DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 329 



They are peeled ami sliced either longitudinally or transversely and dried first in the 

 oven and then in the nun. They are then packed in l)oxes or wrapped in dry leaves 

 for exportation. In this form they are quite Hweet and suijary and have a delightful 

 flavor. In Tahiti and the neighboring islands belonging to France l)ananas preserved 

 in this way are called "pi^re." 



Banana flour. — This is made from unripe bananas, which are first ])ut into scalding 

 water so as to facilitate peeling, sliced, dried in vacuum or in the sun, powdered and 

 sifti'd. In British (iuiana it is called by the natives " con(|uintay." It has a fra- 

 grant odor, acquired in drying, somewhat resembling fresh hay or tea. The fruit is 

 gathered green, before its starch is convertetl into sugar. The flavor of the meal is 

 enhanced by quick drying. Steel knives must not be used in shcing the fruit, since 

 they discolor the meal. Knives witli sdver or nickel blades are preferable. The 

 flour may be used in a measure as a substitute for arrowroot. Samples flt for expor- 

 tation contain about 1") per cent of water. The flour is packed in boxes or barrels 

 lined with paper. It is of a yellow color and has an agreeable sweetish taste. It 

 combines readily with water, milk, or broth. It can not be made into bread, but is 

 a fine ingredient for biscuits or cakes." 



In a country like Guam, where hurricanes, followed by scarcity of food, are liable 

 to occur at any time, it would be of the greatest advantage to the natives to keeji on 

 hand a supply of banana flour, as well as of dried breadfruit and fadang meal.'' 

 References: 



Mnsa paradisiacd L. Sp. PL 2: 1043. 1758. 

 Musa sapientum L. See under Mu.m panidi^ktra. 



Musa textilis. Ab.\c.\. 



Local names. — Abaka (Guam, Philippines). 



This jjlant has been introduced into Guam, and attempts were made to cultivate it 

 on the island by several governors and by the Sociedad Agricola de la Concepcion, in 

 1SG7, during the administration of Don Francisco Moscoso y Lara. It grows well; a 

 fine patch of it may still be seen on the border of the "Cienaga," near Matan-hanom, 

 the source of the Agafia River; but the preparation of its fiber required too much 

 work on the part of the natives. They have other plants suitable for cordage, which 

 require little trouble to prepare them for their uses; and the cultivation of this 

 species, though quite possible in Guam, has never been an industry of the island. 



Unlike the allied banana and plantain, the fruits of Musa textilis are fertile. The 

 plant may l)e propagated from the seed, but it is usually i)ropagated from suckers, as 

 in the case of the Itanana and plantain. When the j>lants are cut down at maturity 

 they are replaced by suckers which spring up from the root, so that the plantation is 

 constantly renewing itself. When the flower bud makes its appearance tlie plant is 

 ready for the harvest. The stalk is cut close to the ground. The fiber is contained 

 in the long leaf sheaths which surround the stem. These are split into strips two or 

 three inches wide. The inner portion of the middle parts, which are thicker than 

 the marginal, is pulpy and comparatively useless, so that only the outer i)ortion is 

 used. The fiber should be extracted while the strips are still fresh, since they 

 become quickly discolored if left in the sun, and the quality of the fiber is injured if 

 they are allowed to ferment. In the Philippines the fiber is extracted by drawing 

 the prepared strips of the leaf-sheath between the edge of a large knife or machete 

 and a lilock of hard wood. This is usually done under a tree or a thatch-covered 

 shed. Two posts are set upright in the ground, to which a horizontal pole is lashed 

 with rattans (in Guam Pandanus leaves or cords of Hibiscus bark would answer). 



«Neish, Leuscher's method of preparing banana flour, Journ. Jamaica Agr. Soc, 

 Nov., U)03, p. 440. See also species and principal varieties of Musa, Kew Bull. Misc. 

 Inf., 1894, p. 1'28 to 314. 



'' See Artocarpus co)nmunis and Cycas clrcinalis. 



