will perform 

 what would seem a miracle to an outsider, by being able to stow away 

 some forty of these great big clumsy looking bundles into a space, 

 hardly sufficient by appearances to hold twenty. On their arrival at 

 the wharf after a journey of from 20 to 30 miles, they are again un- 

 packed, the best fruit baing selected by the purchasers, and are piled 

 up at the wharf, awaiting the arrival of the steamer. On the latter 

 coming in sight these fruit go through another course of handling and 

 are packed on large whalers, holding as many as six hundred bunches, 

 and taken out to sea, after reaching the fruit vessel they are again un- 

 packed and pissed up from hand to hand till they reach their final 

 resting place on this side of the ocean in the hold of the steamer. Is 

 it any wonder then after the long journey with all its accompanying 

 joltings and bumpings and several courses of handlings both before 

 and after its long journeys on land, that we read so often of whole 

 ship-loads being dumped overboard on arrival at their destination, 

 being perfectly unfit for food. 



REPORT: BANANA EXPERIMENTS IN VERE. 



By H. H, Cousins, M.A. (Oxon.) 



The Vere planters are anxious for information as to Banana cultiva- 

 tion and Mr. G. Murray, as representing Caswell Hill and New Yar- 

 mouth, called upon me to assist with soil analyses and manurial ex- 

 periments. 



The soil analysis is appended with comparative data from St. Cathe- 

 rine. The Vere soil is heavier owing to the finer grade of particles. 

 It will get lighter with cultivation and is well suited for Banana culti- 

 vation but requires drains and well-regulated irrigation Chemically 

 the soil is .■^onewhat disappointing. Carbonate of Lime is deficient, 

 Potash and Phosphoric Acid both low. The available Potash is only 

 ■^ of that in the St. Catherine soil. The Phosphoric Acid is also 

 below the standard we have laid down for a soil not in need of phos- 

 phatic manures (0.0 10 o/o). 



I visited these properties on February 7th and was greatly pleased 

 with the agricultural management. I venture to say that the Vere 

 sugar planters have set a high example to other cultivators in the way 

 they have cultivated and arranged their irrigation and drainage. The 



