98 



half ripe, as is often the case in the United Stale.-, which 

 causes many persons to regard bananas as being difficult to 

 digest. 



"It seems only necessary to make the value of banana food 

 products known in order to create a large market for them. Al- 

 ready they are to a considerable extent popular in Germany and 

 Great Britain, which have been taking the bulk of the exports of 

 such products from Jamaica. * "^ * The Hawaiian Islands 

 and the Philippines also seem to ofifer inviting fields for the prof- 

 itable manufacture and exportation of banana food products." 



An interesting feature in the comparative progressiveness of 

 Europe and America in the line of adopting new foods, etc., is 

 brought out in the statement that a large United States order 

 was recently refused by one of the Jamaica companies by reason 

 that it was under contract for shipment to Europe of practically 

 its entire output. It seems that the combined capacity of the 

 Jamaica factories is only some three tons ])er day, but this will 

 probably be considerably increased in the near future. 



The writer remembers with pleasure testing both at Key West, 

 Florida, and Washington, D. C, a series of samples of banana 

 products made by a Central American firm ; moreover, he made 

 numerous experiments (extending even to table tests) at the 

 Porto Rican Experiment Station in the line of flours, meals, and 

 cofifees, from numerous varieties of bananas and plantains grown 

 in that island ; in Porto Rico, however, the only form of banana 

 food in general use aside from the fresh fruits is a plantain 

 flour from which a most wholesome gruel for invalids is prepared. 



In short, then, we should remember that banana products can 

 be very cheaply grown in the Philippines ; that these foods may 

 be very conveniently and safely stored, transported, and ex- 

 ported ; that they are of very high nutritive value : and therefore 

 that they can not be overlooked in any study of the social eco- 

 nomics of these Islands. In short, the banana as a crop not only 

 helps out very materially the precarious old one-crop system but 

 also provides a very interesting subject for study by the future 

 manufacturers and merchants in the (Orient. 



THE DANGER OE IXEECTfOX ERO}f TUBERCULOUS 



MILK. 



Medical men and veterinarians have for many }ears l)een in 

 accord in urging the necessity for the adoption of strong meas- 

 ures to keep in check, and eventually get rid of, the plague of tu- 

 l)erculosis ; and a paper read by l^r. Siicridan Dele])ine a short 

 time ago. at the conference of the National .\ss(^ciation for the 

 Prevention of Consmption. can well l)c brought to the notice of 

 Dur readers in the same column as the recently issued rei)ort (for 

 1911 ) of the veterinary surgeon of the Corporation of Glasgow. 



