86 TROPICAL AGRICULTURE 



the stump of the old plant, but by suckers attached to the base 

 of the stump. 



The total time required from planting to the fruiting period 

 ranges from 12 to 14 months. The first rattoon crop will ap- 

 pear within 12 to 16 months later. The time required for the 

 production of the first crop, or the rattoon crops, is much 

 longer in the subtropical regions and at higher elevations. At 

 Glenwood, Hawaii, it requires nearly 3 years from planting 

 to produce a marketable bunch of bananas. The old leaves 

 are usually not stripped off during the growth of the banana 

 crop, but are allowed to droop and fall upon the ground as they 

 gradually die. 



Each banana trunk bears one bunch of bananas. Rarely 

 2 or 3 smaller bunches are borne, especially in the case of the 

 Chinese banana, but this is an unusual performance and may 

 be almost considered in the nature of a curiosity. In harvest- 

 ing the Jamaica banana, the trunk is cut off 5 or 6 feet from 

 the ground and the bunch is caught as the trunk falls in order 

 to prevent the bananas from being broken from the stem. The 

 ground is plowed and replanted every 3 to 7 years. In some 

 localities it is considered necessary to replant at intervals not 

 longer than 3 years. The length of time during which satis- 

 factory yields of bananas may be obtained without replanting 

 will in all cases, however, depend upon the physical properties 

 of the soil and the amount of fertilizer and cultivation which 

 the crop receives. In some cases good yields have been ob- 

 tained for 10 or even 12 years continuously without systematic 

 cultivation. 



The yield of bananas ranges from 225 to 300 bunches per 

 acre per year. Each bunch carries from 6 to 12 "hands" or 

 clusters of bananas. A payable bunch of bananas is considered 

 by banana dealers as meaning a bunch containing 9 hands or 

 more. The banana grower receives from 30 to 60 cents per 

 bunch, according to the size of the bunch and the locality. The 

 American market for bananas is best during the months from 



