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ture. Bananas are extensively exported, but the 

 supply is considerably short of the demand. The 

 leaves of the banana are often used as plates for 

 serving food upon, as tablecloths, and also for wrap- 

 ping material. When used for the latter purpose, the 

 mid-rib is cut close to the leaf, which is passed several 

 times through the flames of a fire to make it tough 

 and pliable. Thus treated, the leaf does not split 

 readily. The leaves of the dalo are also used for the 

 same and similar purposes, for which they are pre- 

 pared as the banana. The stems of the common 

 banana yield a fibre scarcely inferior to " Manilla 

 hemp" (musa texilis), but it is not extracted. An 

 abundant supply of it could be obtained from such 

 a country as Fiji, where bananas are planted on 

 a large scale as food to the inhabitants and for ex- 

 portation. 



Next to the above-mentioned food plants comes the 

 bread-fruit (artocarpus incisa) which is a most use- 

 ful as well as a highly ornamental tree. It sometimes 

 attains a height of 50 feet, but the average is from 

 30 to 40 feet. In general its trunk will measure 

 about 15 feet to the first branches, with a girth of 

 3 to 1 feet. It is a horizontal branching tree, with a 

 cone-shaped head. The leaves of the young trees are 

 sometimes 2 feet in length, and from 12 to 15 inches 

 in width. Those of the older trees are little more 

 than half that size. They are covered with rough 

 hairs, which makes them disagreeable to the touch. 

 Some of the varieties have leaves deeply lobed, and 

 those of some others arc almost entire. The fruit of 

 some of these varieties weighs as much as 9 lbs. ; that 

 of others does not exceed 1 or 2 lbs., and 4 or 5 pounds 

 may be reckoned the average weight throughout the 



