108 THE BANANA 



table and mingling well with other comestibles. ... I am 

 quite sure that the Jamaican banana, than which there is 

 none finer or better flavoured when it is of the proper 

 degree of ripeness, is, in the guise of a cheap luxury, a 

 substantial addition to our food supply which is certain 

 more and more to commend itself to the working classes in 

 our large towns." 



In a communication to the author, dated December 

 1912, he writes : " Extended experience of the banana has 

 deepened my conviction of its food value. It is a great 

 boon to the masses of our people, and while retaining it's 

 place on the dessert table of the rich, has found its way 

 into the hands of the poor. Its portability, palatability, 

 digestibility are immense advantages, and I am glad to 

 see that it is largely taking the place of the stale sand- 

 wich on railway journeys. When in good condition, 

 it is microbe-proof, and it assuredly supplies wholesome 

 nutriment." 



The universal experience of mankind, wherever the 

 fruit can be obtained, confirms the opinion of physicians 

 and food experts as to its merits. In some regions the 

 banana and plantain are amongst the principal food- 

 stuffs of the native population. For instance, in tropical 

 America " they are so extensively consumed as almost to 

 take the place of cereal grains as a common article of 

 diet," and in the unripe state, cooked, they supply the 

 staple food of millions of people " about 6j Ibs. of 

 the fruit or 2 Ibs. of the dry meal, with a quarter of a 

 pound of salt meat or fish, form the daily allowance for a 

 labourer " (Johnston and Church). 



The celebrated buccaneer and navigator, Dampier, who 

 was an " under manager " on an estate in Jamaica in 

 1674, in his "New Voyage round the World " (1679-91), 

 speaks as follows of the value of the banana and plantain 

 as food : " When this fruit is only used for bread, it is 

 roasted or boiled when it is just full grown, but not yet 

 ripe or turned yellow. Sometimes, for a change, they eat 

 a roasted plantain and a ripe raw plantain, which is instead 



