74 



THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



Federal Bureau of Entomology has already published results which 

 place the fruits of the Chinese banana and the Bluefield banana above 

 suspicion as carriers of the fruit fly, provided they are harvested, 

 wrapped and shipped in accordance with the demands of the trade 

 and the regulations of the Federal Horticultural Board. 



It is well known that the bunches of bananas must be cut on the plan- 

 tations while they are still green in color, though well grown, and, from 

 a trade standpoint, ripe. Because of the six to seven days required 

 for transit between Honolulu or Hilo and California, and the time con- 

 sumed in the harvesting and wrapping of the bunches on the planta- 

 tions, the hauling of the fruit by wagon or railroad to the dock and 

 the loading on board vessels, bananas must be cut in the field at least 



Fig 17 Cross section of a Hawaiian cooking banana of the Moa type. I\ote that 

 the larva; of the Mediterranean fruit fly have tunneled their way through the pulp 

 Also note the comparatively thin skin of this type of banana Because infestation or 

 Hawaiian cooking bananas has been observed, the Federal Horticultural Board has 

 placed a quarantine on all such bananas. (After Back and Pemberton.) 



ten days before they would ordinarily turn yellow on the tree, even 

 during the hottest ' Hawaiian summer weather. During the cooler 

 seasons of the year this period between the time the fruit is marked 

 for shipment and the time it would ripen if left in the field is greatly 

 increased. The greenness of the fruit when cut for shipment is an 

 important factor in determining the status of the banana as a host. It 

 has been shown by many experiments already reported upon that the 

 immunity of commercial species of bananas up to the time they must, 

 be cut to answer trade requirements, is not due to any lack of adult 

 fruit flies among the banana plants while the fruits are developing, 

 but to the astringent and tanin-laden sap in the peel of the fruit. In 



