association for the purpose of making known the merits 

 of our fruit by actually distributing this fruit directly to 

 the trade on the west coast. It is scarcely to be doubted 

 that if pineapple growers, familiar with the systems of 

 co-operative marketing in successful use on the mainland, 

 would come to Hawaii and organize a business-like co- 

 operative association along the same line, the markets 

 for fresh pineapples could be developed sufficiently to 

 consume all of the pineapples which could possibly be 

 produced here for years to come. 



BANANAS. 



At least twenty varieties of bananas now growing in 

 Hawaii, are considered indigenous. The actual origin 

 of some of these varieties may never be thoroughly deter- 

 mined. Altogether, there are about fifty varieties of ba- 

 nanas in the Islands, the chief shipping varieties being 

 Bluefield and Chinese. Th^ Chinese banana is grown 

 perhaps more extensively tl: n the Bluefield, but does 

 not endure shipping quite so well. The adaptability of 

 our soil and climate to banana cuJqure is evident from the 

 jungles of bananas which grow wild without care or 

 attention on nearly all of the islando. 



The banana plant fruits at the age of fifteen to twenty- 

 four months, and is then cut down, making room for the 

 growth of suckers which spring from the ground near 

 the base of the stem. Banana plantations may be allowed 

 to reproduce themselves, by suckering, for two or three 

 years; but the plantation gradually deteriorates unless 

 it is replowed and planted anew. A rotation with other 

 crops, therefore, ultimately becomes necessary, as is also 

 the case with most all of our other money crops, A ba- 

 nana plantation produces 800 to 900 bunches per acre. 



The prospects for banana culture in Hawaii are ex- 

 cellent, and the possibility of extending the industry, 

 almost unlimited. The whole Pacific Coast of the main- 

 land should be supplied with our bananas, and Hawaii is 

 properly located to furnish them economically. San 

 Francisco alone, would consume 75,000 bunches of ba- 

 nanas per year. The cooking banana trade has not been 

 touched, in fact on the mainland, cooking bananas are 

 little known; and most housewives have hardly heard of 

 them. With our large variety of excellent cooking 

 bananas, well adapted for shipping, it is high time that 

 the possibilities of trade in this direction be realized by 



