THE BANANA] 423 



mencies of the weather better than the various sorts of 

 M. bapientum and perhaps as well as the most resisting 

 sorts of M paradisiaca. In the Canary Islands the 

 Chinese banana is cultivated intensively and on an 

 extensive scale for export. It was introduced in our 

 Islands towards 1865, and is now frequently grown in 

 our gardens. This banana has given origin to very few 

 varieties or forms, the best of which being that grown in 

 Canary Islands, and this is the form grown in local 

 gardens. A variety of the Chinese banana called Cama- 

 yenne is cultivated extensively in French Guinea near 

 Sierra Leone on the west coast of Africa, which differs 

 irom the banana of the Canary Islands on account of its 

 much larger but fewer fruits, with longer intervals 

 between the "hands", so that the bunch is much less 

 compact and occupies more space when packed for 

 export. Other sorts of Musa Chinensis have been noticed 

 in India, South China and elsewhere, but the Canary 

 Islands banana presents so many advantages and is so 

 well received in all markets that it is not worth while to 

 try the cultivation of other sorts which are kss known. 



Here it may be mentioned that the term plantain is 

 given more frequently and more properly to the cooking 

 bananas, that is to those sorts which require to be cooked 

 before being presented at the table, and the term banana 

 is reserved for the true table bananas which do not 

 require cooking and are generally eaten raw, although 

 they are also frequently cooked. Others reserve the term 

 banana for the dwarf or Chinese banana, and call plant- 

 ains all the tall-stemmed sorts, whether they are eaten 

 cooked or raw. However, the Chinese banana is not the 

 only dwarf banana. In fact there are certain forms of 

 Musa Sapientum which are very dwarf, such as the banana 

 Noit of the Hawaii Islands, which according to Mrs. K. 

 M. Nakuina hardly exceeds one metre in height. Others 

 make use of both terms, banana and plantain for all 

 species and sorts, without any discrimination or restriction. 



