79 



circle of consumers widens and brings recognition of its merits 

 to fresh purchasers. 



There can be no mistake about it — bananas are a new food thor- 

 oughly established in the favor of a large section of the populace, 

 growing steadily in popularity and with a certainty of future con- 

 sumption to which it is not easy to estimate a limit. 



Subsidiary Uses. 



Apart from its prime use, as a food, the banana has by-products 

 of very considerable value. 



The sap has important use as a mordant in dyeing. 



The fibre of one tree will furnish 4 lbs. material for paper 

 and textile fabrics. 



The top of the stem makes good ink. 



The flour of the plantain is highly esteemed in the West Indies 

 as a food for invalids and children, and indeed for this purpose 

 is regarded as distinctly superior to arrowroot. 



Experiments are now proceeding with the skins for the produc- 

 tion of dyes, and with the "rejects" for the manufacture of flour. 

 Invest in the Tropics (London). 



ARTIFICIAL MILK. 



A discovery which should prove of great interest to housewives 

 and mothers has recently been brought to perfection in a London 

 chemical laboratory. This is a process of manufacturing synthe- 

 tically a pure and wholesome milk of high nutritive value, pos- 

 sessing all the virtues of the original article but none of its many 

 dangers. 



The discovery originated many years ago as the result of the 

 ingenuity of a Chinaman who saw a possible substitute for milk 

 in the native drink prepared from the soya beans. His efforts, 

 however, met with only partial success owing to the fact that the 

 fluid prepared by him had an exceedingly penetrating and — to 

 Western palates — disagreeable taste. It was left to a German 

 chemist to lay the foundations of the present synthetic milk by 

 suggesting a composite fluid, made up of all the ingredients of 

 cow's milk in correct proportion. 



This suggestion was widely discussed about two years ago, but 

 the many obvious difficulties standing in the way of its realization 

 caused the public to regard it more as a dream than a possibility. 

 One or two chemists, however, attracted by the idea, continued to 

 work at the subject, with the result that synthetic milk is now 

 an accomplished fact ! 



