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going to waste at the coast, where they first appear, as in 

 the previously named instance, and these await the 

 necessary enterprise to have the water pumped up and 

 made available to irrigate land which still remains un- 

 planted with bananas, for which crop an abundance of 

 water is an absolute necessity. The irrigation of land in 

 this country makes an enormous increase in its value, for 

 even if it is planted with ordinary crops, such as potatoes 

 or tomatoes, the proprietor can get three such crops instead 

 of a single crop each year, to say nothing of the enormous 

 profits made from the cultivation of bananas which arc 

 unequalled by any known crop." 



Mr. A. Samler Brown gives the following information * 

 about bananas in the Canary Islands. After remarking 

 that they will grow on irrigable land up to an altitude ol 

 800 ft., he continues : 



" Land planted with bananas takes about eighteen 

 months to come into bearing. The roots should be planted 

 about 12 ft. apart in rows about 12 ft. apart. This gives 

 about 400 cepas or about 1200 to 1500 trunks to the 

 Canary fanegada (approximately a square of 79 English 

 yards). These should produce about 800 bunches a year. 

 New land planted with old trunks will give fruit at from 

 four to six months earlier than similar land planted with 

 suckers. Not more than three suckers should be allowed 

 to a trunk, the suckers being chosen so that they may 

 come forward in their due order of succession. Expenses 

 consist of labour, plenty of water, and some manure 

 (generally chemical). About the year 1905 bananas in 

 the Canaries began to suffer from the attacks of mealy 

 bug, thrips, &c., and the necessity of combating these pests 

 has considerably increased the expense of cultivation. 

 When fairly started, a banana plantation gives little 

 trouble, but the plant is rather difficult to kill, should it be 

 necessary to clear the ground for other crops. The leaves 

 used as litter rot slowly, but form a good manure, or they 

 are used for packing. The stems serve as fodder for cows.'* 



* " Madeira, Canary Islands, and Azores." Tenth edition, 1910. 



